Assistant Service Manager

at  The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

Responsible for the operational and performance management of the administrative function within the Directorate. Ensures patient information is processed in accordance with procedures and investigates complex enquiries, providing assistance and advice as required.
Ensures that performance targets are met and is responsible for the line management of all staff defined by their allocated stream, this is shared with the Support Manager. Contributes to business planning along with the Deputy Service Manager/Service Manger to ensure that service is appropriately resourced and organised to deliver planned activity and demand. Leads on projects appropriate to role.
Coordinates operational management of the department working closely with the other managers including the Support Manager, Deputy Service Manager/Service Manager and Divisional Management team.
Provides leadership and direction for the Support Manager and the administrative team within stream two and the wider department, ensuring clear communication of policy, business objectives and agreed targets.
Implements effective and appropriate performance management systems and processes to ensure delivery of performance targets.
Representing the department in attending performance, governance, finance and other meetings.
Budgetary and financial responsibilities such as acting as an authorised signatory for payments in relation to stationary stores within agreed financial limit. Also supports the Deputy Service Manager in undertaking day to day budget management duties, including monitoring spend against budgets. Supports the Deputy Service Manager in developing and monitoring schemes and action plans to implement cash-releasing efficiency savings targets.
Responsible for the line management of the Support Manager and administrative staff within the department and also undertakes the management of recruitment and selection of staff with the support of the team leaders, ensuring compliance with Trust policy.
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.
We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Coordinates operational management of the department working closely with the other managers including the support manager, Deputy Service Manager/Service Manager and Divisional Management team.
Coordinates and plans activities for the delivery of services, contributing to long term plans and making daily adjustments in order to deliver service.
Provides leadership and direction for the Support Manager and the administrative team within the department, ensuring clear communication of policy, business objectives and agreed targets.
Implements effective and appropriate performance management systems and processes to ensure delivery of performance targets.
Responsible for the management of Trust patient waiting lists, ensuring robust processes are implemented to ensure all patients are seen within national targets.
Plans and organizes a comprehensive administration and clerical function to support the requirements of the patient referral and booking system.
Plans, implements and monitors systems and processes to facilitate the tracking of target patients to ensure patients are seen within appropriate time scales.
Makes plans to implement legislative changes which impact on local administrative processes.
Undertakes complex staff planning, organizing rotas, allocating and reallocating tasks and staff on a daily basis to meet service delivery requirements.
Analyses, investigates and resolves complex administrative queries and issues/problems.
Interprets and analyses data in relation to performance management using Trust software to develop performance management reports.
Proposes and implements policies and procedures within outpatients and health records, some of which impacts across the Trust e.g. redesign of health information systems, redesign of case note architecture.
Leads on substantial programmes of work, to improve administrative services, across pathways of care or for specific patient groups as designated.
Develops and introduces strategies and process changes to ensure recurrent achievement of activity at target levels. This includes liaison with clinicians to influence working practices to achieve the necessary changes.
Provides advice to patients / relatives on an individual basis, providing non–clinical information with regards to queries relating to the patient administrative pathway for example, outpatient appointments, waiting times etc
Develops own work plan in line with divisional and Trust objectives, working within organisational and broad occupational policies
Financial Management & Business Planning
Authorised signatory for payments in relation to stationary stores within agreed financial limit.
Supports the Deputy Service Manager in undertaking day to day budget management duties, including monitoring spend against budgets.
Supports the Deputy Service Manager in developing and monitoring schemes and action plans to implement cash-releasing efficiency savings targets.
Ensures organisational procedures are deployed across department for control of activities against budget.
Ensures that departments work to achieve organisational effectiveness and deliver services within available resources.
Uses and analyses financial information systems to ensure robust financial monitoring and budgetary performance, analyses complex financial queries or discrepancies in budget.
Human Resource Management
Responsible for the line management of the Support Manager and administrative staff within the department to ensure that work is done effectively and on time
Implements Trust strategy and policy for HR management and development including recruitment and selection, discipline, grievance, performance appraisal
Undertakes the management of recruitment and selection of staff with the support of the team leaders, ensuring compliance with Trust policy.
Provides appraisal/performance review of all administrative staff resulting in clearly understood objectives and personal development plans that reflects both the needs of the Trust and the longer-term goals of staff.
Manages sickness /absence in accordance with policy for the management of sickness absence; undertakes return to work interviews.
Takes action under Trust personnel policies (e.g. grievance, disciplinary, capability) where necessary.)
Ensures systems are in place within departments to identify poor performance, conduct issues and that any individuals identified are appropriately supported and managed within Trust policies
Oversee training requirements of staff within areas of responsibility, proactively looking for opportunities to enhance the team’s knowledge and skill base. Ensure all new starters are inducted accordingly and supported to meet required levels of competence and confidence.
Manage the administration processes for temporary cover for annual leave, vacant posts and exceptional cover, for example, for sickness or maternity leave ensuring a smooth transition is always maintained.
Handle any concerns of supervised staff relating to both personal and departmental matters and aim to find solutions
Identify staffing needs necessary to support new and increasing workload of the directorate
Regularly assess existing posts within the department, make changes when necessary to assure levels of service and implement more efficient ways of working.
Policy and service development
Works within broad organisational and professional policies
Support the management team to implement innovation, technology, and new ways of working, contributing to policy and process development. These policy and process changes will impact outside the immediate work area and impact on other teams/departments.
Document and implement standard operating procedures within areas of responsibility, ensuring review on a regular basis to reflect current practice.
Responsible for the effective planning of the departmental workload and ensuring effective service provision. This will require complex short and mid-term plans to be drawn up but they will be subject to review and change as service requirements change.
Information Management
To support, where necessary, preparations for external reviews and quality assurance programmes.
Develops maintains and manages systems and processes required to support patient access.
Liaises with information and data quality team regarding patient waiting times; analyses complex information with regards to patient waits, investigating and resolving potential waiting time breaches
Co-ordinating responses to consultation documents and special initiatives
Support the development of strategic plans for the clinical development of departments
Manages the operation of systems which process, update and store information e.g. patient or staff
Display effective analytical skills when making service-related decisions. There will often be a range of options and the post holder will be required to effectively analyse situations and make judgements on the appropriate course of action.
Manages the storage and retrieval of patient information.
Interprets information to complete statutory NHS returns, ensuring that work is completed with local and national timescales and legal requirements
Equality and Diversity
To recognise the importance of people’s rights and interpret them in a way that is consistent with Trust procedures, policies and legislation
To challenge behaviour that infringes the rights of others.
To identify and take action where necessary to address discrimination and oppressio
Health & Safety
Monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self and others in own work area
Identify and assess potential risks in work activities and help others in how to manage these risks appropriately
Act a role model and work within legislation and Trust procedures on risk management
Take immediate and appropriate action including supporting others to manage risks in relation to adverse incident reporting via hospital incident reporting system
Identify training needs in health and safety whilst identifying appropriate resources
Additional Requirements
In the absence of the Service Manager and Deputy Service Manager attend meetings, ensuring divisional views are conveyed on appropriate matters, such as clinical governance, risk management meetings and ensure issues are brought back to the directorate and division for further discussion.
Follow risk management procedures at all times including the identification, assessment and management of risk within the division.
To abide by all Trust policies and procedures
To be responsible for own professional /personal development