JOB DESCRIPTION - CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

JOB TITLE: Chief Operating Officer

RESPONSIBLE TO: Chief Executive

KEY RELATIONSHIPS: Chief Executive and Chair

Board members
Executive Team
Senior clinicians, managers and all other staff
South West London and Surrey Health communities and the
wider Health economy
Neighbouring organisations in South West London and Surrey
Voluntary sector and patient representatives and forums

BACKGROUND TO EPSOM AND ST HELIER

Epsom and St Helier hospitals provide 3 main functions:

- District General Hospital services to a population of 482,000 from 2 main sites (St
Helier hospital and Epsom hospital)
- Renal services to 2 million people across SW London and Surrey with a main
centre at St Helier and 8 satellite dialysis units
- South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre, Europe’s largest joint
replacement centre, hosted at Epsom hospital, which is a partnership of 4 acute
Trusts

The Trust employs c 5,000 staff and has an income of c£370m in 15/16.

The Trust committed in March 2015 to a 5 year strategy which set out commitments to our
patients for the next 5 years, objectives and the key challenges faced by the organisation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Role summary

- Responsible to the CEO and Trust Board for effective and efficient delivery of all
operational clinical services
- Line manager for Clinical Directors, Deputy COO and General Managers
- To set up strong working relationships with the Medical Directors and Chief Nurse
- Working with the Medical Directors and Chief Nurse to ensure the Clinical Divisions
interface with the triumvirate at Director level continues to operate as at Directorate
level
- Executive responsibility for the operational budgets in the Trust c£200m
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 - To lead the transformational change programme in the Trust
- To take responsibility, with the Medical Director, for the CQUIN negotiation and
delivery
- To be executive lead for business continuity and emergency planning
- To be executive lead on delivery of all national and local access and quality targets
- To maintain and develop excellent working relationships with our two host clinical
commissioning groups

JOB PURPOSE

The Chief Operating Officer is one of the 5 voting board members for our organisation.
The post holder has 6 main delivery areas:

- Taking executive responsibility for the efficient functioning of our sites and the
delivery of all required access and performance measures. This is to be achieved
whilst ensuring we provide high quality care within the resources available.

- The Chief Operating Officer is executive lead for the transformation team and will
be responsible for putting in place a ‘lean’ programme to deliver efficiency across
the organisation.

- A new clinical leadership structure was put in place from December 2015 which
comprises of 13 Clinical directors and a team of General Managers reporting to the
Chief Operating Officer. The COO will inspire and lead Divisional teams to bring
out the best in individuals and create a real culture of continuous improvement in
the divisions.

- Developing, with Divisions, a robust performance and assurance system which

effectively captures both quantitative and qualitative intelligence and monitored on a
regular basis which will respond to a key finding from our recent CQC inspection.

- Operationally delivering our 5 year strategy building on the St Helier site expanding
the complex emergency work and the Epsom site undertaking more planned care
work.

- To be a team player with the other Directors to enable the organisation to deliver on
its aspiration to ‘put the patient first and deliver great care to every patient every
day.’

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

SERVICE PERFORMANCE

- To lead the delivery of performance targets through a culture of openness and

transparency to ensure that patients’ interests are at the heart of service delivery

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 - To develop a high performance team of senior managers who work to key
performance indicators and who are held to account in terms of delivery

- To ensure the highest level of clinical engagement and involvement in the

development and delivery of the clinical services

- Effectively manage budgets to agreed outturn plans, ensuring year-on-year cost

improvements and value for money are achieved

- To work with the Chief Nurse, Director of People and Organisational Development
and Medical Directors to ensure professional issues are addressed to maximise
service performance and delivery of the highest quality clinical services

- Together with the Chief Finance Officer ensure that division teams are furnished
with timely, accurate and appropriate information to manage effective change

- To work with the Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer to ensure value for
money activities are actioned and audit recommendations are implemented in a
timely manner

- To work with the Chief Finance Officer and other colleagues to implement service
line management and embed this way of working across the organisational
structures.

