Job Description
Overview Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital is a major teaching hospital providing a range of acute medical, surgical, Intensive care, maternity services, day care, outpatient, diagnostic and support services. Emergency services are provided on a 365-day, 24 hour basis. The hospital has a current bed complement of 485 beds. The hospital is part of the Dublin North East Regional Health Authorityand Louth Meath Integrated Healthcare Area. The Head of Access is a pivotal role in the service planning, co-ordination and management of activity and resources for scheduled and unscheduled care within the hospital, in line with all appropriate local and national guidelines and policies. The position holds operational responsibility for the appropriate flow of patients through their care pathways from internal and external sources, assisting with the creation of early discharge planning/capacity where necessary, and optimizing patient placement whilst maintaining a high quality experience. Head of Access and Integration: The role requires close collaboration with a range of internal/external stakeholder teams across primary, secondary and tertiary areas and the promotion of structured, effective and safe transition of patients across all pathways. The role will form part of the Executive management team; reporting directly to the General Manager. Corporate and Executive management of the patient flow department will be under the remint of Head of Access and Integration. Key Responsibilities Ensure a structured and whole-system approach to Access & patient flow, establishing a culture of common purpose in achieving service and organisational objectives. Continuous review and improvement of Access processes, pathways and systems from the point of admission to discharge, for the delivery of safe, timely and effective patient care. Monitor ED patient activity, ensuring all breach targets are met and flow is maintained, escalating any delays to General Manager and senior management team as necessary, and ensuring corrective action is undertaken in a timely manner Ensure that streamlined effective admission and discharge policies are in place across internal and external patient pathways. Monitor scheduled and unscheduled care, ensuring that admission and discharge activity is appropriate to patient care needs Maintain and develop reporting capability, reviewing trends in patient activity, i.e. admissions, transfers, repatriations, discharges, length of stay etc, identifying impediments to effective patient flow and implementing corrective action. Analyse, monitor and forecast admission and discharge trends within the hospital, benchmarking performance against national standards. Have direct and active participation in service planning, implementation and evaluation and in overall resource management of the Hospital, including continuous quality audit and performance measures specific to Access. Ensure the application of best practice standards including the development of action plans to continuously improve the effectiveness of patient flow and access pathways in both acute and non-acute settings. Establish regular and formal communication pathways with designated points of contact within primary, secondary and tertiary care areas on patient flow operational matters. Ensure pathways are developed and enhanced to improve egress from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda to Our Lady' s Hospital, Navan, Louth County Hospital & Cottage Community Hub Participate on the Senior Executive On-Call roster. Operational Management Be responsible for the management of the Patient Flow, ensuring efficient and effective day-to-operations and alignment of resources to service requirements. Develop and deliver effective operational plans linked to the hospital strategy and service plan, ensuring that organisational and national targets are met. Implement and update policies, protocols and guidelines to support the management of unscheduled and scheduled care, ensuring timely placement of patients in the most appropriate environment in acute and non-acute settings. Monitor and report on capacity key performance indicators to senior management, circulating regular reports for key clinical decision makers on resource utilisation. Actively participate in relevant committees and forums including:- National Clinical Care Programmes Access/Waiting List Management Discharge Planning Major Incident Planning JAG Accreditation Sub Groups HCAI Committee Work with clinical and non-clinical teams, guiding them as required, to ensure hospital systems for flow and tracking are adhered to and co-ordinating a multidisciplinary approach as necessary. Review existing processes, procedures and service dependencies, making recommendations for improvement where necessary, and giving effect to associated implementation plans. Apply professional judgement when complex non-routine issues arise, assessing situations fully, and taking appropriate course of actions for best patient and service outcomes. Maintain effective communication and collaborative structures with counterparts in the acute and non-acute sectors, developing and updating protocols where necessary. Provide assistance and leadership where required in managing complaints and incidents. Service Planning Co-ordinate business plans to improve all areas of Access (scheduled & unscheduled care) which contributes to the Hospitals Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Liaise with senior management team on the status of service plans, reporting on progress, and taking corrective action where necessary. Implement effective controls to monitor, evaluate and report on standards of delivery within the area of patient flow and access. Explore and implement