The role
What we are looking for
The Group Chief Executive (CE) will be critical to the success of our Group model, providing strategic leadership, engaging stakeholders in shaping the Group’s vision and future direction and development of services, to ensure the benefits of the collaboration is realised in practice. The Group CE will provide visible and inspirational leadership and build strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders and strategic partners across the wider health and social care system.
The bringing together of organisations will require focus on the development of a culture that will build alliances across any percieved organisational boundaries.creating a single set of values and behaviours that deliver improved patient care and staff experience. A new Group culture will need to be fostered, starting with the articulation of the vision, mission and values, and the underpinning behaviours needed not only for the Group but also required to continue to build the required links with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
The post holder will lead the development and transition to a joint executive management structure and its associated governance arrangements, developing and delivering common and aligned clinical, digital, capital, financial and people strategies that share exemplary standards of clinical care and common employment practices.
The Group CE will lead the development and delivery of the clinical and organisational strategy that sets out the joint vision and plan for services, optimising pathways, and use of resources. An evidence-based approach will need to be adopted to support radical improvements in population health and high-quality care for individual patients. The post holder will work closely with others within the wider health and social care system to address the “Fair Shares” position. The geographical landscape served by the Group have amongst the highest level of population deprivation in England.
The Group CE will need to ensure that there is a sound financial strategy in place which ensures financial sustainability and effective capital planning on behalf of the Group in the context of system affordability. The Group model has the potential to release savings in respect of driving efficiencies and benefiting from economies of scale and will require a strong focus on delivery of quality improvement.
As the Accountable Officer, the Group CE will ensure the delivery of safe, caring, responsive, well-led and effective services across the two organisations, as well as ensuring all legal and statutory responsibilities are fulfilled.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Work with the Board of Directors in each organisation via the JPB and then Group to develop a clear Group Clinical and Organisational Strategy, an enabling project plan and key milestones to ensure successful delivery.
- In conjunction with the Boards of Directors of both organisations and the Council of Governors ensure that the Group strategic direction and vision is developed, promoted, and effectively communicated, internally and externally.
- Ensure that there is a “common voice” across the organisations to effectively feed into the Tees Valley Clinical Services strategy work.
- Ensure the wider workforce are engaged with, understand and are committed to the strategy.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders and the wider system in its development.
- Ensure the Group is an active champion for Acute, Primary and Social Care closer collaboration and Place Based Care.
- Act as a role model demonstrating exemplary standards of integrity, probity and corporate governance.
- Recognising the different concerns/starting points between the two FTs, lead the cultural development of the Group to meet the standards of the People Promise, embedding an open and trusting culture with patients and staff.
- Play an active and positive role in the development of the Integrated Care system (ICS).
- Develop a culture where the opinions of patients and staff are welcomed and are used to improve services.
- Manage the transition to a group governance system that is aligned and effective across both organisations.
- Ensure ongoing compliance with all regulatory and statutory requirements, providing timely and effective Board assurance.
- Maintain and enhance the reputation and profile of both organisations through the ongoing assessment and management of strategic and reputational risk.
- Work with the Chairman and Board Secretary to align and operate the Group, Boards of both organisations and the Council of Governors effectively and efficiently.
- Ensure the provision of accurate and timely information to the Boards of both organisations and the Council of Governors to support informed decision making.
- Drive a culture, with the appropriate supporting structures, where safety and patient care are the organisations primary focus, to continuously improve patient outcomes and experience.
- Embed a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring learning from incidents is completed using just culture principles.
- Collaborate with academic partners to foster high-quality education, research, training and innovation across the Group and wider Tees Valley organisations.
- Our group boasts a joined up research alliance and delivery service which is able to share information and work in collaboration on studies – giving our population the same opportunities to take part in clinical trials.
- The alliance follows its own developed research strategy to help bring more research to more patients in the Tees Valley and surrounding areas.
- We have specialist staff working together across multiple sites across the region with access to a population of more than one million people through a single point of contact.
- Ensure delivery of all required financial, quality and performance standards across the Group and both FTs.
- Establish the financial budget for the Group and ensure performance delivery is within the available finances whilst meeting the highest standards of patient care and patient safety.
- Work with ICS and other system partners to maintain the financial stability of the system, including a realistic but clearly timetabled phased implantation of “Fair Shares” for the Tees Valley population.
