Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone.
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
The role of the Executive support lead is to provide high level administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer and co-ordinate the team of Executive PAs to ensure the effective delivery of support to the Trust Board and smooth running of the Trust Executive Office.
This role will also have lead responsibility for a number of key Trust meetings including the Trust Management Executive meeting, Chaired by the Chief Executive. The Executive support lead will also provide resilience to the Board Governance team, supporting delivery of Board Committee meetings and the Board Governance agenda, as required.
Main duties of the job
The role of the Executive support lead is to provide high level administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer and co-ordinate the team of Executive PAs to ensure the effective delivery of support to the Trust Board and smooth running of the Trust Executive Office.
This role will also have lead responsibility for a number of key Trust meetings including the Trust Management Executive meeting, Chaired by the Chief Executive. The Executive support lead will also provide resilience to the Board Governance team, supporting delivery of Board Committee meetings and the Board Governance agenda, as required.
Working for our organisation
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Job Summary:
The role of the Executive support lead is to provide high level administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer and co-ordinate the team of Executive PAs to ensure the effective delivery of support to the Trust Board and smooth running of the Trust Executive Office.
This role will also have lead responsibility for a number of key Trust meetings including the Trust Management Executive meeting, Chaired by the Chief Executive. The Executive support lead will also provide resilience to the Board Governance team, supporting delivery of Board Committee meetings and the Board Governance agenda, as required.
The Executive support lead will:
·Provide high level secretarial and administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer, co-ordinating all aspects required to ensure the effective running of the CEO and Trust Executive Office
·Be the Team leader for Executive PA colleagues, working closely with Executive Directors to ensure a collaborative team ethos, continuous professional development and comprehensive support to the Trust Executive Office
·As the team lead, co-ordinate the Executive PA (EPA) team, ensuring cross-site cover and cover for Executives during periods of leave and absence.
·Have lead responsibility for the Trust’s fortnightly Trust Management Executive meetings chaired by the Chief Executive, including the planning and preparation of agenda and papers, taking minutes to Board level standard. This requires regularly liaising on agenda items with senior staff across the Trust.
·Work closely with the Chief of Staff and Associate Director of Corporate Affairs to ensure the Trust’s Corporate Affairs are undertaken to the highest standards of probity and according to statutory and legislative requirements;
·Provide cover for Board and Committee meetings for the Head of Board Governance in their absence.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
Board Support
·Responsible for providing high level administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer in line with the duties of an Executive Personal Assistant;
·Enabling efficient operation of the CEO’s office whilst ensuring the utmost confidentiality at all times;
·Pro-active and responsive daily management of diaries, phone calls, projects and other matters as required
·The post holder will be required to demonstrate excellent organisational and administrative skills and have the ability to work independently using high levels of discretion, judgement and critical analysis while balancing the competing priorities of a busy CEOs office.
·Responsible for servicing meetings; taking and transcribing Committee minutes to board level standard, planning and preparation of agendas and supporting papers;
·Responsible for proactively monitoring progress against Committee action logs through liaison with Executive Directors, advising the Committee Chair of any outstanding issues;
·Responsible for resolving agenda issues using independent judgement to make necessary revisions.
·Take lead responsibility for the Trust’s fortnightly Trust Management Executive meeting chaired by the Chief Executive, including the planning and preparation of agenda and papers, taking minutes to Board level standard. This requires regularly liaising on agenda items with senior staff across the Trust.
·Work with the Head of Board Governance to arrange the annual schedule of Board and Committee meetings.
·To type and draft where appropriate, correspondence and other documents as required, checking for accuracy, spelling and grammar and Trust branding and style before it is sent;
·Assist in the preparation of comprehensive induction programmes for Trust Executive and Non-Executive Directors
·Be the Team lead for Executive PA colleagues, working closely with Executive Directors to ensure a collaborative team ethos, continuous professional development and comprehensive support to the Trust Executive Offices
·To co-ordinate the Executive PA (EPA) team rota ensuring cross-site cover and cover for executives during periods of leave and absence.
·To work with a high level of autonomy, prioritising own workload, deciding when necessary to refer to the Chief of Staff/Associate Director of Corporate Affairs ;
·To regularly review Board Members’ mandatory training records and liaise with members’ whose training is due to expire to ensure all Board Members are compliant.
·To order items necessary to ensure the smooth running of the Trust Board, Executive Office and governance processes.
·To process payments and invoices as required, working within Trust systems and liaising with appropriate senior leaders to ensure approvals are completed
·Where requested, and with agreement from the Associate Director of Corporate Affairs, to support other members of the leadership team with administrative arrangements for projects and tasks involving Trust Board members.
Other
·To deal with incoming correspondence and queries on a daily basis, referring these to other members of staff or departments for action as appropriate;
·To ensure that efficient and effective systems of communication and office practices, such as electronic filing, are established and maintained in line with NHS Records Management guidance and the Trust Corporate Records Management Policy ;
·To proactively make suggestions and changes to procedures to ensure they support and improve the work of the Executive office for the enhancement of service delivery for the CEO office and executive leadership teams
·Proactively utilise/ chanpion new and existing tools including AI, outlook and MS teams, to automate routine tasks, improve accuracy, and ensure timely delivery of services
·To carry out research/fact finding work to inform current issues/projects;
·To occasionally deal with difficult patients when seeking or asking for information regarding complaint letters or appointment letters together with verbal complaints
·Assist members of the Trust Board with the recruitment process for key leadership roles, providing information on their behalf and liaising with stakeholders, making sure that timetables and schedules for interviews are properly organised.
Location
The post holder will be required to work across both hospital sites in Lewisham and Woolwich.
General
·To ensure that a high quality and timely service is provided (utilising all Microsoft Office packages) when producing minutes, agendas, correspondence, reports, emails, presentations, project plans and spreadsheets. This requires a high degree of keyboard skills, speed and accuracy and substantial VDU use most days.
·The role also requires long periods of sitting in a restricted position while taking minutes at meetings.
·There is a regular requirement for prolonged concentration while taking and transcribing minutes where a high degree of accuracy is required.
·There may be interruptions to deal with conflicting priorities and these will need to be managed whilst still meeting the required deadlines for agenda, minutes etc.
·Occasional exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances such as staff performance issues, dissatisfied patients/clients, dealing with complaints
·Monitor key information sources (web sites, journals) to keep abreast of wider NHS developments relevant to the post.
·Keep up-to-date with developments relevant to the post by attending relevant conferences and local network meetings, in agreement with the Trust Board Secretary.
Communications and Relationships:
·Trust Executive Team
·Trust Board
·Associate Director of Corporate Affairs
·Divisional leadership teams
·Trust Senior Nurses and General Managers
·Executive PAs
·All Trust employees
·Patients and relatives as necessary
·Department of Health
·NHSI/E
·SEL ICS and Clinical Commissioning Groups
·Local Authorities
·Other Trusts
·Local Press and Media
Person specification
Essential criteria
6. Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
7. Further training and experience to post graduate diploma level or equivalent
Desirable criteria
8. ICSA qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
9. Ability to minute high level meetings and transcribe minutes to a high standard
10. Previous experience of working in a fast moving, confidential, sensitive, pressurised deadline driven environment
11. Thorough knowledge and practical experience of Microsoft office systems, including Copilot
12. Experience of working in an organisation under public and political scrutiny
13. Significant experience working at Board/Executive level.
14. Extensive experience of Minute taking at Board/Executive level
15. Significant experience in administration at a senior level in a large
Desirable criteria
16. Experience of working to support a large and complex organisation
We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.
Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.