Project Manager - QE UEC Improvement

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 - the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as "good" or "outstanding" in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King's College London's GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity to join us in Improvement and Transformation as a Project Manager supporting our Urgent and Emergency Care Improvement Programme at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich.

This is a rotational role with the first 12 months working within the Improvement and Transformation team to support with the Urgent and Emergency Care Programme. Following successful completion of the transformation role, the post holder will be supported with securing a permanent role within the Clinical Operational teams or similar role within the Corporate divisions at Band 7 within the Trust at any of our sites.

As a Project Manager you would be embedded within the QE operational team while receiving support and oversight from the Improvement and Transformation team. This would give you a unique opportunity to experience the day-to-day running of a busy operational urgent and emergency care service while also continuing to develop your project management and improvement skills.

We are looking for people with experience in project management and improvement methodologies with a track record of delivering sustainable change programmes across complex pathways with multiple stakeholders. You will have a track record of establishing and maintaining good relationships to deliver change and willingness to learn and develop new skills."

Main duties of the job

The QE UEC improvement Programme aims to ensure that our patients receive care in the most suitable environment, provided by the appropriate clinicians, and within the right timeframe. The core focus of the programme is to deliver efficiencies at all points in the patient pathway and support the delivery of improved performance against national standards but importantly to ensure safe and high-quality care. The programme aims to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement mindset, allowing the Trust to prioritise and enhance patient flow, reduce waiting times, and improve performance in the Emergency Department, and reduce overall length of stay at QEH.

As a project manager, the postholder, working closely with clinical and non-clinical teams at all levels, both internal and external to the programme will ensure that projects are delivered to agreed objectives, quality standards that meets business needs, within agreed timescales, and to budget. They will maintain programme documentation including project plans, providing regular updates and detailed communication to the relevant divisional leadership, programme SRO and the wider Trust, whilst supporting the creation of a culture of continuous improvement within the programme.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Result Areas & Performance

Project Management
• To manage and successfully deliver projects, providing project management support and a hands-on approach to achieve successful implementation.
• Provide leadership, facilitation and specialist support to teams undertaking improvement projects and programmes with improvement elements, using QI methodology to maximise engagement, impact and learning across the improvement-led delivery lifecycle.
• Manage a portfolio of QI projects that may span multiple service areas and prepare reports and analyses where required
• Provide expert support in the measurement and use of data for improvement in QI projects. Work with frontline teams on the identification, collection, analysis and interpretation of data for use in the monitoring or the impact of the projects. This will include presenting data in a variety of formats, namely statistical process control charts.
• Regularly report on progress, monitoring progress against plan, and delivery of the project purpose.
• Responsible for developing and maintaining all project documentation in line with project management methodology. This includes Project Initiation documents, business cases, project plans, risk registers and performance packs.
• To organise and take a lead in project team meetings, involving stakeholders, suppliers and other members of the organisation as necessary.
• To provide written reports at the conclusion of projects or after an agreed period of time on the measured success of the project as a whole, its constituent parts and of the project personnel.
• Support senior managers and clinicians in the use of planning software and the presentation of project/scheme management reports.
• Collaborate with senior staff in the course of managing projects, where required control, direct, plan and allocate work and motivation of the staff assigned to or directly involved with the Project Team
• Establish local performance indicators for project management and monitor and report against them. Update methods and standards in line with best practice. Ensure delivery of a consistently high standard of service.
• Co-ordinate the programme groups, providing a full programme update and all supporting paperwork.
• Develop and maintain effective systems for collating and managing all programme documents.
• Appropriately deal with emails, telephone calls or other communication, prioritizing urgent and important work.
• Manage priorities and resolve conflicts, prioritising those projects and activities that contribute to achieving strategic objectives, improved patient care and operational efficiencies.
• Deputise for colleagues and senior managers as required.

Financial Management
• Where required work with the finance lead and finance project support to agree budgets for projects, ensuring financial balance.
• Construct business cases including complex financial modelling to support the option appraisal.
• The postholder will work with the wider organisations to ensure information from all sources is triangulated and used effectively to deliver improved outcomes.
• The postholder will ensure the use of cost, quality and other information to support a cycle of continuous improvement in operational performance
• Provide advice on Business Cases and new policies including areas where there has been no precedent.

