9‑month secondment / fixed‑term
We are seeking an exceptional operational leader to join Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) as our Interim Chief Operating Officer.
This is a pivotal role for a values‑driven, delivery‑focused leader who is passionate about high‑quality patient care, thrives in complex environments, and brings deep expertise in operational improvement across both planned and urgent and emergency care. Above all, you will lead with compassion and be able to demonstrate a track record of delivering sustainable improvement through inclusive leadership.
As Interim COO and an Executive Director on the Trust Board, you will play a central role in shaping and delivering the Trust’s strategic priorities. You will drive improvements in patient outcomes, quality, operational performance, and financial sustainability, while modelling behaviours that embed inclusion, diversity, and our organisational values.
You will join a dynamic, patient‑centred executive team committed to improving outcomes for our communities. A key priority will be leading the continued turnaround of our Type 1 A&E performance an enduring challenge across North East London while sustaining our strong delivery in planned care, diagnostics, and cancer performance.
We are making significant progress:
* Delivering against national targets for planned care recovery and diagnostics
* Substantially improving cancer waiting times
* Implementing changes that are putting us on track to achieve 76% all‑type A&E performance this year
We are clear about the challenges in patient flow across our hospitals and what is required to address them.
Key Responsibilities
* Provide strategic and operational leadership as a member of the Trust Board
* Lead day‑to‑day operational performance across the Trust
* Drive improvements in urgent and emergency care, patient flow, and elective recovery
* Champion quality, safety, and patient outcomes
* Ensure financial discipline and operational efficiency
* Foster a culture of inclusion, compassion, and high performance
* Act as an ambassador for the Trust with system partners and stakeholders
They are benefitting from a new electronic patient record (we were the last acute trust in London to introduce one) and our maternity services have been rated good by the Care Quality Commission.
We operate from two main sites – KGH in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford. We have two busy emergency departments with more than 346,000 people visiting them last year. We’re campaigning to secure the £35m we need to transform the A&E at Queen’s and get rid of corridor care.
We’re proud of our regional Neurosciences Centre, Radiotherapy Centre and Hyper Acute Stroke Unit. We’re also part of the North East London Cancer Alliance.
We run a Women’s Health Hub in Ilford; an Ageing Well Centre in Hornchurch; and Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital and at St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub. These CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The majority of our 8,400 staff – who come from 146 different countries - live in the three diverse London boroughs we serve and are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Many can work flexibly and more than 400 of them are on our Ofsted accredited apprenticeship programmes. We’re proud to be a London Living Wage employer.
About You
You are an experienced NHS leader with a proven track record of delivering operational improvement in complex health systems. You bring:
* Strong credibility at executive level
* Deep understanding of urgent and emergency care pressures and elective pathways
* Experience of driving patient flow improvements in acute settings
* A collaborative approach, with the ability to build effective system partnerships
* A clear commitment to compassionate, inclusive leadership
Importantly, you will recognise the unique challenges of North East London, where reliance on acute services is higher than in other systems. You will be motivated to work both within the hospital and across the wider system to improve pathways and outcomes for patients.
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