Directorate Manager - Urgent and Emergency Care

Job summary

Working Full time : 37.5 hours per week

As the Directorate Manager for Urgent and Emergency Care you will be accountable for the delivery of all operational performance targets, including access targets, finance, quality of services to patients and improving services ensuring patients receive safe, effective, five star patient care from the outset within available income.

You will be responsible for identifying and correcting areas of current and future risk; ensuring performance targets and strategic objectives are met, including leading capacity and demand in order to achieve national and local standards. You will be responsible for producing business plans/business cases to support development within the Urgent and Emergency Care pathways across the Emergency Department / Acute care, presenting these to the Trust internal and external meetings.

You will be responsible for ensuring all appropriate governance and performance metrics are in place and provide assurance to the Divisional Director that the Urgent and Emergency Care pathways across the Emergency Department / Acute care are managed effectively.

Together with Medical and Nursing Leads, you will be responsible for the efficient and effective day to day running of the pathways, ensuring that they are quick to adapt to ever changing demands and are responsive in the delivery of key operational performance targets.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for the staff and budgetary management within the areas that you are responsible for as Directorate Manager. You will ensure the delivery of the Cost Improvement Scheme (CIP), for the areas within the directorate, providing robust directorate plans for cost reduction or income generation strategies.

You will be a key member of the Divisional Management team, taking full responsibility for actions and keeping other team members fully informed at all times. You will manage the senior management team of the Urgent and Emergency Care pathways across the Emergency Department / Acute care and work closely with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure all the Emergency Department and Acute services promote patient safety and experience being at the centre of planning, analysis and delivery.

About us

The Trust's services are provided from three locations:

o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.

The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery