About this role
Job summary
An exceptional opportunity has arisen for an experienced and dynamic senior clinical leader to join NHS Northamptonshire ICB as Director of Continuing Healthcare (CHC).
This pivotal role will support the Chief Nursing Officer in delivering the ICB's statutory responsibilities under the NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) National Framework, leading the commissioning, transformation, and assurance of CHC and complex care services.
As part of the Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland (LLR) and Northamptonshire ICB Cluster, you will play a key role in shaping and delivering a shared strategic operating model across a wider system footprint, ensuring alignment with national policy and local population needs
This is a high-impact leadership role offering the opportunity to influence care at scale, ensuring equitable access to CHC, improving outcomes for individuals with complex needs, and driving innovation across integrated health and care systems.
"This role will require a minimum of 2 days 'on patch' working in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland in our 2 main offices or partner sites"
Main duties of the job
As Director of CHC, you will provide senior leadership and professional oversight for all-age Continuing Healthcare services, ensuring delivery of safe, effective, high-quality, and person-centred care.
Key responsibilities include:
Leading the strategic commissioning and operational delivery of CHC and funded care services Ensuring compliance with the NHS CHC National Framework, statutory requirements, and best practice guidance Driving consistent, legally robust eligibility decision-making and equitable access to CHC services Providing leadership for quality assurance and clinical governance frameworks, ensuring oversight of care quality across commissioned providers Leading the triangulation of quality intelligence (incidents, safeguarding concerns, patient experience, provider performance) to identify risks and drive improvement Overseeing performance against CHC standards, KPIs, and financial targets, ensuring effective use of resources Driving continuous improvement and transformation programmes, improving pathways, reducing variation, and enhancing patient experience Leading partnership working with local authorities, providers, ICS partners, and regional stakeholders to deliver integrated care models Providing visible and inclusive leadership, fostering a culture of quality, accountability, and innovation Contributing to and influencing regional and national CHC policy and delivery agendas
About us
The Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a statutory NHS organisation responsible for planning, commissioning, and improving local health services.
As part of the LLR and Northamptonshire ICB Cluster, we are working collaboratively to develop a shared strategic operating model, strengthen system integration, and improve outcomes across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland, and Northamptonshire.
The CHC portfolio is a critical component of this, ensuring that individuals with the most complex health needs receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time, delivered in a way that is safe, personalised, and sustainable.
You will join a forward-thinking executive leadership team committed to improving quality, reducing inequalities, and delivering high-value, person-centred care across the system.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please refer to the detailed Job Description document which can be found in the 'Documents' section.
Person Specification
Knowledge, Training and Experience Essential
Current valid registration with Nursing and Midwifery Council Educated to master's level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area Extensive knowledge of and expertise in specialisms relevant to function and role Proven and significant leadership experience Significant evidence of continued professional development Demonstrated expertise in a Healthcare environment Significant management experience at senior level in the NHS or other public healthcare related industry Proven Board level experience of leading and delivering complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment Proven record in transferring processes and roles between locations. Commissioning expertise in healthcare environment Significant experience and understanding of proven implementation of project management methodologies Member of a relevant professional body
Desirable
Education sector knowledge Experience and/or understanding of the wider Health Economy Commercial expertise Awareness of relevant public and private sector business management best practice Experience of successfully operating in and delivering priorities in a partnership environment Development and delivery of strategy and planning
Communication Skills Essential
Dynamic personality and the ability to build trusted stakeholder relationships and wide support networks in a political context Strong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment and experience in handling media Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments Commitment to listen to different views and opinions to drive better results
Analytical Essential
Ability to analyse highly complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources Demonstrated capability to act upon incomplete information, using experience to make inferences and decision making Ability to analyse numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate conclusion to inform initiatives
Planning Skills Essential
Leadership, vision, strategic thinking, and planning with highly developed political skills Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium, and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly Experience of managing and prioritising a large budget Ability to provide informative reporting on finances and impact to Board management
Desirable
Experience of project and programme management techniques and tools such as Prince 2 or Managing Successful Projects
Autonomy Essential
Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales. Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues
Management Skills Essential
Experience in leading a major change initiative with entrepreneurialism in a challenging organisational environment. Experience of creating a new team and motivating and inspiring staff to work together to achieve a common objective. Ability to delegate effectively. Ability to work effectively between strategic and operational activities where required
Physical Skills Essential
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills
Equality and Diversity Essential
Will consider the most effective way to promote equality of opportunity and good working relationships in employment and service delivery and has the ability to take actions which support and promote this agenda.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board
Address Haylock House
Kettering Parkway
Kettering
NN15 6EY
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.icnorthamptonshire.org.uk/icb (Opens in a new tab)