Planned Access and Validation Service Manager

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Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics.

We are committed to recruiting to our values. Leading One Culture of Care underpins our values by creating an environment, tone and behaviours across all parts of the Trust that are fundamentally rooted in compassionate care.

We are open to considering a wide range of flexible working arrangements. There are opportunities to flex the days of the week, hours and times of work and place of work including: part-time, job-share, flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home when appropriate. Please talk to us during the interview process to discuss any flexibility that you may require.

We received our Silver Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers. This means that we provided its statement of intent to support all Defence personnel and we welcome application to work for us.

Our Future Plans

The Department of Health and Social Care has awarded capital funding to invest in local health services at both Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. This is a significant investment and an opportunity to enhance services for our populations in Calderdale and Huddersfield and West Yorkshire for generations to come. To find out more, please visit https://future.cht.nhs.uk/

Job overview

This role is ideal for someone with strong RTT knowledge, a passion for data quality, and the confidence to influence and lead across multiple services. It requires a proactive and organised individual who enjoys problem-solving, developing others, and working collaboratively with clinical and operational teams. You should apply if you are looking for a role where you can make a tangible impact on patient care, shape Trust practice, and play a key part in delivering safe, and efficient elective access. This is a great opportunity to step into a senior operational role, lead a motivated team, and contribute to meaningful service improvement.

The post holder will lead and manage the Trust's Validation Team, ensuring the delivery of accurate RTT and waiting list data and providing assurance that all processes comply with the Elective Care Access Policy. They will develop and deliver a Trust-wide RTT training strategy, offering expert guidance and in-person training to clinical and administrative teams across the organisation. The role offers hybrid working however regular on-site presence is essential to provide visible leadership, support staff, collaborate with operational and clinical colleagues, and deliver face-to-face training sessions within both office and clinical settings. The role also involves overseeing day-to-day validation operations, supporting governance and performance monitoring, and driving improvements in elective access across the Trust.

Main duties of the job

The Planned Access and Validation Service Manager is responsible for the service delivery of the elective access validation team. Ensuring the accuracy, quality, and completeness of patient pathway and waiting list data in accordance with national Referral to Treatment (RTT) rules and local Trust policies.

The post-holder will manage a team of pathway validators and provide strategic leadership, oversight, and governance for validation practices across the organisation. They will work closely with operational and clinical teams to support delivery of national access standards and performance targets.

The post-holder will work alongside and, when required, deputise for the Head of Access, providing leadership and support across the broader elective access portfolio.

Working for our organisation

CHFT is an integrated Trust of 6,500+ colleagues providing hospital and community services to patients and communities across Calderdale and Kirklees. We are rated as 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission, are a top performing Trust for Elective Recovery, Emergency and Cancer Care and widely acknowledged as a national digital lead when it comes to caring for people across our local and regional systems.

Our people are at the core of everything we do, hence our commitment to One Culture of Care. Our focus is to care for and support each other in order to provide outstanding compassionate care to our patients. That is why we are looking for an inclusive collaborative, creative, innovative and compassionate leader to join us in this role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and lead a Trust-wide validation strategy aligned to national RTT and waiting list requirements.
• Provide expert guidance on pathway validation, data accuracy, and elective performance.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on RTT pathways, waiting list rules, and validation practices.
• Deputise for the Head of Access, supporting decision-making and service continuity across elective access functions.

Operational Management

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the validation team, ensuring all waiting list and RTT pathway data is regularly and accurately validated.
• Oversee and continuously improve validation processes, ensuring compliance with national and Trust standards.
• Design and implement Trust wide SOPs for validation activity and patient tracking processes.
• Monitor and report on validation metrics and KPIs to senior colleagues, identifying where performance is off plan and working with teams to put mitigation plans in place.
• Support the Head of Access in managing cross-functional initiatives, contributing to recovery plans, PTL oversight, and national reporting.

People Management

• Line manage a team of validation officers, providing direction, support, and oversight to ensure high performance and effective delivery of validation services.
• Oversee the allocation of work to staff, ensuring tasks are appropriately assigned to meet service priorities and individual development needs.
• Conduct appraisals, 1:1s, team meetings, and development plans.
• Manage team recruitment, induction, training, and rota planning.
• Foster a culture of high performance, accountability, and service improvement.

