Job summary
The South Wales Spinal Network are seeking 2 enthusiastic, organised and innovative individuals to undertake a 3 year fixed term contract as Clinical Director and Deputy Clinical Director roles. The roles will include working with organisations and providers across South Wales, West Wales and South Powys.
The role will support the establishment and delivery of the South Wales Spinal Network (SWSN), serving the population South Wales, West Wales and South Powys. The post-holder will have a mandate to lead the collaboration between providers delivering spinal services across the region. The role aligns with the network mission statement of 'to deliver timely, effective and outstanding spinal care for our population.'
Main duties of the job
The spinal network has a coordinating responsibility for ensuring the needs are met for all patients with spinal pathologies and this will include:
- Providing services based around the needs of individuals, irrespective of the geographical location
- Ensuring patients requiring emergency spinal surgery are taken as quickly and safely as possible to the hospital that can best manage the definitive care of their condition either directly or by transfer between hospitals
- Supporting patients' families and carers
- Providing a comprehensive plan for rehabilitation at a very early stage in the patient pathway
- Ensuring best evidence-based practice is introduced and maintained
About us
The network includes all providers of spinal care including pre-hospital care, hospital and rehabilitation services. The network collaborates in ensuring consistency of standards of care driven by agreed policies, protocols and procedures applied across the network, and the involvement of all network members in a programme of continuous quality improvement informed by consistent clinical data capture through appropriate audit and clinical governance mechanisms. The development of a culture of openness, learning and shared accountability and responsibility is a key enabler to the effective working of the network and the consequent improvement in patient outcomes.
The South Wales Spinal Network (SWSN) Board is supported by the commissioning Delivery Assurance Group, with a number of governance structures feeding into the network board.
The post holder will require excellent communication skills, both verbal and written to assist in responding professionally to enquiries from a number of key partners, both internally and externally, alongside a proactive and friendly attitude and be able to develop effective relationships with a wide range of staff and key stakeholders.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Quality/Development and Patient Safety
The Clinical Director and Deputy will establish the processes, procedures and structures to ensure:
- Continuous improvement in the quality of clinical services throughout the network, focusing on best practice and evidence based standards to help realise the agreed benefits of the SWSN.
- Sound arrangements for clinical governance and quality assurance across the network.
- Adherence to nationally agreed core clinical guidelines.
- Consistent clinical data gathering mechanisms are used across Wales by fully utilising British Spinal Registry.
- Effective and positive relationships are established with the postgraduate deanery, medical workforce planning groups, health board human resources and HEIW to develop the medical workforce to meet national and local plans.
- Development of Integrated Care Pathways as appropriate in conjunction with stakeholders and clinical colleagues.
- Active participation of clinicians in national strategic developments.
- Compliance within the network with all relevant policies and procedures applying across NHS Wales,
- Oversee the management of the network risk register and develop solutions within the network to address any identified Spinal Network risks. This does not include clinical risks, as these will continue to be owned by the respective Health Boards.
Strategic Development and Partnership Working
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Lead on the development, communication and promotion of the service/structures.
- Contribute to the development of a culture of continuous improvement to deliver safety and quality of health care, including meeting governance targets and ensuring consistency of data gathering.
- Champion the spinal network, the services it provides and its role in relation to other health services.
- Support research and development and continuous quality improvement within the trauma network
Performance Management
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Deliver effective clinical leadership across the network to support and empower individual specialty and front line staff.
- Ensure that systems, processes and structures within the Network support a culture of patient focused excellence underpinned by a culture of shared learning, responsibility and accountability.
- Assist the Spinal Network Programme Manager to develop business cases for any service developments ensuring that service and financial developments have been accurately assessed.
- Influence the development of Integrated Medium Term Plans.
- Support research and development and continuous quality improvement across the network.
Governance
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Establish and lead continuous improvement in the quality of clinical services across the network, focusing on best practice and evidence-based standards.
- Ensure Network compliance with the Healthcare Governance and Risk Management policies of organisations within the network and make recommendations on their amendment where necessary
- Ensure that the highest standards of corporate governance and probity are maintained by ensuring that the network operates within the provisions of the Standards of Business Conduct, Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions across NHS organisations in Wales.
- With the help and support of the relevant Risk Management teams, ensure there are effective mechanisms in place across Health Boards to deal with complaints regarding the network and that learning from complaints is shared across the network.
- Take a lead responsibility within the network for the operation of Professional Conduct and Competence Procedures as they relate to medical staff, recommending to the MD or CEO of the relevant organization any formal action that needs to be followed.
- Be responsible for encouraging the maintenance of high standards of clinical record keeping within the network both in relation to paper and electronic records and in accordance with the statutory requirements, national and locally agreed standards, policies etc. (NB: responsibility for maintaining accurate contemporaneous patient records lies with statutory bodies i.e. health boards, WAST).
- Ensure that clinical and non-clinical staff within the network utilise IT systems effectively to store, share information in a timely, accurate and complete manner.
- Establish and maintain systems for assessing service users views on the quality of services provided and for involving patients relatives and their representatives in the planning and development of services whilst ensuring equity of services throughout Wales.