PLANNING AND STRATEGY

- To support the Chief Finance Officer to establish and manage external contracting
and partnership relationships to pre-determined standards

- To ensure that the prescribed business planning process is complied with across
the Trust, that facilitates on-going development and delivery of Trust strategy and
priorities
- To contribute to the translation of strategy and corporate objectives, into action
plans and budgets as part of the overall planning process

- To play a key role in delivering the strategy to achieve clinically and financially
viable services in our hospitals

- To take a lead role in delivering our Trusts 5 year 2015-2020 plan

LEADERSHIP

- To provide strong leadership to director and senior management reports, ensuring

that effective management and performance systems are in place
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 - To identify and nurture clinical leadership potential and talent

- To demonstrate positive leadership through open, collaborative behaviours

- To challenge conventional approaches and driving forward change when needed

demonstrating a committed to creating a learning organisation culture committed to
continuous improvement

- Provide support to all direct reports through objective setting, appraisal, talent
management review and the agreement of personal development plans.

- To set and deliver the highest standards of professional behaviour in all the teams
you are responsible for.

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

- To support the Chief Executive in the further development of an open, engaged and
performance driven culture

- Work with the Medical Directors and Chief Nurse to develop clinical leadership
culture within the organisation

- To contribute to the on-going review and delivery of an OD strategy for the

organisation based on the Patient First programme

- Take part in the Board development programme and associated activities

- To promote a culture of equal opportunities through the development of services

that reduce health inequalities and working practices that eradicate discrimination.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

- Take Board responsibility for all emergency preparedness issues within the Trust,
ensuring that the Trust fulfils its statutory responsibilities in line with the Civil
Contingencies Act (2005)

- Lead the development and implementation of all emergency planning activities

including risk assessment of issues and development of plans to support these

- Ensure effective and robust major incident plans are in place to deal with external
and internal incidents

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 - Implement a comprehensive testing programme to ensure plans are fit for purpose
and remain valid when service reconfiguration or service improvements are
implemented

- Ensure a comprehensive training programme is in place for all key staff including
Board members when appropriate

- Provide regular reports to the Board on the level of control and compliance within
the organisation

- Advise the Board on its statutory responsibilities, ensuring any changes are
effectively communicated in a timely manner.

BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT

- Take Board responsibility for resilience management in the Trust

- Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive business continuity

system for the full range of Trust activities

- Holding a register of key business risks and implement continuity plans to support
each of these risks including IT failure, flooding, pandemic flu and major internal
incidents

- Provide regular reports to the Board, ensuring the level of control is appropriately
assessed, managed and monitored

- Lead the development and implementation of a regular testing programme to

ensure continuity plans are effective and fit for purpose.

GOVERNANCE AND TRUST BOARD DUTIES

- To be an effective full Trust Board member taking collective responsibility for the
corporate governance of the organisation

- In executing Board responsibilities, to constructively challenge the decisions of the

Board and help develop proposals on priorities, risk mitigation, values, standards
and strategy

- To share the Board’s collective responsibility for:

 Adding value to, and promoting the success of, the organisation
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 Providing leadership to the organisation within a framework of prudent
and effective controls
 Setting strategic direction, ensuring management capacity and capability
and monitoring and managing performance
 Safeguarding values and ensuring the organisation’s obligations to its
key stakeholders are met
 To facilitate the internal and external auditors as requested

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PERSON SPECIFICATION – CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

QUALIFICATIONS

- Graduate or equivalent
- Post graduate management qualification (essential
- Evidence of continued learning and professional development

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS

- A track record of leading initiatives to improve patient experience and patient care
- A demonstrable track record of forming effective partnerships between clinicians to
deliver outstanding results
- Successful track record of working at board level within an acute district general
hospital or at a role of equivalent scale and complexity in a teaching hospital
- Proven record of leading complex, multi-faceted change and modernisation
programmes aimed at raising organisational performance across whole care
pathways
- A track record of outstanding successes in delivering national and local targets
- Experience of delivering sustainable cost improvement systems ideally using lean
methodologies
- Setting in place robust performance management systems that capture both
quantitative as well as qualitative information
- A track record of driving up clinical standards whilst ensuring maximum efficiency
and value for money
- A knowledge of current best practice on integrated care and ideally experience of
delivering it from an acute hospital perspective
- Knowledge of appropriate legislation and its application to the running of a large
and complex organisation

ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE AND PERSONAL QUALITIES

- Ambitious and results driven

- Highly developed communication and negotiation skills
- Both a great team player and leader
- Strong networker and relationship builder
- Inspires others to deliver outstanding results
- Financially astute and with good commercial acumen
- Politically aware, and able to identify key influences to deliver the range of acute
healthcare services
- Extensive knowledge and understanding of the NHS,
- Resilience and perseverance
- Uses detailed understanding in broader trends in health improvement to innovate
and respond to change
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- Able to win hearts and minds, lead and motivate staff in all professions and at all
levels to harness and nurture local talent.
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o Structure chart