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.
An opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, well-motivated individual who enjoys working in a challenging and busy environment. You will provide a point of contact for all medical staff within the Medical Department and be responsible for the coordination of short and longer-term staffing solutions to achieve a cohesive and efficient service. Ensuring the management of sickness, absence and leave to promote optimal service delivery via the Medical Department rota and support and sustain Medical and Emergency Department service provision.
Main duties of the job
·The post holder will work closely with the Divisional management teams to coordinate and produce the rotas for the clinical staff; ensuring the allocation of annual leave, professional leave and study leave are reflected accurately and, after liaising with the specialty management teams, escalate any disputes which may threaten the continuity of service.
Provide a point of contact for medical staff, and work with the divisional management team to ensure that there is no disruption to service delivery and keep locum, extra session and ad hoc medical staffing expenditure to a minimum.
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
6. The post holder will work closely with the Divisional management teams to coordinate and produce the rotas for the clinical staff; ensuring the allocation of annual leave, professional leave and study leave are reflected accurately and, after liaising with the specialty management teams, escalate any disputes which may threaten the continuity of service to the Clinical Leads for final decision.
7. Provide a first point of contact for medical staff, liaising with the specialty management teams and agree how any authorised absence is allocate ensuring that all requests are treated fairly and equitably within Trust guidelines and the European Working Time Directive (EWTD).
8. The post holder will support the Divisional management and service teams in the production of the specialty rotas whereby medical staff are allocated to cover all aspects of the services. The post holder must ensure rotas are produced within the required 6 weeks’ notice period to ensure capacity can be managed accordingly.
9. The post holder will be expected to work closely with the Divisional management team to ensure that there is no disruption to service delivery and keep locum, extra session and ad hoc medical staffing expenditure to a minimum.
10. Responsible for the formulation/maintenance of the rota template, according to approved leave and assignment of trainees and Staff Grade sessions, according to guidelines.
11. Printing, publishing and distribution of the rotas across the Division.
12. Day to day responsibility for troubleshooting, i.e. arranging/amending to cover for absence, working with external agencies. Coordination of documentation for all external locums.
13. The post holder will plan and manage their workload and diary commitments to meet service requirements.
14. Act as point of contact for medical staff queries in relation to the management of rotas (Annual, study, sickness leave etc).
15. Coordinate annual and study leave requests, approved according to guidelines (or referral to Clinical Director), recording of leave entitlements. Responsibility for ensuring such coordination allows service requirements to be met.
16. Manage and monitor all study leave for doctors (Consultants, Staff Grades, Trainee Doctors, Clinical Fellows and Trust Grade SHOs). Include keeping an accurate database of all study leave applications ensuring that service requirements are met (over a 3 year rolling period). To provide accurate and timely information to the Divisional Senior Management Team as and when required. To provide doctors with information regarding their study leave entitlement.
17. To work with and act upon the guidance of the Rota Coordinator, Service Manager, Clinical Director in conjunction with amending rotas for New Deal Compliance for Junior Doctors.
18. Arrange staff accommodation where necessary for locum doctors, liaising with the ISS Accommodation Officer regarding requirements and ensuring accurate rota information is supplied.
19. ·Coordinate and submit all sickness absence, ensuring monthly records are maintained in a proactive manner for junior doctors. Complete documentation regarding sickness to be forwarded to the HR management team as per the Trust’s process.
20. Monitor temporary contract arrangements for medical staff and maintain and update rotational charts and establishment information, ensuring medical workforce information is up to date and informing internal and external stakeholders of all relevant vacancies.
21. To support the rota coordinator in organising junior doctor inductions throughout the calendar year.
22. To ensure all sickness absence is circulated to relevant parties to ensure adequate cover is provided. Ensure switchboard and on-call teams are informed of any changes to the on-call rotas due to unforeseen circumstances on a daily basis. Maintain database for sickness absence and escalate to the Lead Clinicians and Clinical Director high levels of absenteeism.
23. To assist, support and advise Divisional Management Team, Lead Clinicians and junior doctors on the design and implementation of rotas and work patterns, including new approaches to achieve compliance with New Deal and EWTD and are best value for the Trust.
24. ·Assist in the monitoring procedures required for the ministerial return in relation to EWTD compliance for junior doctors.
25. Ensure doctors in training understand their duties and rota commitments and there is appropriate compliant cover by junior doctors at all times.
26. Facilitate the study leave and locum cover coordinators by advance planning and coordination of leave at a departmental level.
27. ·Ensure locums receive induction package and review induction materials on an ad hocbasis.
28. ·Facilitate junior doctors; training opportunities by coordination of their clinical commitments and ensure appropriate rest provisions and leave.
29. Act as a central contact for doctors and local coordinators within the Trust for all annual, maternity, paternity leave, resignations, sickness reporting and rota issues.
30. Sign-posting staff to HR where necessary to answer any queries and ensure that procedures and documentation are processed accurately and efficiently within the required timescales.
31. Monitor temporary contract arrangements for medical staff and maintain and update medical rotation charts and establishment information, ensuring medical workforce information is up to date and informing internal and external bodies of all relevant vacancies.
32. To support the Divisional in the processes for monitoring of junior doctors’ hours and rotas.
33. Liaise with HR and medical agencies via the Trust’s process for the recruitment of locum doctors, including finding emergency cover within tight timescales, ensuring that contracted agencies are used via Trust guidance.
34. ·Co-ordinate via medical staffing and the HR Managers for Acute and Planned Care Division employment checks from locum details supplied by agencies and ensure all documentation is correct.
35. To answer the telephone under Trust protocol and record accurate messages in a polite and professional manner. To prioritise urgent messages, to manage directly routine responses and ensure all messages are dealt with appropriately, taking any necessary action and making this clear to the relevant Divisional Managers in a timely manner.
36. Ensure electronic systems are updated on a regular basis. Use these systems to produce analysis reports regarding agency costs and vacancies for the Divisional Management Team.
37. ·Carry out other duties within the scope of this post as required by the Division.
38. ·To ensure medical staffing shifts are booked in advance ahead of each shift and minimise retrospective booking of ad hoc shifts
Person specification
Essential criteria
39. Educated to O-level/GCSE including English and Maths or equivalent, level of diploma or equivalent level of experience requiring ongoing on-the-job training, Prior administrator experience
Desirable criteria
40. ECDL, IT qualifications, NVQ Level 3
Experience
Essential criteria
41. Previous work experience in the NHS, Experience of managing information, Experience of database querying and data entry
Desirable criteria
42. Knowledge of Rota coordination, Previous NHS Health Care experience, Hospital Rota Management system
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
43. Word processing and spreadsheet skills, organisational & communication skills, able to prioritise own workload
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 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.
Application numbers
To ensure fairness and manageable shortlisting processes, some vacancies may have an application cap. This means the vacancy will close once a set number of applications have been received even if this happens before the advertised closing date.
We recommend applying as early as possible to avoid missing out. All applications received before the cap is reached will be considered equally and assessed against the person specification.