Head of Hospital and Home Services

Background to the role

AUKEL recruited a new Chief Executive in April 2023, and a new chair in February 2024. In March 2024 we published an ambitious five year strategy which sets out how we want to increase the extent we meet the needs of older people in East London. We have a number of organisational transformation objectives which underpin the strategy; these are things we need to do to strengthen our foundations (following a period of rapid growth) and equip us to deliver safe effective services, at scale, across our footprint.

We are looking for someone to join our team to work with the Service Director to lead the transformation of our Hospital and Home services. These:

-       Currently are provided at four hospitals broadly covering four boroughs: Homerton (Hackney), Newham (Newham), The Royal London (Tower Hamlets), Whipps Cross (Waltham Forest). And are staffed by 16 AUKEL employees – three co-ordinators, two project officers, 10 support workers, and an administrator.

-       Homerton and The Royal London are jointly commissioned until end March 2029. Newham has been extended to the end of June 2026. Whipps Cross is due to be re-procured, with a short extension under consideration, we aim to jointly bid for this with our neighbouring AUKs.

-       Assist vulnerable adults in getting home from hospital, carrying out safety checks in the home, give advice on practical and wellbeing matters, and visiting regularly for a period of four to six weeks after discharge

-       Are commissioned based on meeting pre-agreed targets for the number of referrals accepted, and are fully embedded into the hospital discharge system.

-       Typically include provision of handyperson services, which is operationally delivered separately by three handypeople.

-       Include our (paid for) Home and Care service which is delivered separately to our hospital discharge services, and currently supports c. 40 individuals.

This will be a challenging and rewarding role; you’ll need experience of change management and of leading operations. You will be resilient and will have values which align with ours: Kind, Accountable, Collaborative, Flexible and Inclusive. This is a chance to join our team at an exciting time; we’ll expect a great deal of you but in return you’ll be well supported, invested-in and given lots of opportunity to learn and grow as an organisational leader.

We’re particularly hoping to recruit someone from the global majority as our leadership team doesn’t currently adequately represent the communities we serve.

Job description

Job Purpose

The Head of Hospital and Home Services will work with the Director on strategic and operational planning and provide operational leadership for the range of Hospital and Care services delivered by Age UK East London. This role is a fantastic opportunity to be part of significant organisational change, to make an impact at a local level, and ensure that older people’s needs are recognised and met effectively. The purpose of this role is to:

·       Take responsibility for the delivery of the Hospital and Home service, ensuring its delivery requirements are met and we are responsive to new opportunities.

·       Manage and maintain good relationships with commissioners and professionals in the local health and social care system.

·       Lead a programme of structural and cultural change in the Hospital and Home service:

-       Review the service staffing and delivery arrangements, assessing which services need allocated staff and which would be better delivered by a central team.

-       Introduce processes and embed good practice in case recording, reporting and data collection.

-       Motivate and engage a dispersed workforce, developing a supportive and flexible culture with consistent service standards.

-       Ensure that older people who are supported by the Hospital and Home team also benefit from the range of AUKEL services and those provided by other local partners.

·       Ensure the hospital discharge service, the handyperson service and the home and care (paid for service) work together efficiently and effectively.

·       Address performance issues in the Home and Care (paid for service), working with senior colleagues (in communications, finance and HR) to develop a financially sustainable model.

·       Work with senior leaders across AUKEL, contributing your experience and expertise to problem solve, spot and develop opportunities as well as make an impact on our overall organisational development journey. 

As the role develops or AUKEL begins delivering new services, the scope of the role may expand. The post holder will need to:

·       Use sophisticated interpersonal and influencing skills to build rapport with a wide range of stakeholders including commissioners, partner providers, senior health and social care professionals, operational staff, volunteers and service users / patients, and maintain AUKEL’s profile with these audiences.

·       Motivate and inspire a frontline staff team, using excellent communication skills, a strong understanding of key issues affecting older people, and familiarity with the commissioning environment

·       Ensure the services are run to the contract KPI’s for quality and delivery, overseeing data management and analysis to ensure compliance and insight that supports future development and demonstration of impact, taking a continuous improvement approach

Summary of Duties - Key Accountabilities & Deliverables

Coordination and Management of service

·       Line manage service coordinators, and oversee the good management of all service staff.

·       Ensure the service is delivered in line with contractual requirements

·       Working with other senior managers, ensuring good joined up internal referral pathways, clear communication and joint-working where possible

·       Ensure the team is fully conversant with the organisation’s CRM (currently Charitylog) and that this is used effectively to record and manage casework and evidence of outcomes and impact of the service

·       Ensure the team is knowledgeable about the local service offers and are effective in referring and signposting clients to other relevant services

·       Complete and maintain relevant risk assessments.

·       Ensure there is cover for gaps in service delivery (e.g. due to A/L or sickness).

·       Support team members to supervise volunteers effectively

·       Support implementation of any organisation-wide operational changes

·       Regularly attend meetings with external professionals as necessary in relation to operational management and delivery of services

Quality and Insight

·       Produce quarterly KPI monitoring and evaluation reports for each contract as required to include data, case studies and insight on service delivery and opportunities

·       Produce quarterly insight to the Board of Trustees at committee level.

·       Monitor compliance in record keeping around key areas

·       Continuously review and monitor the service with the aim of improving quality, flexibility, responsiveness and effectiveness, and to identify and respond to new opportunities

 General

·       Lead the development and delivery of current and future commissioned health services in AUKEL.

