Job vacancy: OPMU Project Officer, South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, Warwick

Job summary

Main area: Administration
Grade: Band 6
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 203-C422

Employer: South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Warwick Hospital
Town: Warwick
Salary: £35,392 - £42,618 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 05/08/2024 23:59

OPMU Project Officer

Band 6

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.

We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 6000 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.

The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.

Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide inclusive, safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

Probationary Period

All new staff to the Trust will be subject to a standard 6 month probationary period, the details of which will duly follow in your contract of employment.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued and respected and that our organisation is representative of all members of society. We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, students, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values of being Inclusive, Safe, Effective, Compassionate and Trusted.

Agile and Flexible Working

All our staff will have a work base. However the Trust operates as an Agile Working Team therefore staff may be working from home on a regular basis as required by the service. However, occasionally travel around Warwickshire and into your base will be required so access to your own transport would be helpful.

The Trust also welcome staff to work flexibly and we would welcome the conversation at interview regarding flexible working.

Staff Benefits

The Trust offer a wide range of additional benefits to staff. Anyone who joins us on a substantive basis can assess things such as the Lease Car Scheme, Electronics Scheme, Discounted Leisure and Travel, Cycle to work scheme amongst many others available.

Car Parking

The Trust have recently completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at our Warwick Hospital site which has allowed us to reduce waiting times for car parking passes.

To keep up to date on our latest recruitment activity follow us on twitter @swftrecruit or look us up on Facebook (Recruitment - South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Improving Quality and Outcomes

Lead the scoping, planning and delivery of the Emergency and Urgent Care Programme, including the identification of key milestones, deliverables and benefits.

Drive forward the transformation, in conjunction with the operational and clinical teams in order to meet the key performance indicators and milestones that contribute to the overall programme.

Support local delivery of the appropriate targets set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Responsibility for the finances of the projects being managed.

Key Working Relationships & Effective Communication Skills

Operate effectively and work collaboratively with key stakeholders both internally and externally to support the design of clinical and service pathways that will meet strategic and clinical requirements and within financial constraints.

Work in partnership with Project Manager to ensure that communication is clear about progress and outputs of project.

Develop effective partnerships with clinical and non-clinical staff and help to create an environment within which all staff working in the delivery of care are provided with the opportunity of influencing the planning, management and development of time pathways.

Established and maintain regular dialogue with key members of staff working across specialty areas.

Work in partnership to identify and problem solve issues ensuring solutions are fully developed and deployed in line with project plan.

Support the Project Manager as the Trust’s point of contact with the innovation of pathways, acting as the link between them and the local operational and clinical teams.

Communicate effectively with colleagues on a timely basis to ensure staff and managers remain informed. This will include providing and receiving at times highly complex information which may be sensitive or contentious, where persuasive motivational and negotiating or empathetic and reassurance skills are required.

Build and maintain relationships with Emergency and Urgent Care services and the Business Development Team within the Trust.

Enabling Patient and Public Involvement

To ensure that patient and public involvement is embedded as appropriate and included within the project plan for each of the work streams at relevant levels of decision making.

Where relevant to act as a champion for patients and their interests and involve the public and patients where appropriate work with service users to ensure that patient views are incorporated into pathway redesign.

Project Management

Support the strategic planning, project management and smooth running of projects within the Emergency and Urgent Care Programme.

Lead the delivery of project plans, ensuring agreed goals are met - allocating tasks as appropriate, identifying risks, issues and interdependencies, considering best practice and current options and ultimately making decisions in the best interests of the project.

Establish and develop documentation to ensure appropriate Task and Finish Groups to drive forward the necessary changes that will support implementation of projects within the Emergency and Urgent Care Programme.

Develop detailed project plans, action trackers, risk and issues log that are systematically in line with the agreed milestones and national/locally agreed timeframes. Work closely with the Programme to ensure all aspects of the project run to time, following up and flagging issues where required.

Support the development and implementation of agreed local plans adopting best practice where appropriate including plans to evaluate the effectiveness of new services and ensure that performance management is in place to support the evaluation.

Ensure the pathway redesign includes a strong focus on quality and delivery, improved patient outcomes and quality requirements.

Collate, prepare and present reports summarising status on issues, appraising outcomes and providing progress reports for the nominated clinical and managerial leads across the system.

Ensure all parties are kept up to date with progress and are engaged and own the work. As project lead ensure all members of task and finish groups are aware of the specific standards/targets they are responsible for delivering.

Provide regular updates (agreed at commencement of project) and reports for work within the Emergency and Urgent Care Programme.

Represent the Emergency & Urgent Care Programme Team at meetings and events associated with the projects within the programme.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Provide and receive complex information and be able to persuade operational and clinical teams of the importance of the project.

