Service Manager East Kent Directorate Ashford and Canterbury Locality

As part of the new Management Restructure an opportunity has arisen in the East Kent Directorate working in the Ashford and Canterbury Locality as a Service Manager.

Service Managers are responsible for the overall management of a range of nominated services within the Directorate. Working closely with colleagues in all other relevant teams, they will ensure excellent clinical, operational and financial outcomes. They work collaboratively with other providers enabling seamless patient pathways and service user engagement.

Service Managers will use data and analysis to support better outcomes for patients and will actively coordinate initiatives to ensure improvement plans are developed and implemented. They actively pursue the best outcomes for patients and carers and are knowledgeable about how other Trust services contribute to the success of the organisation.

The service manager knows who the internal and external stakeholders are and when to use them effectively in promoting and securing the services’ reputation. They identify opportunities for service improvement and growth seeking support from the General Manager to maximise these. They will also deputise for the General Managers in all aspects of the service as required.

Specific Service Responsibilities for Service Managers vary and for this post include all age Community Mental Health and Early Intervention Services.

Working closely with the professional heads and the General Manager to provide demonstrable assurance that the quality of the clinical services including patient safety, patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes meet the required high standards. This will include investigations into serious incidents, complaints and staffing issues, appraisal, supervision and training of staff and compliance with mandatory reporting.

Service Managers work closely with the Team Managers (direct reports) and other professionals to ensure care pathways are effective with regular reviews to enable strategic and operational plans to be delivered.

Service Managers are responsible for ensuring good patient flow management utilising a combination of demand and capacity information, length of stay data caseload management and adherence to agreed clinical pathways. In addition, Service Mangers systematically make certain that clinical governance arrangements are imbedded within services and are working to full effect.

Working with the Clinical and Service Leadership to recruit, motivate and train the workforce. To be able to demonstrate that staff have the appropriate skills and training to deliver high quality care. To appoint Team Leaders with the appropriate competencies. To be visible and available and to manage the performance of services to ensure excellent clinical outcomes and good levels of engagement.

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) provides mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and other specialist services for 1.6 million people across Kent and Medway. We pride ourselves on providing high quality clinical services, innovation and partnership working. We are one of the larger NHS trusts covering an area of 1,450 square miles, employing over 3,600 staff and operating from over 100 buildings across Kent and Medway.

The range of services offered by KMPT offers unique opportunities for your professional development. We are committed to delivering integrated, community-based health and social care services and our strategy is underpinned by a ‘recovery and wellbeing model’ delivered in partnership with service users, their families and a wide range of organisational stakeholders. We have a clear and ambitious Nursing Strategy which includes four strategic priorities (Nursing, recruitment and retention, Career pathways training and Development , Nurses engagement and wellbeing and Research, innovation, use of technology and quality improvement) for which we continue to see it’s immense positive impact on Nurses and nursing. .

The service manager is accountable for people management and development across their services. They will ensure people are focused and efficient in their roles and are achieving in individual and service outcomes. Robust performance and attendance management will be fundamental to ensuring service objectives are achieved and problem areas identified at an early stage with solutions quickly implemented.

The service manager will be key to operational delivery and management of basic financial controls. They will lead on effective management of resources and expenditure within their remit using approved financial management practices.

The service manager takes responsibility for the quality of their services through effective monitoring of service delivery and ensuring internal quality processes are in place and working effectively across all services. They will ensure a clinical governance framework is in place in all services.