Director, Urgent And Emergency Care & Director, Elective Care And Cancer

The Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan was published in January 2023, and sets out how the NHS will recover UEC performance, reducing waiting times, protecting patient safety and improving patient experience. There is a high level of interest and scrutiny from Ministers and the Prime Minister, focusing on sustaining improvements so far secured, learning lessons from 2023/24, ensuring that planning for 2024/25 is robust and making progress with the reform and modernisation of integrated Urgent and Emergency Care services more broadly.

The recovery plan sets out a wide-ranging, two-year programme of work to expand capacity, in hospital and in the community, and to modernise pathways of care: more beds, more ambulance hours on the road, expanding Same Day Emergency Care provision and Acute Respiratory Hubs, expanding and optimising “virtual ward” provision, and improving frailty pathways and falls prevention and response services. Alongside this work is underway to speed up discharge, with more care transfer hubs and improvements to discharge data.

Role Two - Director of Elective Care and Cancer

The Elective Recovery Plan sets out a wide-ranging programme of work which includes transformation of key services such as a rapid expansion of diagnostic capacity (including via the programme of Community Diagnostic Centres), outpatient pathway reform and innovative use of technology to support elective recovery.

Role One - Director of Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC)

As Director of Urgent and Emergency Care you will:

• Be a key leader across the Secondary Care and Integration (SCI) Group, as an active member of its Senior Leadership Team. You will role-model leadership of cross-cutting corporate work-streams and activity, and champion equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Lead a high performing, multi-disciplinary team (including embedded analysts) to work hand in glove with NHS England on this high priority programme.
• Supporting and challenging NHS England to deliver these changes across the NHS and to provide assurance to Ministers and the Prime Minister.
• Provide leadership across DHSC on all aspects of winter planning and resilience, working with colleagues in adult social Care and public health teams.
• Be responsible for future UEC policy, including assessing likely future demand and capacity requirements, and ensuring that services are resilient and sustainable.
• Work alongside other teams within the department and NHS England to make sure UEC recovery and future policy are aligned with other delivery issues – including Elective Care, primary care, digital policy and ICB development.
• Provide operational insight and improving the capability of DHSC’s delivery-focused teams.

Key responsibilities

As Director of Urgent and Emergency Care your key responsibilities will include:

• Direct the development and delivery of Urgent and Emergency Care policy in the Department, including working with NHS England to deliver the UEC Recovery Plan.
• Lead the directorate to provide Ministers with assurance on all aspects of UEC policy and delivery, including high quality data and insights. This will include regular Prime Ministerial stock takes.
• Oversee the development and delivery of government policy on the reform and
  modernisation of UEC.
• Develop future UEC policy, including analysis of future demand and technological advances.
• Draw together and join up work on winter resilience and preparedness across the department, working closely with health protection colleagues and clinical experts.
• Ensure the NHS is well positioned for any fiscal events and steer the preparations for any UEC-related bids.
• Build relationships across government and the NHS (and wider) to support the successful delivery of UEC.
• Continue to build the analytical and NHS experience / knowledge of the team.
• Support Ministers in their engagement with the press and Parliament.
• Take an active role in the group’s (SCI) Senior Leadership Team and the wider leadership of the department.
• Oversee a motivated split-site team of c60 and build on the happy and high performing culture.

Role Two - Director of Elective Care and Cancer

As Director Elective Care and Cancer you will work closely with NHS England to support and deliver this change across the NHS in England and to provide assurance to Ministers and the Prime Minister by:

• Leading a growing, multi-disciplinary team (including embedded analysts) to work hand in glove with NHS England on this high priority programme.
• Leading the implementation of the Independent Sector Task-force report (launched by the PM in December 2022) to maximise the use of the independent sector to support elective recovery, as well as the Prime Minister’s announcements on increasing patient choice.
• Being responsible for future electives policy, including assessing likely future demand, to ensure services are resilient and sustainable.
• Taking lead responsibility across the department for cancer policy and performance – taking forward the government’s ambitions on faster diagnosis, tackling treatment backlogs and improving survival outcomes.
• Work alongside other teams within the department and NHS England to make sure elective recovery and future policy is aligned with other performance issues – including Urgent and Emergency Care, cancer screening and workforce.

Key responsibilities

As Director of Elective Care and Cancer your key responsibilities will include:

• Direct the development and delivery of Elective Care policy in the Department, including working with NHS England to deliver the Elective Recovery Plan.
• Provide Ministers with assurance on all aspects of Elective Care policy and delivery, including high quality data and insights. This will include regular Prime Ministerial stock takes.
• Implement the actions from Independent Sector Task-force.
• Oversee the development and delivery of government policy and ambitions on cancer, including the overall aims to improve five-year survival rate, and cutting post-covid backlogs, and improving performance against specific standards on faster diagnosis and shorter treatment times.
• Work with colleagues to deliver key Secretary of State priorities on cancer performance and the rapid expansion of diagnostic capacity, including the roll-out of the Community Diagnostic Centre’s programme.
• Develop future elective policy, including analysis of future demand and technological advances.
• Draw together and join up work on cancer and electives across Life Sciences, R&D, prevention and specialist care teams in the department.
• Ensure the NHS is well positioned for any fiscal events and steer the preparations for any elective or cancer-related bids.
• Build relationships across government and the NHS (and wider) to support the successful delivery of elective and Cancer care.
• Continue to build the analytical and operational experience / knowledge of the team.
• Support Ministers in their engagement with the press and Parliament.
• Take an active role in the group’s (SCI) Senior Leadership Team and the wider leadership of the department.
• Oversee a motivated split-site team of c60 and build on the happy and high performing culture.