Assistant Patient Pathway Manager

Job overview

The Assistant Patient Pathway Managers role is to support the Patient Pathway manager and Directorate Senior Management Team (Clinical Director, Matron, and Directorate Manager) in the efficient and effective operational management of your respective service/s in order to deliver continually improving, high quality patient care.

The Deputy Manager will provide support and expert knowledge to the team of patient pathway coordinators and associated roles within the admin team.

The DPPM has delegated responsibilities for a range of operational activities (in the absence of the PPM), working autonomously using initiative and their specialist knowledge and experience of the service to make decisions.

The post holder assists with the the delivery of the daily operational business of the designated service area as well as contributing to the development and implementation of strategic plans.

The Deputy Patient Pathway Manager will assist with the overseeing of all administrative and clerical processes to enable a high quality, effective, patient focused service to be delivered. The post holder will ensure that standard operating procedures are followed, to help ensure the achievement of all performance targets. In the absence of the Patient Pathway Manager the Deputy Patient pathway Manager will be responsible for providing regular updates on performance and the escalation of issues which hinder the delivery of a smooth patient pathway to the Directorate Manager.

Main duties of the job

The role supports the Patient Pathway Manager in leading the administrative team, assisting with line management, recruitment, performance processes, annual leave, sickness, and staff development. It contributes to training delivery, appraisal completion, and ensuring staff have the skills and system knowledge required for high‑quality patient‑focused services. The post oversees adherence to Standard Operating Procedures, monitors data quality on EPR, tracks pathway milestones, manages clinic and theatre utilisation, and escalates capacity issues. It provides expert RTT knowledge, supports PPCs with pathway queries, manages patient handovers across multiple pathways, and investigates breaches to prevent recurrence. The role acts as a communication link for senior management, supports complaint and incident investigations, monitors risks, ensures timely and high‑quality communication with clinical teams, patients and external partners, and facilitates governance requests. It contributes to service development by managing projects, supporting redesign initiatives, implementing pilots, improving workflow efficiency, and assisting with wider planning activities such as business cases, service reviews, annual plans and contract changes.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Deputy Patient Pathway Manager plays a key leadership role in supporting the effective operational delivery of patient pathways across the Directorate. Working closely with the Patient Pathway Manager and senior leaders—including the Clinical Director, Matron and Directorate Manager—the post holder ensures that administrative, clerical and pathway‑related processes run smoothly, efficiently and in line with Trust standards. The role provides day‑to‑day oversight of administrative teams, supports staff development, maintains high‑quality data standards, and contributes to the achievement of performance targets that underpin safe, timely and patient‑centred care.

The post holder acts as a senior point of coordination within the admin team, offering expert knowledge of elective pathways, RTT rules, clinic utilisation, and operational pressures. They support the management of staff performance, recruitment, training, and wellbeing, ensuring the team has the capability and confidence to deliver a reliable service. The Deputy PPM monitors pathway progression from referral to discharge, identifies risks or delays, escalates capacity issues, and contributes to solutions that improve flow and reduce breaches.

In the absence of the Patient Pathway Manager, the Deputy PPM provides autonomous leadership, making informed decisions based on specialist knowledge of the service. They act as a communication link between clinical teams, operational managers, governance colleagues and external partners, ensuring issues are addressed promptly and information is shared accurately. The role also supports incident reviews, complaints handling, risk identification, and governance reporting.