Management of the production of the required work programmes, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary.

Analytical and judgment skills such as critical reasoning, interpretation of complex information and clear decision making.

Independently plan and organise own workload and the workloads of others involved in the programmes of work.

Organise and co-ordinate the project membership including guiding their work in line with the project’s plans and milestones, and ensuring that work is not over-looked, or duplicated, by related projects.

Ensure the PM, and ADO of Divisions are alerted to any deviations from plan which may have material consequences to the delivery, costs or Timeliness of the project.

Initiation, organisation, and participation of events such as workshops.

Provide specialist knowledge across a range of procedures which are underpinned by theory and initiative.

Implement policies and propose changes to practices and procedures for own area.

Regular requirement to develop or create reports and documents maintaining one or more system updates where necessary.

Communications and Working Relationships

Highly advanced communication skills are required for this post. Complex and at times possibly sensitive information needs to be managed in a variety of formats, with wide range of audiences, departments and stakeholders such as:

Effectively communicating to senior leadership team within the Elective and Emergency Divisions on specific project developments and influencing those needed to contribute to work programmes.

Provide highly complex information regarding performance in a motivational manner which encourages collaborative working in order to deliver against targets.

Work closely with Emergency and Urgent Care services and the Business Development Team within the Trust.

Manage staff expectations particularly around developments and changes.

Presentation skills for educational and corporate audiences. Adapting use of language to reduce barriers to understanding and enhance ability to influence others.

Close working with other NHS organisations such as Coventry & Warwickshire, CCGs and other NHS Trusts.

Able to deliver specific training to colleagues on new initiatives as required.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Educated to post graduate level or equivalent level of knowledge of working at a similar level in specialist area
Project management knowledge to post graduate diploma level or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria

Evidence of successful risk management regarding complex, multi-organisational projects
Experience to solving a range of operational problems involving HR and finance
Undertaking service/business planning in a multidisciplinary setting taking into account finance, workforce, equipment and organisational factors
Experience of working as part of a team
Experience of persuading and influencing staff at all levels
Experience of dealing with politically and other sensitive situations and information
Previous NHS experience

Desirable criteria

Significant previous experience in a project management role OR equivalent experience of working in a large, complex organisation

Skills

Essential criteria

Understanding of Emergency and Urgent Care
An understanding of the political environment in which the NHS operates and its role in serving the public
Knowledge of administrative procedures, project management and/ or information analysis
Able to analyse assessments and resolve failures to meet project standards
Knowledge of Microsoft Office Software Applications
Knowledge of data validation and quality assurance systems
Awareness of the key deliverable set out in the NHS Long Term Plan
Demonstrates a knowledge and understanding of good HR practice, including a working knowledge of contract / employment law
Knowledge of external environment including national and regional strategies and priorities, and the national political agenda
Knowledge of the clinical and corporate governance agendas and the role of the Healthcare Commission
Knowledge of governance issues arising from recent investigations into the provision of relevant health services
Standard keyboard skills

Desirable criteria

Awareness of best practice national guidance
Examples of partnership work already undertaken and the knowledge of who those key partners are
Comprehensive knowledge of NHS data definitions and information standards

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

Ability to prioritise own workload
A commitment to public sector values
Can write accurate text to tight deadlines
Must be a team player
Analytical mind
Have a flexible and dedicated approach to work
Enthusiastic and keen to learn
Highly motivated
Understanding of and commitment to equal opportunities in employment and service delivery
Personal and professional demeanour and credibility that generates trust and confidence in others e.g. remains calm under stressful circumstances
Ability to work with clinical staff of all disciplines
Ability to manage and resolve conflict in an effective but non-aggressive manner

Other

Essential criteria

Willingness to travel as appropriate

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Sometimes we get a lot of applications for our roles. On those occasions we might close the job early. If you don’t want to miss out we recommend submitting your application as early as possible.

The Trust use an Applicant Management System called TRAC which helps us manage the recruitment process. All communications regarding your application will come via TRAC (even if you applied via NHS Jobs).

Please check your TRAC account regularly and ensure your email is set up to accept messages so they don't go into your junk/spam folder.

We aim to shortlist all vacancies within 2 days of the vacancy closing, we will get back to all candidates ASAP.

Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address.

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Equality and Diversity and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

All South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust sites are smoke free. We feel it’s a great way to help our patients, visitors and staff stay healthy.

The Trust is part of a ‘Foundation Group’ through a strategic alliance with Wye Valley NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This partnership is great for the sustainability of all four organisations and allows us to share learning and maximise opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality health and care services for our local populations.