Job summary
The IPC Services Manager plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth, safe, and effective delivery of Integrated Primary Care services across extended hours (08:0022:30, 7 days a week). Responsible for the day-to-day operational leadership of services, the post-holder ensures stability, coordination, and high-quality patient care at all times.
Acting as the vital operational link between Shift Managers and senior operational leadership, the IPC Services Manager oversees real-time service deliveryensuring staffing remains resilient, risks are identified and addressed early, and any issues are escalated quickly and appropriately.
This dynamic role sits at the heart of operational delivery, enabling Operations Managers and the Head of Operations to focus on strategic priorities, system partnerships, service improvement, and performance. By owning the tactical layer of operations, the IPC Services Manager helps create a responsive, well-coordinated service that consistently meets the needs of patients and the wider health system.
Main duties of the job
This exciting role sits at the heart of service delivery, providing day-to-day oversight of operational control and service flow across Integrated Primary Care services. The post-holder will play a key role in ensuring services run smoothly, efficiently, and safely, maintaining strong operational coordination across teams.
Responsible for overseeing workforce deployment and rota management, the role ensures that staffing levels remain resilient by proactively identifying gaps, escalating risks, and arranging short-notice cover when required. The post-holder will ensure services operate in line with established Quality, Safety, and Governance frameworks, supporting a culture of safe and high-quality care.
Working closely with the Operations Manager, the role will monitor and report on operational KPIs, identifying emerging risks, performance trends, and opportunities for service improvement. The post-holder will also provide supportive, visible leadership to Shift Managers and Administrative teams, fostering collaboration, confidence, and high performance across the workforce.
A key part of the role involves working in partnership with IT, Workforce, and Quality teams to quickly resolve operational challenges and continuously strengthen service delivery, helping to ensure patients receive timely, well-coordinated care.
About us
Team Culture, Work Ethic
& Benefits
South Coast Alliance is a clinically led, community-focused organisation delivering integrated primary care services across Portsmouth and South East Hampshire. Formed through the collaboration of Portsmouth Primary Care Alliance (PPCA) and Southern Hampshire Primary Care Alliance (SHPCA), we provide urgent and primary care services across multiple sites and extended hours, helping patients access care when they need it most.
We work in a fast-paced but supportive environment where clinical, operational, and administrative teams collaborate closely to ensure services run safely and effectively. Our culture values teamwork, open communication, and shared problem-solving, with clear leadership and escalation pathways to support staff in their roles.
As a growing organisation, we offer opportunities to develop operational, leadership, and service improvement skills while working across a range of services including urgent care, primary care hubs, and home visiting services.
We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Joining South Coast Alliance means being part of a supportive team dedicated to delivering high-quality care and continuous improvement for patients across our communities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Operational
Control & Service Flow
- Provide
day-to-day operational oversight of IPC services, including AVS, CAS/IHCAS,
Extended Access and GP Enhanced Access.
- Coordinate
and support Shift Supervisors to ensure:
- Safe
staffing levels and appropriate skill mix
- Effective
patient flow and workload distribution
- Timely
response to surges in demand and operational pressures
- Act as the
first senior escalation point for operational issues arising during service
delivery.
- Ensure
operational continuity during incidents (e.g. IT disruption, staffing gaps,
spikes in demand).
Workforce
& Rota Oversight
- Oversee Rota integrity, escalation for gaps, and
short-notice cover planning.
- Monitor sickness, absence trends, and immediate workforce
risks.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, induction, and mandatory
training compliance.
- Maintain accurate oversight of staff competencies and
deployment.
Quality, Safety & Governance
- Ensure services operate in line with
agreed SOPs, policies, and governance frameworks.
- Support incident identification, initial
fact gathering, and immediate mitigations.
- Lead operational input into complaints
investigations and patient concerns.
- Escalate emerging quality or safety
themes to Operations Managers.
Performance
Monitoring & Reporting
- Monitor
real-time operational KPIs (staffing, access, responsiveness).
- Produce
routine operational reports and intelligence for Operations Managers.
- Identify risks, trends and improvement
opportunities from frontline operational data.
Leadership
& Team Support
- Provide
visible, supportive leadership to Shift Managers and administrative teams.
- Promote a
culture of accountability, learning, and psychological safety.
- Support
performance management, wellbeing conversations, and capability development.
System
& Internal Collaboration
- Work
closely with IT, Workforce, and Quality teams to resolve operational issues.
- Support
implementation of service changes, pilots, and new pathways.
- Act as an
operational conduit between senior leaders and frontline teams.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Operational
Control & Service Flow
- Provide
day-to-day operational oversight of IPC services, including AVS, CAS/IHCAS,
Extended Access and GP Enhanced Access.
