NHS Blood and Transplant
Head of Operations
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Head of Operations - Therapeutic Apheresis Services
Job Summary
Therapeutic Apheresis Services (TAS) carries out apheresis procedures for patients who are referred with blood related disorders. We also collect stem cells and leucocytes from patients and donors to support bone marrow transplantation and rapidly emerging immunotherapies.
A thorough understanding of our service is imperative to drive our strategy and compassionately support our staff to enable them to provide the safest, most effective treatments. Our staff need to be trained to a high standard, and our governance structures need to align with the wider NHSBT team.
Your overall remit will be to work strategically in alignment with the other senior members of the Senior Leadership team under the Head of TAS / Deputy Chief Nurse Clinical Services.
You will need to work in alignment with the current Head of Operations. The service has grown significantly, and our strategy is to work collaboratively to reach further afield and support any trust in the UK that needs apheresis services.
Main duties of the job
Responsibilities
In this role you will lead the Therapeutic Apheresis Services (TAS) which is a national function within NHS Blood and Transplant and currently comprises of eight therapeutic apheresis units in England. Your responsibilities will include:
- Being responsible for the operational management of the TAS service and accountable for the delivery and maintenance of an effective, consistent, and high-quality service for patients.
- Being a member of the TAS Senior Management Team (SMT) and will work with its members to lead and continually improve service delivery in TAS.
- Working with NHSBT Project Managers and external stakeholders.
- Ensure delivery of high-quality care for patients by ensuring that staff have the right skills, behaviours and training, and that staff are available in the right numbers to meet the needs of the service.
- Providing expert advice, specifically in relation to delivery of service to a wide variety of stakeholders. Make complex clinical and professional recommendations and decisions often where opinions may differ.
You will be required to travel and spend time away from base, which will involve working irregular hours and overnight stays when required, with prior notice.
About You
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- Substantial management and leadership experience in a fast-paced service sector at a senior level.
- Demonstrable evidence of successful improvement in service delivery and implementation of change.
- Experience in managing and motivating people to deliver corporate strategy and business objectives.
- Extensive experience of working with budgets.
- Evidence of experience in setting, monitoring and evaluating standards of care.
- Substantial experience of managing a multidisciplinary team.
- Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of patient safety initiatives and strategies and risk management.
- Knowledge and experience of leading on either clinical or compliance audits.
- Substantial experience of managing operational delivery of services within a regulatory framework e.g. Care Quality Standards.
Qualifications And Training
- Registered Nurse with current Nursing and Midwifery Council registration; RN1 Adult Nurse level 1, RNA Adult Nurse level 1, and /or RN8 Children’s Nurse level 1 or RNC Children’s Nurse level 1 (which must be maintained).
- Educated to Masters level as demonstrated either by academic qualification or by senior management and leadership experience.
- Evidence of commitment to continued learning and application in practice.
About Us
It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you’ll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.
Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do.
By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work – and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever.
You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.
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What We Offer
- Flexible working options – we promote flexible working where the role allows. We’re happy to discuss what flexibility might look like for you.
- Generous annual leave - 27 days annual leave (pro rata for part-time) plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service and to 33 days after 10 years.
- Inclusive pension scheme - the NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme (not dependent on investment returns). Further details and outline of benefits can be found at: http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/information-about-nhs-pensions
- Supportive learning culture - we’ve fostered a culture of continuous learning where colleagues are well-led, engaged, and encouraged to grow. We support you in reaching your full potential, both in your current role and future career. Our Thrive program embodies our commitment to learning and development, offering a wide range of activities to support your personal and professional growth. It’s open to everyone at NHSBT, ensuring you have the resources to succeed and shine in your role.
- Health and wellbeing support – we offer confidential services including occupational health, employee assistance programme, and wellbeing resources. Our support is available to all colleagues and we endeavour to provide tailored workplace adjustments where possible.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applications from disabled candidates. We will talk with you to explore any adjustments that may help you during the recruitment process.
You can find more information about accessibility, our culture, and how we support applicants on the NHSBT Careers website:
- Read about our application process
- Learn more about our culture at NHSBT
To learn more, please see the job description and person specification. These can be accessed via the link below, or by clicking ‘Apply’ if you are viewing this advert on another site.
Next steps
This vacancy will close at 23:59 on Sunday 19th July.
The assessment process for this role will include: a single interview. Interviews are anticipated to be held on Week Commencing 3rd August – subject to confirmation.
For informal enquiries please contact –
- Name: Louise Collingwood
- Job Title: Head of Operations
- Contact Details: Louise.Collingwood@nhsbt.nhs.uk
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