Care Services Director

Job summary
The Care Services Director will provide strategic leadership for all care services across St Michaels, leading the development and delivery of the Care Strategy and ensuring the organisation responds effectively to the evolving health and care landscape. The post holder will lead system integration, service transformation, quality and patient safety, workforce planning, commissioning relationships and organisational performance, while acting as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Nominated Individual. More widely and in partnership with colleagues from across the system, this role will provide leadership to Palliative and End of Life Care services delivered collaboratively at Place and represent St Michaels at the most senior level across One Herefordshire and with wider system partners.

Main duties of the job
Areas of Responsibility:

• Care Services Leadership
• Strategy, Transformation and Service Development
• Communication

About us
St Michael's Hospice is nestled in the stunning Herefordshire countryside, in a state-of-the-art facility. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, a transferrable NHS pension or you can enrol onto our own Hospice pension. We offer Life Assurance, a superb working environment and facility, generous study leave allowance, discounts with local suppliers, individualised training needs analysis, advanced communication skills training, employee counselling service, free tea & coffee, a friendly & welcoming work environment and 30 days annual leave (pro rata if applicable), plus bank holidays. We are one of the top 100 best not for profit organisations to work for and have been caring to make a difference, to patients living with a terminal illness and their families, across Herefordshire and beyond for over 40 years.

Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
The Care Services Director will provide strategic leadership for all care services across St Michaels, leading the development and delivery of the Care Strategy and ensuring the organisation responds effectively to the evolving health and care landscape. The post holder will lead system integration, service transformation, quality and patient safety, workforce planning, commissioning relationships and organisational performance, while acting as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Nominated Individual. More widely and in partnership with colleagues from across the system, this role will provide leadership to Palliative and End of Life Care services delivered collaboratively at Place and represent St Michaels at the most senior level across One Herefordshire and with wider system partners.

Areas of Responsibility
Care Services Leadership

• Provide visible, inspirational and values-led leadership across all care services, both within St Michaels and those delivered in partnership/collaboration.
• Lead the development and implementation of the St Michaels Care Strategy.
• Provide overall leadership for care provision across all services, ensuring safe, effective, person-centred and sustainable care.
• Ensure the St Michaels remains responsive to the changing needs of patients, families and the wider health and social care system.
• Create a culture of continuous learning, innovation and improvement throughout care services.
• Ensure care services are aligned to organisational priorities, strategic objectives and regulatory expectations.
• Act as the senior care advisor to the Executive Leadership Team and Board.

Strategy, Transformation and Service Development

• Lead strategic planning for care services, ensuring delivery of sustainable and resilient services which meet current and future population needs.
• Lead service redesign, transformation programmes and pathway development across services.
• Develop and implement innovative models of care that support Neighbourhood Health and Integrated Neighbourhood Teams.
• Lead substantial programmes of work, identifying opportunities, resources, risks and constraints to ensure successful delivery.
• Ensure continuous quality improvement is embedded throughout all areas of responsibility.
• Lead organisational responses for local and national policy developments relevant to palliative and end of life care.
• Identify and develop opportunities for service growth, collaboration, innovation and partnership working.

System Integration and External Influence

• Provide strategic leadership for the St Michaels involvement in One Herefordshire and wider Integrated Care System initiatives.
• Represent St Michaels at system, regional and national forums.
• Influence system-wide planning to ensure palliative and end of life care is embedded within neighbourhood and integrated care models.
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with commissioners, providers, primary care, local authority partners and voluntary sector organisations.
• Lead pathway development and service integration initiatives across organisational boundaries.
• Promote St Michaels as a trusted system partner and centre of excellence for palliative care.
• Ensure St Michaels has a strong voice in shaping future health and care provision.

Quality, Safety and Governance

• Provide executive leadership for patient safety, clinical quality, governance and risk management.
• Ensure effective systems, processes and assurance frameworks are in place to deliver safe, high-quality care.
• Monitor care quality, safety performance and regulatory compliance across all services.
• Ensure learning from incidents, complaints, audits, safeguarding concerns and patient feedback is embedded into service improvement.
• Maintain oversight of safeguarding arrangements across the organisation.
• Ensure compliance with Care Quality Commission standards and all relevant statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements.
• Promote a culture of openness, transparency and continuous improvement.