- Be committed to the development and implementation of the Service IM&T Strategy to ensure that IT systems and services are utilised effectively across the service to streamline and standardise working practices in order to support the development of the service.
Communications
The Clinical Director and will:
- Act as an Ambassador for the Network and the services it provides, raising awareness of spinal services within both the clinical community, the wider NHS in Wales and with external stakeholders including patients and the wider public.
- Use negotiating and influencing skills together with clinical reputation and experience to drive effective working relationships within and across the network, and to ensure good relations with internal and external stakeholders and allied health organisations to ensure effective clinical network development.
- Ensure effective communications with stakeholders and staff
- Ensure the establishment and maintenance of a network directory for rehabilitation services and related resources
Audit and Governance
The Clinical Director and Dpeuty will:
- Ensure that a suite of operational policies, protocols and clinical and management guidelines are developed, adopted and updated across the network. As examples (though not exhaustively), these will include transfer, imaging and repatriation policies and protocols and clinical guidelines for a range of conditions.
- Be accountable across the network for developing systems and services that ensure delivery of Healthcare Standards encompassing related issues of Clinical Audit, Clinical Adverse Incidents, Clinical Effectiveness, NICE, NSFs and professional regulation
- Set up systems to ensure regular spinal network and clinical governance meetings, and chair the network clinical and operational board.
- Set up systems to ensure that the results of all audits are reviewed at SWSN audit/governance meetings.
Emergency Planning
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Work in partnership with NHS and external stakeholders to ensure appropriate emergency plans are in place for a range of scenarios
Staff Management
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Lead and contribute to the setting of objectives for network staff as appropriate and will contribute to the development of objectives and outcomes for LHB staff undertaking network roles.
- Participate in recruitment and selection of senior medical staff and other staff, as appropriate.
- Ensure all staff within the network are managed in accordance with Health Board policies.
- Provide line management responsibility and support to the network clinical leads.
Financial Responsibilities
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Lead the Network Team to take necessary remedial action to achieve financial targets whilst being mindful of patient safety issues.
- Manage the collection and use of information in accordance with local and national strategies and plans.
- Ensure any changes to financial plans are considered and appropriate action plans implemented.
- Advise commissioners on future resourcing of the network.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Quality/Development and Patient Safety
The Clinical Director and Deputy will establish the processes, procedures and structures to ensure:
- Continuous improvement in the quality of clinical services throughout the network, focusing on best practice and evidence based standards to help realise the agreed benefits of the SWSN.
- Sound arrangements for clinical governance and quality assurance across the network.
- Adherence to nationally agreed core clinical guidelines.
- Consistent clinical data gathering mechanisms are used across Wales by fully utilising British Spinal Registry.
- Effective and positive relationships are established with the postgraduate deanery, medical workforce planning groups, health board human resources and HEIW to develop the medical workforce to meet national and local plans.
- Development of Integrated Care Pathways as appropriate in conjunction with stakeholders and clinical colleagues.
- Active participation of clinicians in national strategic developments.
- Compliance within the network with all relevant policies and procedures applying across NHS Wales,
- Oversee the management of the network risk register and develop solutions within the network to address any identified Spinal Network risks. This does not include clinical risks, as these will continue to be owned by the respective Health Boards.
Strategic Development and Partnership Working
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Lead on the development, communication and promotion of the service/structures.
- Contribute to the development of a culture of continuous improvement to deliver safety and quality of health care, including meeting governance targets and ensuring consistency of data gathering.
- Champion the spinal network, the services it provides and its role in relation to other health services.
- Support research and development and continuous quality improvement within the trauma network
Performance Management
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Deliver effective clinical leadership across the network to support and empower individual specialty and front line staff.
- Ensure that systems, processes and structures within the Network support a culture of patient focused excellence underpinned by a culture of shared learning, responsibility and accountability.
- Assist the Spinal Network Programme Manager to develop business cases for any service developments ensuring that service and financial developments have been accurately assessed.
- Influence the development of Integrated Medium Term Plans.
- Support research and development and continuous quality improvement across the network.
Governance
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Establish and lead continuous improvement in the quality of clinical services across the network, focusing on best practice and evidence-based standards.
- Ensure Network compliance with the Healthcare Governance and Risk Management policies of organisations within the network and make recommendations on their amendment where necessary
- Ensure that the highest standards of corporate governance and probity are maintained by ensuring that the network operates within the provisions of the Standards of Business Conduct, Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions across NHS organisations in Wales.
- With the help and support of the relevant Risk Management teams, ensure there are effective mechanisms in place across Health Boards to deal with complaints regarding the network and that learning from complaints is shared across the network.
- Take a lead responsibility within the network for the operation of Professional Conduct and Competence Procedures as they relate to medical staff, recommending to the MD or CEO of the relevant organization any formal action that needs to be followed.
- Be responsible for encouraging the maintenance of high standards of clinical record keeping within the network both in relation to paper and electronic records and in accordance with the statutory requirements, national and locally agreed standards, policies etc. (NB: responsibility for maintaining accurate contemporaneous patient records lies with statutory bodies i.e. health boards, WAST).
