Days Matter Improvement Lead

Job overview

Are you passionate about improving cancer services and delivering real change for patients?

Help us transform cancer pathways and improve outcomes for patients across the East Midlands. Every day matters — and so does your contribution.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated improvement leader to join our organisation as the Days Matter Performance Improvement Lead.

Funded through the East Midlands Cancer Alliance (EMCA) and hosted by University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, this 12-month fixed-term or secondment opportunity will play a pivotal role in supporting cancer pathway improvement and performance recovery across the Trust.

Working closely with operational, clinical and executive leaders, the successful candidate will lead a programme of improvement activity designed to reduce delays, improve patient experience and support delivery of national Cancer Waiting Time standards.

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual with strong programme management, operational performance and service improvement experience to make a significant impact on cancer care.

Main duties of the job

The Days Matter Programme focuses on identifying and addressing delays within cancer pathways to ensure patients receive timely diagnosis and treatment.

As the Days Matter Performance Improvement Lead, you will:

• Lead the delivery of the Trust’s Days Matter Programme.
• Identify opportunities to improve cancer pathway performance.
• Work with clinical and operational teams to redesign pathways and remove barriers to timely care.
• Support achievement of national Cancer Waiting Time standards including Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS), 31-Day and 62-Day targets.
• Analyse complex performance data to identify trends, risks and improvement opportunities.
• Facilitate service improvement initiatives using recognised quality improvement methodologies.
• Develop strong relationships with stakeholders across the Trust, East Midlands Cancer Alliance and wider healthcare system.
• Provide regular assurance and reporting to senior leadership teams and programme boards.

You will be expected to work independently, influence senior stakeholders and deliver sustainable improvements that make a tangible difference to patient outcomes.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Performance Improvement Leadership

• Lead the delivery of the Days Matter improvement programme across participating providers.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance against cancer waiting time standards.
• Undertake detailed pathway analysis to identify bottlenecks, unwarranted variation and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and oversee improvement plans with measurable outcomes.
• Support providers to deliver sustainable pathway redesign and service transformation.
• Ensure improvement activity is aligned with national cancer objectives and regional priorities.   Programme and Project Management
• Establish and maintain programme governance arrangements.
• Develop project plans, milestones, risk registers and reporting frameworks.
• Monitor delivery against agreed objectives and benefits realisation plans.
• Coordinate multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Produce high-quality reports, briefings and presentations for senior leaders and boards.   Performance Analysis
• Analyse complex datasets relating to cancer waiting times and operational performance.
• Interpret quantitative and qualitative information to identify trends and root causes.
• Use benchmarking to compare provider performance and identify best practice.
• Develop performance dashboards and improvement metrics.   Stakeholder Management
• Build strong relationships with:   Chief Operating Officers   Cancer Managers   Clinical Directors   Tumour Site Leads   Cancer Alliances   Integrated Care Boards   EMCA representatives
• Chief Operating Officers
• Cancer Managers
• Clinical Directors
• Tumour Site Leads
• Cancer Alliances
• Integrated Care Boards
• EMCA representatives
• Facilitate collaborative improvement across organisational boundaries.
• Influence senior stakeholders to secure engagement and delivery of improvement actions.    Service Improvement
• Apply recognised improvement methodologies including:  Lean   Model for Improvement   PDSA cycles   Process mapping   Demand and capacity modelling  Quality Improvement methodologies
• Lean
• Model for Improvement
• PDSA cycles
• Process mapping
• Demand and capacity modelling  Quality Improvement methodologies
• Facilitate pathway redesign workshops.
• Share learning and best practice across organisations.
• Support implementation of national best practice timed pathways.   Governance and Assurance
• Provide assurance regarding programme delivery, risks and mitigations.
• Prepare reports for programme boards, executive groups and regional governance forums.
• Ensure compliance with NHS governance requirements.   Strategic Responsibility
• Leading significant improvement programmes across organisations.
• Translating national policy into local delivery plans.
• Influencing strategic decision-making.   Financial Responsibility
• Responsible for management of allocated programme budgets where delegated.
• Supporting business case development and investment decisions.   Workforce Responsibility
• Matrix management of multidisciplinary teams.
• Supervision and development of project staff.
• Leadership without direct line management authority across provider organisations.   Analytical Responsibility
• Interpretation of highly complex performance and operational information.
• Identification of risks, trends and improvement opportunities.   Freedom to Act
• Operates with a high degree of autonomy.
• Makes independent judgements within broad organisational objectives.
• Escalates significant risks and issues appropriately.   Communication Responsibility
• Negotiates and influences at senior management level.
• Presents complex information to a range of audiences.
• Facilitates agreement across multiple stakeholders with differing priorities.