Chief Operating Officer

Job summary As ELMS Chief Operating Officer (COO) thepost-holder will beresponsible for planning, organising and directing the overall operations of ELMSand its performance in terms of service provision.
The COO will work alongside the ExecutiveTeam and will report to the Clinical Chair/Chief Executive Officer and will be accountableto ELMS Council.
Main duties of the job The main responsibilities of the role include a strategic/business management focus with operational,financial and infrastructure in the guise of IT development oversight.
About us East LancashireMedical Services (ELMS) deliver Urgent Primary Care Services to thepopulations of Pennie Lancashire (covering Blackburn with Darwen and EastLancashire) 24 hours per day 365 days a year and has done since 1994.
ELMSis a clinically led membershiporganisation operating as a not for profit Social Enterprise and is aregistered society under the Co-Operative and Community Benefits Societies Act2014.
As a Community Benefits Society, we are proudto represent and support our member practices and local communities.
We supportprimary care with capacity through our services.
ELMS has a small but dynamic and flexible Senior Management Team Consists of The Clinical Chair/Chief Executive ,The Chief Operating Officer, Senior HR Manager/Company Secretary and Senior Finance Manager and benefits from its ability to be agile and respond in a timely and effective manner in an ever changing landscapeELMS have a clear vision where safetyand quality of service are our top priority and patientsare at the heart of everything we do, and we pride ourselves in ensuring ourpatients feel safe, supported, communicated with and respected, at a time whenthey may be feeling vulnerable.
TheSociety looks to provide high quality, seamless health care that enables peopleto lead healthier lives through a commitment to quality service continuousdelivery and positive patient outcomes.
Job description Job responsibilities Job TitleChiefOperating OfficerAccountable toELMS CouncilReports toClinicalChair/Chief Executive OfficerHoursFullTime ( hours per week)LocationAcrossPennine Lancashire (office in Blackburn)Job SummaryELMS Chief Operating Officer (COO)willbe responsible for planning, organising and directing the overalloperations of ELMS and its performance in terms of service provision.The COO will work alongside the Executive Team and will report tothe Clinical Chair/Chief Executive Officer and will be accountable to ELMSCouncil.Interviews to be held Thursday 12th December 2024MAIN DUTIES & OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES:1.Business ManagementThe post-holder will:Be responsible forplanning, organising and directing the overall operations of ELMS and itsservice performance.
Develop and support the ongoing strategic and business plan for ELMSservice delivery and business model working in conjunction with senior managerscolleagues in providing expertise and support strategic and operational servicedevelopments.Work alongside boardcolleagues to determine appropriate and responsible utilisation of financialresources.
Ensure financial targets and service delivery targets are met across theorganisation.Contribute to the Societys objectives and to make a positivecontribution to the provision of health services across the local healtheconomy including integrated service delivery and delivery at scale.Keep abreast of innovation , bringing intelligence to the managementteam and learning from evidence and research elsewhere to inform thedevelopment of best practice and ELMS strategies.
Oversee ELMS servicescontract management working with Commissioners and system partners to ensurethat ELMS is a provider of choice, able to deliver its contractual obligations,while ensuring patients are treated safely and efficiently .
Provide information and professional advice to the Board and Council oncorporate and managerial matters within the organisation.
Ensure that ELMS Board andCouncil, in conjunction with the Company Secretary, are properly advised onmajor issues, practices and policies affecting the organisation, includingnational or regional developments.
Take a lead on identifyingnew business opportunities, including but not limited to tender and procurementopportunities, and lead on the development and submission of new businesstenders.2.Delivering a Quality Service2.1Service ManagementOversee the management of ELMS operational unscheduled care services byworking with the Operations Manager to plan and support ELMS 24 hour 7-dayunscheduled care services includingthe planning of rotas, budgetsand resources across the unscheduled care service settings to meet current andfuture demand.Support the OperationsManager in the management of the service as required.Work with seniormanagement colleagues to ensure robust development and maintenance of qualitygovernance systems and processes across ELMS services, including but notlimited to:oReporting systems;oIncident reporting;andodealing withcomplaintsSupport thedevelopment and promotenecessary policies and procedures and good working practice to support.To keep abreast of developing unscheduled care policy and best practiceand support ELMS corporate and service development.In partnership with internal and external teams, collaborate onimproving the quality of health care responding to local and national policiesand initiatives as and ClinicalSystemsOversee the management of IMT budgets, including the selection andpurchasing of appropriate hardware and software; ensuring software licensinglaws are followed.To be responsible for operation of effective IMT systems in supportof ELMS business systems and delivery of unscheduled and scheduled careservices; including:other work of the IMT and data analysis function,to act as ELMS Senior Information Risk Owner with accountability for theorganisations information risks policy,ooversee Data Security and Protection Toolkit accreditation and othersuch systems accreditations as are required for ELMS information governancecompliance and accreditation.Help develop IMT policies and procedures relating to business andclinical systems to supportELMScommitment to Informational Governanceand the implementation ofeffective IMT system use.Liaison with system providers Adastra in service developments andrelationship management.GovernanceSupport the development and maintenance of ELMS governance systems andpolicies to ensure ELMS can provide a safe and reliable healthcare service topatients and comply with its contractual, regulatory and statutory obligations.Support the Responsible Officer (ELMS Clinical Chair/CEO) and CompanySecretary in ensuring all requirements of CQC registration are met as well as,health and safety, Mental Health Act 1983 and Care Standards Act, etc.Support the Company Secretary in ensuring allrequirements of health and safety, employment legislation etc.
are in place andadhered to.Maintain confidentiality at all times ensuring that ELMS InformationGovernance policies reflect best practice and statutory requirements and thatyou and colleagues adhere to all Information Governance and Data Protectionstandards.In conjunction with ELMS HR Manager, ensure that ELMS staffing policiesand practice reflect best practice and statutory requirements including but notlimited to, ensuring equal opportunity principles are applied at all times.3.
