Location: Hybrid based in Harlow (2 days working from home)
Job Type: Temporary
Duration of booking: Expected to last 3 months with possible extension
Proposed start date: ASAP
Pay Rates: £31 per hour Paye Inclusive of Holiday pay
Hours / Working Days: 37.5 hours per week / Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm
Based: Office / Hospital
Job Summary
The Service Delivery Manager is a key operational and leadership role within the Care Group. The post holder will be responsible for the day-to-day management and performance of one or more services, working in close partnership with Clinical Leads, Matrons, the General Manager, and the Head of Nursing.
The role ensures that effective systems and structures are in place to deliver safe, high-quality, patient-centred care, while managing operational performance, financial control, workforce engagement, and clinical governance. The post holder will support service development and transformation, ensuring delivery of national and local performance standards, financial sustainability, and continuous improvement.
The Service Delivery Manager will contribute to the delivery of the Trust Strategy by supporting efficient pathways, improving patient flow, strengthening governance, and fostering a positive and inclusive culture.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
* Provide visible, inclusive, and compassionate leadership to services, ensuring staff are supported, developed, engaged, and motivated to deliver high-quality care.
* Model Trust values consistently, fostering a respectful team culture that promotes wellbeing, psychological safety, equality, diversity, and inclusion.
* Communicate clearly and confidently with multidisciplinary teams, encouraging open dialogue, active listening, and shared decision-making.
* Support team development, manage performance issues fairly and constructively, and encourage ownership and accountability at all levels.
* Lead and support staff through service change and transformation, managing resistance and maintaining engagement and trust.
* Celebrate success, promote learning across teams, and implement retention and talent development strategies.
* Translate Trust and divisional objectives into service-level priorities, supporting teams to plan, deliver, and monitor improvement.
* Strengthen collaboration across departments, primary care, and system partners to improve patient pathways and flow.
* Work with senior colleagues to establish and communicate a clear vision for services that empowers staff to achieve optimal performance.
2. Managerial Responsibilities
* Line manage designated staff and provide overall leadership and support to service teams.
* Ensure effective staff communication and engagement, enabling staff to influence service planning and development.
* Establish and lead effective monthly service business meetings with multidisciplinary attendance to review performance, finance, quality, and risks.
* Use service data, benchmarking, and evidence to inform transparent, outcome-focused operational and clinical decisions.
* Support the production of monthly divisional performance reports and contribute to divisional business meetings.
* Chair or support departmental meetings and local advisory groups, representing the division and Trust as required.
* Contribute to the development of annual business plans aligned to national policy, Trust strategy, and local priorities.
* Monitor and report agreed performance indicators (e.g. Theatre Efficiency, cancellations, UEC metrics), identifying trends and improvement actions.
* Develop and implement policies to manage service pressures and capacity constraints.
* Ensure performance metrics are reported accurately and on time within the divisional balanced scorecard.
* Support Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and digital initiatives, promoting tools that enhance data quality, access, and service efficiency.
3. Service Delivery
With delegated authority from the General Manager / Deputy General Manager:
* Manage services to the highest standards, ensuring patients, carers, and families are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.
* Deliver agreed objectives and targets in support of the Trust Strategy.
* Support effective resource management, including theatre utilisation, scheduling, staffing, equipment, and consumables.
* Ensure delivery of national and local access targets, including 18-week RTT, UEC, and cancer standards.
* Establish specialty-level performance objectives and ensure the infrastructure is in place to meet required standards.
* Use performance data proactively to monitor outcomes, identify improvement opportunities, and agree service improvement plans.
* Ensure activity data is accurate, complete, and used to inform service planning and decision-making.
* Ensure implementation of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion action plans across services.
* Lead or support the development of digital and IT projects within service areas.
* Lead on elective pathways and patient flow, attending daily bed meetings as required and ensuring actions are followed through.
* Champion service user needs, ensuring fairness, equity, and transparency in service delivery and policy application.
* Collect, analyse, and act on feedback from patients and staff to inform service improvements.
4. Performance and Resource Management
With delegated responsibility from the General Manager:
* Manage income, pay, and non-pay budgets in partnership with Clinical Leads and Matrons to ensure financial balance and value for money.
* Ensure robust budget management processes are in place and that service assets are used efficiently.
* Agree activity plans and performance measures and manage services to achieve agreed targets.
* Support the introduction and development of service line reporting and service line management across the division.
* Proactively support income generation, marketing initiatives, and business development opportunities.
* Communicate financial pressures clearly and engage staff in identifying efficiency opportunities.
* Support capacity and demand planning and pathway redesign to improve patient flow and system integration.
* Ensure staff understand workforce establishments, budgets, and financial reports, providing monthly support and guidance.
* Identify, lead, and deliver Cost Improvement Programme (CIP) and QIPP schemes in collaboration with the divisional team.
* Ensure compliance with Trust Standing Financial Instructions.
* Prepare capital and revenue business cases for service development.
* Lead data quality improvement programmes, ensuring robust systems and processes for accurate reporting.
5. Clinical Governance and Quality
* Work with Clinical Leads and Matrons to maintain and improve clinical standards in line with national guidance and Trust policies.
* Ensure governance structures are effective and aligned with Trust governance frameworks.
* Support implementation of evidence-based practice and service improvement.
* Ensure compliance with the Trust complaints procedure and that learning leads to measurable service improvements.
* Participate in and support clinical audit activity.
* Monitor compliance with healthcare standards and risk management requirements, initiating corrective action where required.
* Maintain governance, quality, and risk action plans in line with CQC, NHSLA, NICE, and Trust policies.
* Ensure risk assessments are completed regularly and that the risk register is actively reviewed and managed.
* Support and, where required, lead investigations into incidents, complaints, PALS concerns, and near misses.
* Ensure incidents are managed and investigated in line with the PSIRF framework, with reports submitted to relevant review groups.
* Ensure policies, guidelines, and procedures are current, accessible, and compliant with Trust standards.
* Ensure robust information governance, record management, and data protection practices are followed.
* Address governance breaches promptly and appropriately in accordance with Trust policies.
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