·       Work with senior colleagues to conduct ongoing ‘horizon scanning’ of changes in national and local priorities and approaches to services, to maximise opportunities and identify upcoming challenges for older people

·       Work with local partners to share best practice and develop opportunities to work together

·       Develop strategic relationships in the local health and social care system, to gain insights and inroads to future opportunities and build service reputation and influence.

·       Continuously gain feedback from the team in considering how the service can develop further, for example around reach, client journey and other areas.

·       Work with CE and colleagues to develop new service proposals, to develop the scope and impact of the Hospital and Home team

Leadership and management

·       Engage, motivate and inspire the team

·       Evaluate and manage overall team and individual performance and wellbeing

·       Run regular team meetings with content that promotes team cohesion as well as being informative and operationally useful

·       Ensure communication and training of the team is in line with contractual requirements and AUKEL policies

·       Encourage and provide opportunity for sharing of knowledge within the team and between colleagues within AUKEL

·       Take a person-centred approach to line management responsibilities

·         Proactively identify opportunities for team members to stretch and use skills to develop them whilst benefiting the team / service / AUKEL

Other

·       Perform other duties in connection with the general work of AUKEL when required

·       To undertake any other duties within the competence of the post holder as may be required from time to time for the smooth running of AUKS

·       To carry out the duties of the post in accordance with AUKS’s policies and procedures including: Equity and Diversity, Health & Safety, Confidentiality, Complaints, Data security, Safeguarding

·         Participate in learning and development opportunities and take responsibility for identifying your own learning needs

Person Specification

Essential Desirable

Experience

Essential

·       Of operational service management within Health and/or Social Care within the statutory, voluntary or private sector

·       Of strategic service leadership and development

·       Of leading change

·       Of working with data to monitor outputs, outcomes and reach.

·       Of carrying out programme evaluation and report writing.

·       Of managing people at (at least) coordinator level, and successfully engaging and motivating staff.

Desirable

·       Of working in hospital settings  

·       Of engaging strategically with the local health and care system

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential

·       Understanding of the impact of discrimination and disadvantage on the lives of people and ability to work in a trauma-informed manner. 

·       Understanding and commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and their Carers. 

·       Of the current health and care landscape

Desirable

·       Expertise in the needs of older people.

·       Clinical knowledge

Skills/Attributes

Essential

·       Intermediate IT skills  

·       Can demonstrate commitment to AUKEL values (accountable, kind, flexible, inclusive, collaborative).

·       Commitment to learning and development and reflective practise. 

·       Resilience 

Additional Requirements

·       This post is subject to the relevant check through the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) 

·       Flexibility in working hours to meet organisational needs. 

Employment Details

 Contract type

This contracted post is for 35 hours per week. We welcome application for flexible working including reduced hours and other flexible working arrangements.

Location

We support hybrid working to suit our team. When in the office, the post holder will be mostly based at our office in Plaistow with frequent visits to the 4 hospitals and to our Head office in Bethnal Green.

Salary 

Between £41,200 and £46,350 Plus 5% employer pension contribution.

We have recently introduced a salary bands system. This salary range refers to the lowest and top steps of the grade. Salary will progress every year until the top salary is reached.

 Holiday entitlement

25 days (pro-rata for contracted hours) of paid holiday per year plus bank holidays. This increases after two years of service to 27 days, and then a further one day per every year of service up to a maximum of 30 days after five years of service. In addition, all employees are entitled to one day off on (or around) their Birthday.

Conditions of employment

The job offer is subject to the receipt of two satisfactory Employment References, an enhanced  DBS Check and evidence of relevant Qualification.

How We Value Our People

Learning and development

We are committed to supporting our staff through a variety of training, e-learning, workshop and shadowing. A training needs assessment is carried out annually. During the appraisal and reviewed during supervision. The majority of vacancies are advertised internally to encourage staff to progress their careers within the charity.

Flexible working policy

We welcome flexible working requests from day one and anyone can make as many requests as they wish to.

Family Friendly Policy

We have a competitive Family Friendly Policy which includes maternity, paternity adoption and shared parental leave. We have an enhanced maternity and paternity pay policy based on the length of service.

 Sick leave policy

We also have a competitive sick pay policy which will give you up to 4 months full pay and 4 months half pay after 4 years of service.

Death in service insurance

We have a Death in service insurance which will help your family to cope financially should something happen to you while employed with us.

Employee assistance programme

We offer an Employee Assistance programme called WeCare which includes 24/7 online GP, Get fit programme, Mental health support, Financial and legal guidance.

Menopause and menstrual policy

The policy supports employees in their ability to adequately self-care during their period and menopause, while not being penalised by having to deplete their sick leave.

Open Door policy

The purpose of policy is to encourage open communication, feedback, and discussion about any matter of importance to an employee.

Wellbeing policy

The policy is aimed to promote mental wellbeing among staff and volunteers and tackle the causes of work-related mental health problems.

Duncan Robertson Award

For the outstanding contribution to the wellbeing of older people.

Cycle to work scheme

The scheme allows employees to obtain commuter bikes and cycling accessories through their employer, whilst spreading the cost over 12 months and making unbeatable savings through a tax break

Other benefits

Through Age UK National we provide the BUPA Employee Assistance Programme, the Blue Light Discount Card, access to a discount portal provided by AON and Ticket for Good.

Next Steps

 How to apply

To apply, please complete the application form on our website.

Recruitment Timetable

Deadline to receive applications: Monday the 07th of October at 9am

1st stage interviews: Thursday the 10th (online)

Final interviews: Week commencing 14th of October 2024 (in person)

Have any questions? If you want to find out more about the recruitment process or the role, please contact our HR department with 2-3 potential slots.