- Ensure that clinical and non-clinical staff within the network utilise IT systems effectively to store, share information in a timely, accurate and complete manner.
- Establish and maintain systems for assessing service users views on the quality of services provided and for involving patients relatives and their representatives in the planning and development of services whilst ensuring equity of services throughout Wales.
- Be committed to the development and implementation of the Service IM&T Strategy to ensure that IT systems and services are utilised effectively across the service to streamline and standardise working practices in order to support the development of the service.
Communications
The Clinical Director and will:
- Act as an Ambassador for the Network and the services it provides, raising awareness of spinal services within both the clinical community, the wider NHS in Wales and with external stakeholders including patients and the wider public.
- Use negotiating and influencing skills together with clinical reputation and experience to drive effective working relationships within and across the network, and to ensure good relations with internal and external stakeholders and allied health organisations to ensure effective clinical network development.
- Ensure effective communications with stakeholders and staff
- Ensure the establishment and maintenance of a network directory for rehabilitation services and related resources
Audit and Governance
The Clinical Director and Dpeuty will:
- Ensure that a suite of operational policies, protocols and clinical and management guidelines are developed, adopted and updated across the network. As examples (though not exhaustively), these will include transfer, imaging and repatriation policies and protocols and clinical guidelines for a range of conditions.
- Be accountable across the network for developing systems and services that ensure delivery of Healthcare Standards encompassing related issues of Clinical Audit, Clinical Adverse Incidents, Clinical Effectiveness, NICE, NSFs and professional regulation
- Set up systems to ensure regular spinal network and clinical governance meetings, and chair the network clinical and operational board.
- Set up systems to ensure that the results of all audits are reviewed at SWSN audit/governance meetings.
Emergency Planning
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Work in partnership with NHS and external stakeholders to ensure appropriate emergency plans are in place for a range of scenarios
Staff Management
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Lead and contribute to the setting of objectives for network staff as appropriate and will contribute to the development of objectives and outcomes for LHB staff undertaking network roles.
- Participate in recruitment and selection of senior medical staff and other staff, as appropriate.
- Ensure all staff within the network are managed in accordance with Health Board policies.
- Provide line management responsibility and support to the network clinical leads.
Financial Responsibilities
The Clinical Director and Deputy will:
- Lead the Network Team to take necessary remedial action to achieve financial targets whilst being mindful of patient safety issues.
- Manage the collection and use of information in accordance with local and national strategies and plans.
- Ensure any changes to financial plans are considered and appropriate action plans implemented.
- Advise commissioners on future resourcing of the network.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Full GMC Registration
- CCT in appropriate specialty (Anaesthesia/EM/ICM/Relevant Surgical Specialty)
- Successful completion of relevant trauma resuscitation courses
Desirable
- Clinical fellowship in Trauma System (Overseas/Military/UK)
- Higher Degree (MD/MSc) in allied subject: (Resuscitation /Trauma Sciences)
- Post graduate qualification in medical leadership
Experience
Essential
- Significant consultant experience in managing seriously injured patients
- Demonstrable experience of leading a service & effecting change.
- Managing and chairing large groups of managers and clinicians
- Good understanding of the principles of clinical governance
- Enhanced knowledge of acute medical services within Wales based on geography and how this may impact upon patient care.
- Working with key stakeholders e.g. NHS Wales, Emergency Ambulance Services Committee, Welsh Ambulance Service
Desirable
- Presented at National & International conferences on Trauma & Emergency Care
- Extensive UK and international experience working within trauma systems
Knowledge
Essential
- Significant consultant experience in managing seriously injured patients
- Competence in management of injury in adults and children
- Research experience in trauma & emergency care
Desirable
- Ability to deal with the media
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Full GMC Registration
- CCT in appropriate specialty (Anaesthesia/EM/ICM/Relevant Surgical Specialty)
- Successful completion of relevant trauma resuscitation courses
Desirable
- Clinical fellowship in Trauma System (Overseas/Military/UK)
- Higher Degree (MD/MSc) in allied subject: (Resuscitation /Trauma Sciences)
- Post graduate qualification in medical leadership
Experience
Essential
- Significant consultant experience in managing seriously injured patients
- Demonstrable experience of leading a service & effecting change.
- Managing and chairing large groups of managers and clinicians
- Good understanding of the principles of clinical governance
- Enhanced knowledge of acute medical services within Wales based on geography and how this may impact upon patient care.
- Working with key stakeholders e.g. NHS Wales, Emergency Ambulance Services Committee, Welsh Ambulance Service
Desirable
- Presented at National & International conferences on Trauma & Emergency Care
- Extensive UK and international experience working within trauma systems
Knowledge
Essential
- Significant consultant experience in managing seriously injured patients
- Competence in management of injury in adults and children
- Research experience in trauma & emergency care
Desirable
- Ability to deal with the media
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Address
Swansea Bay University Health Board Headquarters
1 Talbot Gateway, Baglan,
Neath Port Talbot
SA12 7BR
Employer's website
https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/ (Opens in a new tab)