Workforce, Education and Organisational Development

• Work in partnership with the People Director to develop and implement workforce strategies that support organisational objectives and future service models.
• Lead the development of future workforce plans that enable integrated, neighbourhood-based and multidisciplinary care delivery.
• Support the design of innovative workforce models and new roles to meet emerging care needs.
• Work closely with the Lead Teacher Practitioner to ensure education, training and professional development programmes support workforce capability and service priorities.
• Promote professional development, leadership growth and succession planning across care services.
• Foster a culture that supports recruitment, retention, wellbeing and workforce engagement.

Financial Management and Performance

• Provide strategic oversight of care services budgets and financial performance.
• Monitor organisational care performance against agreed objectives, quality measures, activity targets and contractual requirements.
• Support the development and monitoring of service agreements, contracts, service plans, KPIs and financial frameworks.
• Ensure resources are utilised effectively to maximise value, quality and sustainability.
• Provide assurance to the CEO and Board regarding the performance, financial position and effectiveness of care services.

Leadership and Culture

• Champion the St Michaels values and behaviours and promote a culture of compassion, collaboration, accountability and excellence.
• Promote harmonious and effective working relationships across departments, professions and partner organisations.
• Lead organisational change in a manner that supports workforce engagement and positive outcomes.
• Act as the professional lead for nursing, providing assurance to the Board, CEO and governing body that services are delivered in accordance with professional, statutory and regulatory standards.
• Act as an ambassador for St Michaels at all times.
• Participate fully as a member of the Executive Leadership Team and other leadership forums.

Communication

• Provide high-quality reports, presentations and assurance updates to the Board, Executive Leadership Team and external stakeholders.
• Lead communications relating to care strategy, service development and system integration activity.
• Present complex information clearly to a variety of audiences.
• Ensure St Michaels contribution to system-wide initiatives is effectively communicated and understood.
• Maintain effective relationships with commissioners, regulators and partner organisations.
• Ensure the patient, family and community voice informs service planning and decision making.

Care Quality Commission Nominated Individual

• Act as the Care Quality Commission Nominated Individual for St Michael's Hospice.
• Ensure systems and processes are in place to support compliance with legal, regulatory and registration requirements.
• Provide assurance to the CEO and Board regarding regulatory performance and organisational readiness.
• Lead organisational preparations for CQC inspections and assessment activity.
• Act as a key point of contact with regulators and external assurance bodies.

Person Specification
1 Specialist Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Registered healthcare professional.
• Educated to Master's level.
• Significant senior leadership experience within healthcare, hospice, community or integrated care settings.
• Experience of leading strategic development and organisational transformation.
• Demonstrable experience of partnership working across organisational boundaries and at the most senior levels.
• Experience of system leadership, commissioning, integrated care or neighbourhood health models.
• Significant experience of service redesign and quality improvement.
• Significant experience of governance, quality, patient safety and risk management.
• Experience of influencing senior stakeholders and system partners.
• Experience of commissioning or contract management.
• Experience of budget management, business planning and performance reporting.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Strong analytical, strategic and organisational skills.
• Excellent IT and digital literacy skills.

Desirable

• Experience of working with or within an Integrated Care System.
• Experience of regulated health or social care services.
• Qualification in leadership, management or organisational development.

2 Skills and Behaviours

• Leadership: Leads, inspires and empowers others to deliver organisational objectives while promoting innovation, accountability and excellence.
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrates the ability to interpret complex information, anticipate future challenges and opportunities and develop effective strategic responses.
• Partnership Working: Builds productive relationships and collaborates effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Communication: Communicates clearly, confidently and persuasively with workforce, leaders, partners and external agencies.
• Decision Making: Makes informed and timely decisions using evidence, judgement and organisational values.
• Influencing: Successfully influences stakeholders at all levels to achieve positive outcomes for patients, services and the organisation.
• Change Management: Leads and supports others through change with resilience, sensitivity and clarity.
• Customer Service Orientation: Demonstrates a commitment to delivering excellent services for patients, families and communities.
• Resilience: Maintains professionalism, positivity and effectiveness under pressure.

3 Special Conditions

• This post is conditional to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check.
• Requirement to work flexibly according to the needs of the service.
• Requirement to travel across the locality and wider system as necessary.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.