- Work with the Executive Management team to ensure financial accountability and optimum patient care is evident at all levels in the organisation by developing a performance management culture which is supportive and motivating but which ‘holds to account’ for the delivery of agreed priorities and objectives.
- Ensure relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are developed and effectively implemented.
- Lead the Group Executive Team in balancing financial, strategic and operational constraints across both organisations whilst continuing to maintain the highest standards of patient service quality and safety.
- Act as a role model for the inclusive, empowering and compassionate management and engagement of staff to optimise patient care.
- Ensure staff are developed to their full potential within a culture that values personal development and learning.
- Lead, inspire and develop the leadership capacity of the Group using effective succession planning.
- Ensure the culture is open, inclusive, trusting and fair whilst maintaining appropriate accountability for optimising patient care.
- Ensure staff are supported to deliver their role and that appropriate focus is placed on the importance of their health and wellbeing.
- Ensure the Group supports the wider system in the provision of high-quality teaching and education in all roles but especially clinical roles such as nursing, doctors in training, and other healthcare professions.
- Ensure effective two-way communication with the wider workforce. Ensure there is leadership capacity and capability to deliver quality, performance and major projects within the available finances whilst bringing their teams along with them.
Person Specification
- Significant and successful recent experience and achievement as an inclusive leader at Chief Executive level in a large complex organisation or system, ideally within an acute NHS environment or international equivalent. In doing so be able to demonstrate success in building and working with teams to achieve organisational and financial targets.
- Experience of operating in the public eye, and in a complex accountability framework, including having written and oral presentation skills to facilitate excellent interface with staff and external stakeholders.
- Understanding the dynamics of the NHS and demonstrate a clear commitment to the values and ethical standards of UK public service, system and organisational excellence, including fit and proper persons.
- Have the proven ability to develop innovative and ambitious strategies to achieve organisational goals, and to articulate a clear and compelling strategic vision which inspires staff to consistently deliver high quality patient care and outcomes.
- Can demonstrate resilience and determination to overcome challenges, recover from setbacks and deliver short term operating performance and long- term strategic objectives.
- A strong track record of building positive and fruitful relationships and building successful alliances across organisational boundaries with an ability to influence at all levels.
- Experience of leading and managing large scale service improvements and holding to account agreed performance and improvement targets.
- A proven track record of leading large scale transformational and digital change.
- Evidence of building and leading a successful, effective and cohesive Executive team within a large organisation.
- Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the regulatory and governance requirements of NHS and Foundation Trusts.
- Detailed knowledge of the requirements relating to capital investment.
- Required understanding of NHS, current Government policies and change programmes to be able optimise opportunities and address threats.
- Detailed knowledge of quality improvement in the context of NHS services.
- Detailed knowledge of NHS financial systems and processes, ensuring corporate governance standards.
- Strong interpersonal skills to lead, motivate, hold to account, and resolve conflict.
- Ability to think strategically but also comfortable with detail.
- Ability to develop strong trust-based relationships with the workforce, stakeholders, and the wider system to deliver cultural change and service improvement.
- Excellent communicator in small and large groups with an ability to flex the leadership style to the needs of the situation.
- Innovative, entrepreneurial, and politically astute with strong commercial and financial acumen.
- Evidence of an ability to quickly develop a sound knowledge of the local health community and the specific requirements for the population served.
- Strong analytical and data evaluation skills.
- To be able to hold significant personal presence, credibility and gravitas being respected for openness, honesty, resilience and for putting patients first.
- Being an inspiring leader with political acumen and high emotional intelligence, attuned to the different stakeholder interest and evidence of effectively working within a highly sensitive environment; one who can demonstrate understanding of how to motivate people to deliver a culture of continuous improvement.
- Be motivated to promote and translate innovation and world class research into measurable improvements.
- Able to bring about change and development of services and systems through strong advocacy.
- Reflective of own performance with a willingness to learn from experience and accept personal accountability where needed.
- Being able to demonstrate commitment to promoting and celebrating diversity in the workplace and service delivery and to lead by example.
- Being able to demonstrate a passion for healthcare and delivering good quality outcomes, and a thirst for learning from other relevant national and international comparator organisations.
- Ability to inspire, motivate and support staff.