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Head of Diagnostics

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Organisational Skills

  • To proactively prepare business plans, revenue plans, maintenance agreements and new service developments.
  • To ensure the delivery and monitoring of an efficient and effective imaging service and to recommend and manage any change necessary to achieve appropriate service performance.
  • To ensure the effective deployment of staff and resources.
  • To ensure competencies of all staff working within the area are maintained and reviewed annually by the modality superintendents and other service leads.
  • To organise maintenance of all equipment and ensure its safe operation and monitor equipment engineers working in the department. To report and record all equipment faults and to be able to assist with the diagnosis and remedy of routine faults.
  • To ensure the departmental service/business continuity plans are updated and applied where necessary.
  • To ensure all risk assessments are undertaken where necessary and any resultant actions implemented.

Direct Patient Care, Quality, Safety and Governance

  • Maintain an 'Outstanding' service accordingly to CQC standards.
  • Adapt the department and self accordingly to any service disruptions to ensure continuity, e.g. Covid-19 pandemic.
  • To maintain high professional standards of clinical skill and patient care, including when dealing with complaints and concerns.
  • To work with the General Manager to identify and implement improvements within the department keeping the needs of the patient central as per department / trust philosophy.
  • To provide input into the overall staffing strategy for the department having active input into recruitment and retention opportunities and solutions.
  • To assist the General Manager in ensuring that all national programmes involved in improving patient care and the patient environment are implemented.
  • To ensure patient feedback mechanisms are maintained and updated accordingly with a regular patient quality and feedback system in place.
  • To ensure all areas of the department remain patient focused and committed to infection prevention and control at all times.
  • To implement all recommendations from audit, quality improvement, and incident investigations occur in a timely manner.

Service Development

  • To ensure continual service review focusing on maintaining the highest standards of patient care and service efficiency.
  • To ensure that a quality assurance (QA) program is in operation.
  • To work with departmental staff, equipment suppliers and the radiation physics team to ensure that all imaging equipment is safe and meets all required standards.
  • To ensure that the rules and procedures of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 are strictly adhered to, and that all working areas are kept clean and safe.
  • To retain accreditation with nationally recognised schemes including the Quality Standards in Imaging (QSI) overseen by UKAS and endorsed by CQC / IR(ME)R.

Financial Responsibilities

  • Prepare new business cases, and support directly accountable team, so that the necessary resources are always available and budgeted for incl. equipment, staffing, consumables, etc.
  • To assist and advise the General Manager in the preparation of equipment replacement programmes in association with the specialist superintendents and consultant radiologists
  • To ensure departmental spending remains within budgetary limits.
  • Actively manage rotas and ensure the most efficient use of resources within the department including minimal use of agency, bank and/or overtime.

Personnel

  • Promote a strong culture of equality and diversity in the department, ensuring all people are valued and respected, role-modelling this behaviour.
  • Maintain excellent working relationships with all stakeholders connected to the service with special emphasis on the Service Director, Clinical Director, General Manager and Superintendents. This will also include key directorates such as Cancer, etc.
  • To set and monitor standards of performance with the support of wider team.
  • To inspire confidence in a large clinical team, by demonstrating exceptional leadership skills.
  • To undertake annual staff appraisal / independent performance reviews, for staff whom the post holder has responsibility and to agree PDPs.
  • To actively manage sickness and performance according to Trust HR policies and with the support of the Employee Relations (ER) team as required.
  • To provide line management for all senior staff responsible for the performance of clerical, secretarial, nursing and imaging assistants.
  • To ensure that all staff training records are maintained and up to date.
  • To undertake the rostering of staff to ensure that staffing levels are adequate to meet service requirements at all times; likewise to support/administer the annual leave rota.
  • To plan effective induction programs for all new staff and monitor these programs to ensure that they continue to reflect the changing role of staff within the department.
  • The post holder will be required to actively participate in a periodic performance appraisal, in accordance with the Trust guidelines.
  • The post holder is encouraged by the department to attend both personal and professional development activities that assist in their role and the service.