Stakeholder Engagement
• Lead the development of productive relationships with key programme stakeholders at all levels across QE Medicine Division, and beyond where required
• Maintain communication channels between all stakeholders: organize meetings; chase responses and actions; and send minutes, updates, alerts and programme information to all stakeholders.
• Support clinical teams in the development, tailoring and implementation of systems and processes for project management

Provide advice on strategy and policy to programme governance
• Provide leadership, support and advice to Executives and senior managers across the programme, QEH, and the wider Trust.
• Provide advice and support on major strategic business cases and option appraisals

Key relationships

• Chief Operating Officer
• Deputy Chief Operating Officer
• Chief Nursing Office
• Deputy Chief Nursing officer (QEH Site)
• Chief Medical Officer
• Deputy Chief Medical Officer
• Divisional Director of Operations, Medicine QEH
• Divisional Director of Operations, Surgery (Trust level)
• Director of site management
• General Manager Medicine
• General Manager Surgery
• Divisional Medical Directors
• Clinical Directors
• Site managers
• Ward based nursing teams
• MDT (AHP's etc.)
• IT & Finance
• Divisional Operational and Clinical Leads

Physical effort:
• Light physical effort required, using a computer and phone and travelling to meetings
• Travel between the QEH and UHL sites
• Requirement to carry laptop to meetings on regular basis

Mental effort:
• Ability to repeatedly switch tasks and deal with interruptions to manage competing priorities
• Frequent periods of concentration will be required to manage complex tasks

Emotional effort
• Occasional exposure to deal with difficult or emotional circumstances eg whilst managing staff.
• Required to remain calm and professional in a busy working environment
• Required to deal with pressure and deadlines

Working conditions
• Exposure to unpleasant conditions is rare
• Mainly office-based role
• Occasional driving or use of public transport

• This job description describes responsibilities, as they are currently required. It is anticipated duties will change over time and the job description may need to be reviewed in the future.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Project management qualification or relevant experience.
• Masters or equivalent
• Evidence of on-going career/professional development

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of project management including planning, implementation and report writing
• Relevant experience working in a health or social care organisation
• Experience of using improvement tools and techniques in a complex service environment.
• Experience of facilitating meetings, workshops and events
• Budget management
• Knowledge and understanding of the NHS and emerging national policy
• Experience and understanding of inter-agency working
• Data analysis, problem solving and option development and appraisal
• Experience working with complex clinical datasets including analysis and collation
• Experience of presenting to a wide range of audiences
• Experience of drafting corporate documents
• Experience of delivering to tight deadlines

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of project management, data management and analysis methods
• In-depth knowledge of quality improvement methods and tools including, but not limited to: Process mapping, fishbone diagram, PDSA cycles, patient co-design, etc.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the health service national drivers and their practical application to service delivery
• Demonstrates an understanding of the need to use evidence-based practice in the development and delivery of clinical services
• Good knowledge of health and social care policy, political and social context
• In-depth understanding of change management
• Knowledge of system working

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

• Energy, enthusiasm and the ability to work effectively under pressure
• Ability to influence and achieve consensus
• Outstanding leadership, influencing, negotiating and interpersonal skills
• Highly self-motivated
• Temperament and ability to act effectively in challenging and emotive situations
• Flexibility in approach and attitude

Skills

Essential criteria

• Project management skills
• Time-management skills
• Ability to manage self and others to achieve commitments within agreed timelines
• Ability to work as part of a larger team and when required independently
• Self-starter & ability to work autonomously
• Ability to understand, interpret and analyse complex issues
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and deliver outcomes
• Ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels, including times of high challenge or dissent
• Excellent written and presentation skills
• Adaptable and flexible attitude to work
• Excellent report writing and budgeting skills
• Good team building and people skills
• Confident with using Microsoft Word, Excel, & Powerpoint
• Able to represent the project management function at a senior level

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women's staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• JD (PDF, 390.8KB)
• Working at LGT (PDF, 4.2MB)