Job description

The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) is a national healthcare quality improvement programme based in the School of Life Course and Population Sciences at King’s College London. SSNAP measures both the processes of care (clinical audit) provided to stroke patients, as well as the structure of stroke services (organisational audit) against evidence based standards. In total over the last 8 years since 2013, almost 700,000 cases have been recorded.   

The Senior Operations Officer oversees and monitors specific elements of the Stroke Programme, including the complex and frequent SSNAP clinical audit and reporting schedule. This involves coordinating input from across the programme team, implementing effective project management techniques, and working closely with other members of the team to ensure effective dissemination of reports.  

This role also involves initiating, planning and implementing the delivery of projects and reports, managing a busy helpdesk, and developing and overseeing SSNAP communications. Close working with internal and external stakeholders, including clinical/associate directors, hospitals trusts and web developers are crucial to maintaining and enhancing the quality of SSNAP data, and improving participation in all elements of the programme, but particularly in the post-acute setting. 

The role requires negotiation with other national stakeholders collecting data and ensuring buy-in from very busy clinicians at times of clinical and financial pressure.  

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract until 30 March 2023. 

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent / 35 hours per week

Key responsibilities

•        In conjunction with the SSNAP team, manage the strategic and planning work required to deliver the frequent SSNAP clinical audit reporting processes 

•        Project-manage the preparation and dissemination of a number of clinical audit reports for different audiences within agreed timescales, including SSNAP annual report, public reports, Easy Access Version reports, and reports produced for Clinical Commissioning Groups and Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks (ISDNs)

•        Seek opportunities for improving the SSNAP reporting cycle processes and the outputs produced, and proactively offer strategies for achieving this to senior management

•        Oversee the smooth delivery of new reporting outputs by implementing effective risk management strategies, establishing priorities for production and dissemination, and maintaining clear communication on progress with the wider team.

•        Work with the Stroke and SSNAP Programme Managers to ensure the webtool has been prepared to host new reporting outputs for when they are scheduled to be made available to users.

•        Develop comprehensive project plans for the delivery of special reports and projects. Develop the project plans and monitor variances, look at resource use and debrief. Ensure projects are completed to target and budget.

•        In conjunction with team members and stroke clinicians/academics, submit abstracts and present audit results at national and international conferences

•        Oversee SSNAP communications, overseeing the operations of the SSNAP Twitter account, working closely with the SSNAP team to develop and assess options for further enhancing user engagement

•        Oversee the operations of the SSNAP helpdesk, setting and managing schedules, ensuring team is appropriately briefed and trained

•        Organise, chair, and present at workshops/meetings with SSNAP users and other stakeholders, as appropriate

•        Manage staff to ensure effective organisation and attendance at external meetings and events (virtual and in-person), including preparation of agendas, papers, and materials, organising travel and accommodation, and hosting meetings

•        Line manage project officers, including considering and responding to development needs and delegating tasks appropriately

•        Work with the Stroke Programme Manager proactively to develop new strategies to motivate staff and foster better communications between team members, ensuring new initiatives and expectations are outlined clearly, and their impact is assessed retrospectively

•        Work closely with the Stroke and SSNAP Programme Managers to ensure financial records (electronic and paper based) are kept up to date

•        Use the financial tools available to raise, track and process invoices and financial documents where necessary and in a timely way

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

1.      Educated to degree level with appropriate sector experience 

2.      In-depth knowledge, understanding of and proven experience in delivering audit methodologies, tools and processes 

3.      Proven experience in project management with demonstrable project management skills 

4.      Experience working in healthcare clinical effectiveness 

5.      Experience of complex partnership working 

6.      Solution oriented and quality focused 

7.      Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, actively addressing areas of potential bias 

Desirable criteria

1.      Communication skills and experience

2.      Experience of data analysis to verify reports and obtain supplementary information e.g. for presentations or regional analysis

3.      Recognised project management qualification

4.      Experience and understanding of maintaining confidentiality of health records and of stored personal data in line with the Data Protection Act and Clinical Standards Department Information Governance Policy 

5.      Experience in a health care field and familiarity with recent developments in the NHS 

 
Candidates are strongly encouraged to specifically address the essential criteria outlined in the Person Specification in their covering letter

Further information

This is an exciting time as the department has recently the newly formed School of Life Course and Population Sciences. This will bring together very considerable clinical, scientific, and population/global health strengths. There are already many examples of joint working and collaboration with our new School, and it is envisaged that there will be significant opportunities to collaborate further and draw upon the critical mass of clinical, methodological, and applied researchers in the new, integrated School. The School will be one of the largest in the Faculty with strong links to the NIHR BRC and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration and with King’s Health Partners Clinical Academic Groups and Institutes, with the enormous potential to further leverage these synergies.  

About the Faculty:   https://www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/index.aspx