IT Skills

  • Highly competent in Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Able to use data to drive decision-making within the service.
  • Experience using rostering tools, e.g. Patchwork, to ensure the best use of resources.
  • Experience digitising services to ensure they are paperless.

Research

  • To support and actively drive departmental research programs, including submission and presentation to national conferences.

Emotional and Mental Requirements

  • To assist the General Manager in the investigation of complaints, incidents, accidents and grievances in accordance with trust policies and procedures.
  • Ability to deal with frequent interruptions in order to deal with service issues at short notice.

Physical Skills and Requirements

  • To comply with, and be able to demonstrate and instruct, safe manual handling techniques.

Working Environment

  • To be able to work with a range of patients and conditions.
  • To communicate with patients and relatives in a professional and reassuring manner, especially in difficult or emotional circumstances.

Other Requirements/ Responsibilities

  • To strive to achieve competencies required to progress within their role and beyond, including keeping all mandatory training up-to-date.
  • To maintain a commitment to, and take responsibility for personal development utilising principles of Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
  • The post holder is encouraged by the department to attend both personal and professional development activities that assist in their role and the service.
  • The post holder will be required to actively participate in a periodic performance appraisal, in accordance with the Trust guidelines.
  • To take part in the Senior Manager On Call rota

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

  • Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience
  • Post Grad qualification or commitment to study and CPD including research

Desirable criteria

  • BSc (Hons)
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Quality Improvement (QI), transformation or innovation training

Experience

Essential criteria

  • Broad operational experience, especially if in general radiography, in a senior capacity
  • Leadership qualities
  • Previous management of a large group of staff and service
  • Practical experience of building and motivating teams
  • Good understanding of data and how to use it for planning
  • Extensive experience maintaining budgetary and financial control in a complex environment
  • Undertaken large scale change management within a department
  • Demonstrable experience managing performance metrics e.g. DM01, cancer, etc.
  • Management of sickness and performance related issues with staff

Desirable criteria

  • Experience managing a multimodality imaging department at senior level e.g. more than 5 different modalities incl. MRI, CT, etc.
  • Preparation of business cases
  • Project management experience at a senior level

Skills and Knowledge

Essential criteria

  • Able to work under own initiative with great organisational skills
  • Knowledge/understanding and ability to implement recruitment and retention techniques
  • Willingness to teach/train
  • A good understanding and demonstration of customer service standards
  • Ability to supervise a senior team of imaging staff
  • Ability to manage a large team (around 100 people)
  • Detailed understanding of patient confidentiality guidelines and requirements
  • Ability to develop and implement policies and procedures
  • Able to deputise for the General Manager at senior meetings, attending/chairing relevant meetings as required

Desirable criteria

  • Knowledge of modernisation, NHS Digital and other national programmes
  • Up-to-date knowledge of recent developments in imaging technology and software
  • Good understanding of clinical governance in relation to the provision of the imaging Service including QSI
  • Leadership skills
  • Awareness of developments in NHS standards and guidelines
  • Drive for departmental service development, including QI, transformation and/or innovation techniques
  • Willingness to extend role e.g. support in a clinical environment if required

Important

  • The closing date given is a guide only. There may be some occasions when we have to close a vacancy once sufficient applications have been received. You are therefore advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
  • Please check your emails regularly as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process.
  • If you have not heard from us within 3 weeks after the closing date, we regret that this usually means your application was not successful.
  • In submitting an application, you authorise the Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process, should you be appointed to the post.
  • During the recruitment process your identity documentation (ie passport, driving licence, visa etc) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, infrared and machine-readable zone security features of the documents provided.
  • Employment at the Trust is offered subject to successful completion of a six month probationary period.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

  • Head of Imaging / Deputy General Manager JD (PDF, 1.1MB)
  • Functional requirements form (PDF, 654.5KB)
  • Guidance for applicants (PDF, 85.4KB)
  • Policy Statement (PDF, 144.5KB)
  • Staff Benefits and Wellbeing (PDF, 196.5KB)
  • Recruitment Pack (PDF, 2.8MB)

Head of Diagnostics

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
London, UK
Permanent

Published on 03/02/2025

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