Job summary
Join a system-transforming leadership role driving better care for our communities.
We are seeking an ambitious, values-driven leader to take on a critical role in transforming integrated discharge planning across the London Boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich.
As Transformation Lead for the Bexley and Greenwich System Transfer of Care Hub, you will provide strategic and operational leadership in building and embedding a fully integrated, multi-agency discharge function. Working across NHS, Local Authority, and voluntary sectors, you will ensure people return home promptly, safely, and with the right support - in line with Home First and Discharge to Assess principles.
Main duties of the job
This is a high-profile system leadership role. You'll:
- Lead the transformation and daily operations of the integrated Transfer of Care Hub (ToCH) for Bexley and Greenwich
- Drive collaborative working between health, social care, community and VCSE partners
- Improve patient outcomes by reducing discharge delays and ensuring pathway equity
- Develop workforce capabilities, operational resilience, and performance accountability
- Use live data and system metrics to drive change and service improvement
- Represent the system at escalation meetings, incident responses, and strategic forums
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
Were seeking a strong and emotionally intelligent leader with:
- Senior experience in integrated discharge and flow across NHS and/or social care
- Deep knowledge of national discharge guidance, pathways (P1-P3), and performance metrics
- Ability to influence at all levels and work across organisational boundaries
- Skills in stakeholder engagement, complex case management, and team development
- Operational experience managing system flow, surge response and risk governance
You may be a registered professional (e.g. RN, OT, SW), or bring extensive senior operational experience within discharge or transformation programmes.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Were seeking a strong and emotionally intelligent leader with:
- Senior experience in integrated discharge and flow across NHS and/or social care
- Deep knowledge of national discharge guidance, pathways (P1-P3), and performance metrics
- Ability to influence at all levels and work across organisational boundaries
- Skills in stakeholder engagement, complex case management, and team development
- Operational experience managing system flow, surge response and risk governance
You may be a registered professional (e.g. RN, OT, SW), or bring extensive senior operational experience within discharge or transformation programmes.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Master's degree in health, social care, or management (or working towards with substantial equivalent experience)
- Registered professional in health or social care (e.g. RN, OT, PT, SW) OR extensive operational leadership experience in discharge/flow
Experience
Essential
- Senior leadership experience within an integrated health/social care discharge setting
- Leading multidisciplinary teams and influencing matrixed staff across organisations
- Delivering performance improvement through use of live data dashboards and daily metrics
- Experience in managing budgets or influencing discharge-related commissioning decisions
Desirable
- Proven experience of service transformation or implementation of a Transfer of Care Hub or equivalent
- Experience managing system flow, operational escalation, and discharge surge responses
- Working with political, clinical, and commissioning partners across systems
- Experience in complex case resolution, safeguarding, and Choice Policy implementation
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Deep understanding of NHS discharge pathways, Home First, Discharge to Assess (D2A), and Criteria to Reside
- Familiarity with borough-based commissioning and place-based working
- Knowledge of system dashboards (e.g. UEC), NHSE SITREP reporting, and discharge performance metrics
- Awareness of challenges in community capacity, dementia pathways, and reablement variation
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to convey complex information to varied audiences
- Strong interpersonal skills to lead, influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries
- Demonstrated ability to manage high-pressure, politically sensitive and emotionally challenging situations
- Ability to analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data to drive performance and service improvement
- Skilled in chairing high-level, multi-agency meetings and managing strategic decision-making forums
- Capable of leading change in large, cross-sector programmes while engaging frontline staff and executive stakeholders
- High level of political astuteness, strategic vision and system leadership
- Competent in the use of discharge planning tools, data dashboards, electronic patient records, and MS Office tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams)
- Project planning, risk management, and escalation pathway development
Desirable
- Strong knowledge of statutory duties under the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, and NHS Discharge Guidance
Effort and Environment
Essential
- Commitment to patient-centred care and delivery of 'Home First' principles
- Emotionally resilient, calm under pressure, and able to navigate organisational complexity
- Collaborative and inclusive leadership style; values-driven
- Commitment to health equity and ensuring discharge models are accessible, culturally competent, and fair
- Able to maintain professionalism and diplomacy when managing inter-agency conflict or disagreement
- Confidence to make autonomous decisions on behalf of the system with delegated authority
Other Requirements
Essential
- Willingness to work flexibly across sites, including occasional weekends or bank holidays during periods of operational pressure
- Ability to travel across multiple sites within the South East London system if required
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Master's degree in health, social care, or management (or working towards with substantial equivalent experience)
- Registered professional in health or social care (e.g. RN, OT, PT, SW) OR extensive operational leadership experience in discharge/flow
Experience
Essential
- Senior leadership experience within an integrated health/social care discharge setting
- Leading multidisciplinary teams and influencing matrixed staff across organisations
- Delivering performance improvement through use of live data dashboards and daily metrics
- Experience in managing budgets or influencing discharge-related commissioning decisions
Desirable
- Proven experience of service transformation or implementation of a Transfer of Care Hub or equivalent
- Experience managing system flow, operational escalation, and discharge surge responses
- Working with political, clinical, and commissioning partners across systems
- Experience in complex case resolution, safeguarding, and Choice Policy implementation
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Deep understanding of NHS discharge pathways, Home First, Discharge to Assess (D2A), and Criteria to Reside
- Familiarity with borough-based commissioning and place-based working
- Knowledge of system dashboards (e.g. UEC), NHSE SITREP reporting, and discharge performance metrics
- Awareness of challenges in community capacity, dementia pathways, and reablement variation
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to convey complex information to varied audiences
- Strong interpersonal skills to lead, influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries
- Demonstrated ability to manage high-pressure, politically sensitive and emotionally challenging situations
- Ability to analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data to drive performance and service improvement
- Skilled in chairing high-level, multi-agency meetings and managing strategic decision-making forums
- Capable of leading change in large, cross-sector programmes while engaging frontline staff and executive stakeholders
- High level of political astuteness, strategic vision and system leadership
- Competent in the use of discharge planning tools, data dashboards, electronic patient records, and MS Office tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams)
- Project planning, risk management, and escalation pathway development
Desirable
- Strong knowledge of statutory duties under the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, and NHS Discharge Guidance
Effort and Environment
Essential
- Commitment to patient-centred care and delivery of 'Home First' principles
- Emotionally resilient, calm under pressure, and able to navigate organisational complexity
- Collaborative and inclusive leadership style; values-driven
- Commitment to health equity and ensuring discharge models are accessible, culturally competent, and fair
- Able to maintain professionalism and diplomacy when managing inter-agency conflict or disagreement
- Confidence to make autonomous decisions on behalf of the system with delegated authority
Other Requirements
Essential
- Willingness to work flexibly across sites, including occasional weekends or bank holidays during periods of operational pressure
- Ability to travel across multiple sites within the South East London system if required
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).