Performance and Systems Management Oversee the performance system providing analysisof ELMS service delivery Oversee and support theprovision of routine and ad hoc key performance indicators information forELMS.
To oversee operational policies and procedures tosupport effective service delivery, in conjunction with ELMS colleagues., Develop effective methods ofmonitoring and quality assuring performance across ELMS servicesto ensure ELMS meets necessary service standards and complies with itsduty of care.
Implement, review and improve systems required to deliver overallperformance, in conjunction with management colleagues, through improvementaction plansShare systems knowledge and understanding within ELMS.3.LeadershipWork in collaboration with the Board and ELMS Council, the Executive andSenior Management Teams to support key deliverables across the organisation andprovide an efficient and cost-effective service.
Deputise for the Chief Executive Officer in their absence.
Be responsible for the effective operational leadership and managementof the company services on a day-to-day basis,covering managementcolleagues absence where other arrangements are not in place.Oversee the people management of the ELMS operational team inconjunction with ELMS HR Manager to ensure a stable and suitably skilledworkforce to support service standards and capacity, which may change overtime.
Work in partnership with ELMS colleagues across different functions,levels and professions, as well as key external stakeholders to support ELMSorganisational development and integrated working across the wider health caresystem.
Professionally represent theorganisation as directed by Clinical Chair/Chief Executive Officer.
Work with the operational and clinical leadership team todevelopsystem pathways, fulfilling the responsibility of producingsupporting paperwork and project managing rollout of new pathways and services.
Liaison with local commissioners and service provider partners.5.Communication Develop positive and effective working relationships with staff,clinicians, ELMS Senior Management Team, commissioners, other health careproviders and other key partners to support an integrated approach to highquality patient care.
Develop and reinforce the reputation of the company as a provider ofhigh quality, effective clinical services by developing positive and responsiverelationships with all external and internal stakeholders.Liaise with Commissioners,other healthcare providers and system partners to ensure high quality patientservices are provided by the Company at all timesto achieve ELMS andjoint objectives and provide complementary services taking remedial action asnecessary and advising executive colleagues where necessary6.Corporate Responsibility To undertake corporate projects in support of ELMS service or corporatedevelopment as directed by the Board or ELMS Council and/or in conjunction withthe Executive or Senior Management team.
Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others andexploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working.Work as part of ELMS Executive and Senior Management Teams to clearlydefine values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery.Be responsible for positive employee relations and where appropriate beinvolved in staff discipline and grievance issues.To co-ordinate and take responsibility for chairing meetings and othersupport meetings relevant to the post, and to represent ELMS as appropriate.
Attend Board and Executive team meetings contributing to ELMS servicedevelopment across the unscheduled care and other work streams.Provide cover as necessary in the absence of colleagues.GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:See full JD Person Specification Qualifications Essential Masters Level qualification and or significant senior management experience, gained by holding several senior roles across a range of health and care providers.
Desirable MBA Recognised management qualification.
Formal project management qualification PRINC2, or equivalent experience Knowledge and skills Essential A proactive hands-on approach to team working and operations.
A commitment to and focus on improving patient services through performance and quality and working in support of colleagues.
Attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily.
Able to cope under pressure, balance competing priorities and make difficult decisions.
Knowledge of NHS organisations and structures and how this impact on cross-organisational project delivery.
Ability to prepare high quality written reports and presentations for senior internal and external audiences.
Strong track record of multiprofessional working and developing and fostering positive and professional working relationships.
Able to work with and through ambiguity and an ability to think on their feet when dealing with issues and problems.
Ability to communicate effectively and credibly with colleagues across boundaries, challenge stakeholders and to hold to account where necessary.
Understand (and use) different forms of decision making and management styles appropriate to context.
Ability to work on own initiative with limited direct supervision and manage and prioritise own workload.
Confident to encourage others to develop themselves and the service through improvement, innovation, and continuous development Excellent IT user skills in the use of MS (and other) packages and high level of understanding IT issues.
Experience Essential Evidence of business planning and performance management experience in health services.
Demonstrable senior management experience in health care organisations.
Evidence of an ability to plan, implement and adjust operational and strategic plans and resource requirements.
Experience of budget forecasting and management processes in a business setting.
Evidence of performance management, including monitoring of delivery to timescales.
Experience of collaborative working, with a proven ability to communicate with colleagues at all levels across a wide range of organisations.
Experience of dealing with difficult situations and/or people.
Experience of developing systems to allow effective performance reporting.
Knowledge and experience of line management recruitment, development, appraisal, and HR processes.
A commitment to improving patient services through an ability to sustain a clear performance focus on achieving demanding goals.
Experience of CPD relevant to the role.
Desirable Experience of leading major initiatives through to successful delivery, relating to quality, cost, and timescales.
Knowledge and experience across a range of relevant business areas, including finance, people management and programme management.
Understanding of procurement including Provider Selection Regime.