- Coordinate
and support Shift Supervisors to ensure:
- Safe
staffing levels and appropriate skill mix
- Effective
patient flow and workload distribution
- Timely
response to surges in demand and operational pressures
- Act as the
first senior escalation point for operational issues arising during service
delivery.
- Ensure
operational continuity during incidents (e.g. IT disruption, staffing gaps,
spikes in demand).
Workforce
& Rota Oversight
- Oversee Rota integrity, escalation for gaps, and
short-notice cover planning.
- Monitor sickness, absence trends, and immediate workforce
risks.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, induction, and mandatory
training compliance.
- Maintain accurate oversight of staff competencies and
deployment.
Quality, Safety & Governance
- Ensure services operate in line with
agreed SOPs, policies, and governance frameworks.
- Support incident identification, initial
fact gathering, and immediate mitigations.
- Lead operational input into complaints
investigations and patient concerns.
- Escalate emerging quality or safety
themes to Operations Managers.
Performance
Monitoring & Reporting
- Monitor
real-time operational KPIs (staffing, access, responsiveness).
- Produce
routine operational reports and intelligence for Operations Managers.
- Identify risks, trends and improvement
opportunities from frontline operational data.
Leadership
& Team Support
- Provide
visible, supportive leadership to Shift Managers and administrative teams.
- Promote a
culture of accountability, learning, and psychological safety.
- Support
performance management, wellbeing conversations, and capability development.
System
& Internal Collaboration
- Work
closely with IT, Workforce, and Quality teams to resolve operational issues.
- Support
implementation of service changes, pilots, and new pathways.
- Act as an
operational conduit between senior leaders and frontline teams.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience
- Evidence of ongoing professional development
Desirable
- Management or leadership qualification (e.g. ILM, NVQ Level 5)
Experience
Essential
- Experience in an operational or service management role within NHS, primary care, urgent care or community services
- Experience managing day-to-day service delivery across extended hours and/or multi-site services
- Experience coordinating rotas, staffing cover, and responding to operational pressures
- Experience supporting or managing supervisors/team leads
- Experience handling incidents, complaints, or operational escalations
Desirable
- Experience working across integrated care pathways or with PCNs / system partners
- Experience supporting service change, pilots, or transformation activity
- Experience working closely with senior operational leaders
Skills
Essential
- Strong operational management and problem-solving skills
- Ability to prioritise and make decisions in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
- Excellent communication skills, able to engage confidently with frontline staff and senior leaders
- Strong organisational and planning skills with attention to detail
- Ability to analyse operational data and identify risks, trends and improvement opportunities
- Confident in escalation, risk management and maintaining service safety
Desirable
- Experience using clinical or operational digital systems (e.g. Adastra, EMIS, rota systems, reporting tools)
- Coaching or people-development skills
Other
Essential
- Strong values-based leadership approach, demonstrating professionalism, integrity and accountability
- Ability to work flexibly across service hours to meet operational need
- Understanding of governance, safeguarding, information governance and infection prevention responsibilities
- Commitment to equality, diversity and creating psychologically safe teams
Desirable
- Experience contributing to CQC readiness or assurance activity
- Experience supporting wellbeing and culture initiatives
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience
- Evidence of ongoing professional development
Desirable
- Management or leadership qualification (e.g. ILM, NVQ Level 5)
Experience
Essential
- Experience in an operational or service management role within NHS, primary care, urgent care or community services
- Experience managing day-to-day service delivery across extended hours and/or multi-site services
- Experience coordinating rotas, staffing cover, and responding to operational pressures
- Experience supporting or managing supervisors/team leads
- Experience handling incidents, complaints, or operational escalations
Desirable
- Experience working across integrated care pathways or with PCNs / system partners
- Experience supporting service change, pilots, or transformation activity
- Experience working closely with senior operational leaders
Skills
Essential
- Strong operational management and problem-solving skills
- Ability to prioritise and make decisions in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
- Excellent communication skills, able to engage confidently with frontline staff and senior leaders
- Strong organisational and planning skills with attention to detail
- Ability to analyse operational data and identify risks, trends and improvement opportunities
- Confident in escalation, risk management and maintaining service safety
Desirable
- Experience using clinical or operational digital systems (e.g. Adastra, EMIS, rota systems, reporting tools)
- Coaching or people-development skills
Other
Essential
- Strong values-based leadership approach, demonstrating professionalism, integrity and accountability
- Ability to work flexibly across service hours to meet operational need
- Understanding of governance, safeguarding, information governance and infection prevention responsibilities
- Commitment to equality, diversity and creating psychologically safe teams
Desirable
- Experience contributing to CQC readiness or assurance activity
- Experience supporting wellbeing and culture initiatives
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.