Data Quality & Governance

• Provide assurance to the Head of Access that validation processes support accurate RTT and elective care reporting, minimising data quality breaches and risks.
• Lead on internal audits, deep dives, and data quality investigations relating to patient access and pathway breaches.
• Ensure Trust-wide compliance with the Elective Care Access Policy through effective oversight, training, and governance of access-related processes.
• Maintain robust documentation, audit trails, and assurance processes to support CQC or NHS England reviews.
• Take the lead in designing and delivering Trust-wide RTT training to proactively reduce data quality issues, ensuring comprehensive training packages are developed and maintained to support consistent adherence to the Elective Care Access Policy.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Work collaboratively with Divisional Operational Managers, Clinical Leads, Information Analysts, and Performance Teams.
• Provide expert advice and training to a range of staff on RTT validation and national access standards.
• Attend and present complex information at performance meetings, PTL meetings, and executive oversight groups, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and strategic insight to support informed decision-making.

Service Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and automation of validation processes using digital tools.
• Contribute to the implementation and optimisation of systems such as EPRs, patient tracking lists, and waiting list modules.
• Drive forward projects to support the delivery of planned care to support the Trust to achieve its performance targets.
• Take a lead role in implementing and overseeing digital Patient-Led Validation through the Patient Portal, ensuring processes are efficient, patient-centred, and aligned with Trust objectives

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING

Essential criteria

• Degree level or equivalent qualification/equivalent level of experience.
• A postgraduate qualification/equivalent level of experience
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Recognised management qualification

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Essential criteria

• Experience of working in a management post within the NHS.
• Evidence of sound appreciation of waiting list management as appropriate to role.
• Extensive experience in applying RTT rules including identifying and rectifying RTT data errors and omissions.
• Experience of providing RTT and validation training to clinical and admin staff.
• Experience of working with complex spreadsheets and databases.
• Ability to take initiative and make decisions in absence of senior leadership
• Extensive experience of Clinical Systems e.g. EPR
• Recent relevant experience of managing teams
• Recent relevant experience of application of the Elective Care Access Policy.
• Experience producing, interpreting, and presenting complex data
• Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels
• High proficiency in Excel, KP+, and patient administration systems

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

Essential criteria

• Able to deal effectively with challenging or sensitive staff issues, e.g. performance, within Trust processes and legislative frameworks.
• Able to use a range of management styles as appropriate, including a coaching style.
• Has self-confidence and uses this to lead, involve and challenge others as appropriate
• Displays a strong motivation and commitment to success
• High level of verbal communications skills, including the ability to make effective formal presentations and informal approaches to a wide range of audiences.
• High level written communication skills and able to adapt style and method as appropriate, to include the ability in report writing, responding to complaints.
• Treats all people equally and with respect.
• Ensures personal, professional behaviour and integrity at all times

Our vision is to provide One Culture of Care for one another in order that we can provide compassionate care for the people who use our services. We are passionate about creating a workplace where we work together to get results, encouraging colleagues to have their say, in order to co create the change we want to see. We take pride in the diversity of our workforce that's why we encourage applications from all. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants.

We understand that more applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. It's important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please make sure to disclose this on your application form.

Please ensure your application is submitted with referees who can verify your employment/education history over the last three years and include valid email addresses for them. We will request electronic Factual Employment References from your previous employers. These references will be requested before you are issued with an unconditional offer of employment letter.

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. We encourage all applicants to review these criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

You may be required to undertake a DBS. The Trust will administer the DBS check on your behalf and will recover the cost (Enhanced £54.40, Standard £26.40 or Basic £26.40) from your salary when you commence in post (including Internal staff). You will also be required to participate in the DBS Update Service and pay the £16 cost per year. This is a condition of your employment.

CHFT is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

If you have any questions please contact ask.recruitment@cht.nhs.uk for assistance.

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Documents to download

• Planned Access and Validation Service Manager (PDF, 224.4KB)
• Job Description Appendix A (PDF, 259.2KB)