technologies within the scheduled & unscheduled care to strengthen performance and enhance reputation with internal and external stakeholders. Lead projects which improve the quality of care and services provided to patients. Develop management reporting capability and capacity to support internal/external information requirements and business case development Performance Monitor, control and report on activity to the General Manager. Ensure effective use of resources, alerting the General Manager in a timely manner of developments which may impinge on service provision and/or targets. Support the General Manager and Senior Management Team on strategic initiatives, including development and redesign of services where appropriate. HR Management and Organisational Development Create a culture of accountability, openness to change and respect for the individual and teamwork. Manage all staff within the Patient Flow & Access Department, supporting colleagues at times of high demand and pressured working in a professional and considerate manner. Maximise the contribution of these staff by developing systems for performance appraisal, personal development, individual and organisational development, and continued skill mix review. Be self-motivated, autonomous and professional at all times, providing knowledge, skills, guidance and managerial support to team members. Ensure that the responsibilities and objectives for direct reports are clearly defined and understood. In conjunction with the General Manager and other relevant heads of service, regularly review workforce capacity and skill mix to ensure that staffing is appropriate to current and projected clinical and operational demands. Facilitate and encourage staff to pursue continuous personal development and education programmes to support improved organisational performance in accordance with the Hospital's Key Performance Indicators. Act as a point of contact for staff on employee relations issues in accordance with HR policies and procedures. Promote engagement, ensuring the involvement of staff through open and direct communication. Promote equal opportunity and adherence to best practice employment and approaches to managing and implementing change. Quality Assurance and Risk Management Lead, and contribute to, the development and implementation of best practice service modernisation improvement plans and strategies within the Hospital. Encourage a culture of continuous improvement and mutual co-operation in achieving the highest possible standards of clinical care and operational efficiency. Work with the Patient Flow team and wider hospital stakeholders and colleagues to develop clinical governance systems which ensure that all relevant HIQA and national standards are met. Ensure that the Access areas has effective procedures in place for risk assessment and management. Co-ordinate local risk management initiatives to monitor clinical and non-clinical compliance with Health & Safety, Infection Control, Occupational Health, Fire Safety, environmental and organisational risks. Essential Criteria Each candidate must by the latest date of application process have: Senior Managerial Experience working in a post that has involved Patient Flow / Bed Management, or Complex Discharge planning, in a multidisciplinary team, in an acute Hospital in-patient service as relevant to this role A proven track record of Service Management, ideally in a healthcare driven industry Candidates must possess sufficient administrative capacity to discharge the functions of the office and have management ability and experience A relevant professional / third level qualification Skills & Competencies Technical & Professional Expertise Has a command over the technical/ professional skills and knowledge required within the job holder's role and continues to upskill to maintain high professional standards and continuous professional development requirements Planning & Delivering Utilises the organisation's resources in the most effective manner to maximise the value for money proposition and identifies costs savings. Problem Solving & Decision Making Identifies and solves problems by understanding the situation, seeking additional information, developing and weighing alternatives, and choosing the most appropriate course of action given the circumstances. Leadership and Management Manages performance to deliver team goals; demonstrates accountability for leading, directing, monitoring and evaluating hospital services. Creates a climate in which people want to do their best. Promotes confidence and positive attitude; influences others to follow a common goal. Building & Maintaining Relationships Builds and maintains relationships with a network of people. Recognises the two way nature of relationships and works to develop mutually beneficial partnerships. Interacts with others in a manner that builds respect and fosters trust. Commitment to Quality and Risk Management Good knowledge of and is committed to offer a quality service through the achievement of goals, accreditation standards, other organisation/department standards and risk management frameworks and guidelines. Communication & Interpersonal Skills Speaks and writes clearly, fluently and effectively to both individuals and groups; communicates in a manner that will persuade, convince and influence others, in order to motivate, inspire or encourage them to follow a particular course of action. This Job Description is intended as a basic guide to the scope and responsibilities of the position and is subject to regular review and amendment. The role holder will be required to be flexible in this position and is expected to facilitate working additional hours on occasion, when requested. The Dublin North East Region is an Equal Opportunities Employer.