Job summary
Working full time: 37.5 hours
The Operational Manager for Urgent and Emergency Care at the Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust is a key role focused on the daily management of patient flow across urgent and emergency care services. This position ensures compliance with NHS standards, including the 4-hour ED quality standard and ambulance handover times.
Working closely with clinical teams, this operational lead addresses and resolves operational challenges while supervising and supporting the operational and administrative junior staff within the services. The role reports directly to the Directorate Manager, who will hold them responsible for service delivery standards. Additionally, the role is expected to develop an expertise in urgent and emergency care, contributing to the Trust's strategic service improvements in this area. The role is particularly operational and will need to handle complex, high-pressure situations in ahealthcare environment.
Main duties of the job
- Design, implement, and maintain efficient patient flow pathways to maximize productivity and minimize waste, ensuring consistent application of best practices.
- Benchmark and collaborate with clinical teams to develop optimal patient pathways and achieve high-performance business standards in assigned areas.
- Manage business performance and compliance targets across service areas, focusing on quality, risk, and governance.
- Oversee operational management and development of support staff, while fostering a values-driven, safe, and effective workplace culture.
- Handle financial responsibilities, including budget management, capital planning, procurement, and resource allocation to meet financial and performance targets.
- Lead team motivation and engagement, promote staff wellbeing, and participate in strategic service improvements aligned with Trust values and goals.
About us
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:
- The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds
- Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility
- Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.
The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £23 (standard) or £43 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £23 (standard) or £43 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised management qualification or relevant management experience;
- Educated to Degree level or equivalent, or evidence of ability to work at that level;
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Substantial senior management experience in a medium size organisation, preferably within healthcare management;
- Evidence of continuous professional development;
- Computer literate to ECDL standards or equivalent;
- Experience of people/HR management;
- Understanding of the political and strategic health agendas including the impact of such at operational level;
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised management qualification or relevant management experience;
- Educated to Degree level or equivalent, or evidence of ability to work at that level;
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Substantial senior management experience in a medium size organisation, preferably within healthcare management;
- Evidence of continuous professional development;
- Computer literate to ECDL standards or equivalent;
- Experience of people/HR management;
- Understanding of the political and strategic health agendas including the impact of such at operational level;
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).
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).
