Lung Cancer Screening Operations Manager

Job overview

This is a fabulous opportunity for an experienced operations manager with experience in screening service delivery.  As Lung Cancer screening programme transitions to become a ‘national screening programme, in the near future, this is an exciting and dynamic portfolio role, which requires excellent management, organisational and leadership skills to deliver a transformational programme of work for patients in the Coventry and Warwickshire economy and lead our recently re-modelled service delivery from private provider to  in-house delivery and manage our new trust owned mobile CT scanner staffed by UHCW radiology dept along with outsourced contracts for image reporting and mobile scanner logistics and maintenance.

The overall purpose of Lung Cancer Screening is to enable the early detection of lung cancer in order to save lives. In Coventry & Rugby participant who go through the programme have 80% of early-stage lung cancer diagnosis, prior to the programme being introduced this was just over 20% locally.

NHSE has set national targets to roll out the programme across the UK by 2028 In Coventry & Warwickshire.  Coventry, Rugby and Warwickshire north have an established programme, and we will start rolling out to South Warwickshire in 2026-2028.

Successful applicants will be required to provide an immunisation and vaccination report, from either their current UK occupational health provider or their UK GP.

Main duties of the job

This post requires a high calibre individual who can work autonomously with excellent operational, logistic & problem-solving skills, is financially astute, with excellent staff management skills and ability to bring staff through change processes.  You will work in a stimulating, challenging and developing environment in order to achieve outcomes efficiently.

The prospective candidate will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the screening service across Coventry & Warwickshire being responsible not only for the Lung Cancer screening team management and expected targets but also managing the logistics of the new trust owned mobile CT in conjunction with a private logistics company and private providers who report n the CT Images. You will need to work closely with the trust radiology department who will staff the mobile CT unit and also the trust PACS team who process the images and reports. The mobile CT unit will travel across Coventry & Warwickshire.

This is initially a fixed term post, but the programme will be part of a national Screening programme in the near future it is also a key element of the early diagnosis of cancer and part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

You will need to be a car driver and have access to a vehicle able to deal with any issues at location sites at short notice where the mobile CT is screening across Coventry & Warwickshire.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This is an exciting time to join the team, and we have rcently transitioned into an in-house delivery model and expand the service into our final area.

• Your primary responsibility will be Lead and manage the day-to-day operational management of the Lung Cancer screening (LCS) Programme, ensuring clear communication and robust implementation of policy, business objectives and agreed targets.
• You will need to use your high level of communication skills.  You will be required to communicate complex patient pathways, protocol changes and service developments to staff and partners (internal and external) that may be different depending upon trust. You will also need to persuade and influence staff and partners to make the necessary changings.
• You will chair and lead  the lung cancer screening delivery group, SWFT & GEH LCS Programme board and present at a variety of committees and boards when cover needed for the strategic manager.
• Manager external contracts with private providers  for quality and performance escalating any issues to the LCS strategic lead.
• Liaising with CT mobile unit, Mobile Planning, Transport, Procurement, I.T., Finance local site providers and Radiographer departments overscheduling, locations, reporting and new contracts. This may involve site visits at short notice across the Coventry & Warwickshire footprint.
• Help to set up and account manage subsidiary services such as subcontracted Reporting and Artificial Intelligence software provision, Nurses, waste collection, water delivery and collection, security, and cleaning including managing the schedules of collections/deliveries
• Work with our performance and pathway manager, Lead nurse other stakeholders to find, assess and set up new mobile CT locations and nurse clinic rooms (when required)
• Work closely with our mobile CT logistics and maintenance private providers to ensure efficient service delivery, support with problem solving and planning so that CT down time is kept to a minimum.
• Manage the operational performance of the service to achieve delivery of national and local targets, the development and delivery of improvement plans.
• Work alongside the Performance & Pathway manager to ensure that the mobile CT is working at full capacity in order to remain cost effective and consider how LHC activity within the LCS team will need to reflect and adjust according to scanning capacity requirements.
• In liaison with the strategic lead agree and deliver against financial and activity profiles for the service, identify risks and implement and review risk reduction strategies.
• Working alongside the clinical nurse leads & Performance & pathway manager; Implement HR and governance strategies and policies within the specialty in order to achieve compliancy with Trust policies and procedures, best practice, relevant legislation, and regulatory provisions.
• Oversee Data returns this includes monthly national data submissions and the annual and quarterly audit submissions that are submitted to the national team in consultation with the Strategic lead.  Analyse the results and put remedial plans in place to improve any quality or performance issues and escalate to the strategic lead any areas where the programme is not meeting the LCS quality assurance standards and or LCS protocol requirements.
• Review, interpret and develop plans to meet any policy changes.
• Lead the timely investigation and resolution of complaints, clinical adverse events, and untoward incidents, involving staff and/or patients, within the programme and implement strategies to reduce risk of reoccurrence and promote quality.
• Manage staff within the service, including regularly reviewing staffing levels and skill mix in collaboration with Strategic lead, Performance & Pathway manager and clinical nurse leads.
• Develop and promote integration between the representative organisations involved in the LUNG CANCER SCREENING programme in Coventry and Warwickshire, working with a wide range of clinical, and managerial health care professionals in order to achieve this.
• Be prepared to travel across Coventry and Warwickshire to ensure equity and quality of service provision and to problem solve issues arriving at scanning locations.
• Engage, communicate, and work directly with GP practices who have committed to participate in the delivery of the targeted lung screening.
• Engage and promote good uptake within health inequalities.
• You will work with several software systems the screening PAS, the trust RIS, EPR and Summerset where you will be required to monitor quality, performance and patient pathways and create and develop statistical reports.
• In the near future we will move to a patient level data set return to NHSE and you will play a key role in that development work and integration into this new reporting requirement including IG and technical requirements.

For further details of the role please see the attached job description.

Secondment will be considered for internal candidates – If you are successful after interview, you must obtain approval from your current line manager to accept the offer.