About this role
Job summary
This is a flexible, part-time position ideally suited to an experienced Primary Care or NHS Manager who can provide strategic oversight, organisational leadership and governance while supporting the operational leadership provided by the PCN Clinical Director.
The role largely involves:
ARRS Budget and Financial Management PCN Workforce and Operational Management Supporting the PCN Director in delivering operational transformation in alignment with the NHS 10 year plan.
Main duties of the job
The Transformation Lead will provide operational leadership and management capacity to the PCN, ensuring its smooth day-to-day running while supporting the PCN Director to deliver transformation and service development. The post holder will hold three core areas of responsibility: management of the PCN's Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) budget; management of the PCN's staff; and supporting the PCN Director in transformation and developments arising from the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, including the shift towards neighbourhood health, prevention and digitally enabled care.
Working closely with the PCN Director, Clinical Director, practice managers and the Federation Board, the post holder will ensure the PCN meets the requirements of the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES), that ARRS funding is fully utilised and delivers measurable value to practices and patients, and that PCN-employed staff are well supported, effectively deployed and delivering high-quality services.
This is a part-time role of 2 days per week, and the post holder will therefore need to be highly organised, able to prioritise effectively and capable of delivering impact through others.
About us
Durham (East) Primary Care Network (PCN) is a group of member GP practices working collaboratively to deliver high-quality, sustainable primary care to our local population. The PCN works closely with community, mental health, social care, voluntary sector and secondary care partners to provide more personalised, coordinated and proactive care in line with the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES) and integrated care system including integrated neighbourhood teams.
The post is hosted by Central Durham GP Providers, the local GP Federation, which supports collaborative working across general practice in the area. The post holder will be based at Belmont Surgery and will work across the PCN's member practices. The role is directly accountable to the PCN Director and to the Board of Directors of the Federation.
Job description Job responsibilities
ARRS budget and financial management
Take lead responsibility for the day-to-day management of the PCN's Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) budget, ensuring the funding entitlement is maximised and spend remains within budget.
Work with the PCN Director and member practices on workforce planning, ensuring ARRS recruitment plans are affordable, sustainable and aligned with the needs of the network and its population.
Ensure ARRS-funded roles deliver clear, measurable value to practices and patients, with transparent reporting on costs, activity and outcomes.
Liaise with the Federation's finance function regarding the PCN budget.
PCN staff and workforce management
Provide day-to-day line management to PCN-employed and ARRS staff ensuring they are supported, well integrated within practices and delivering high-quality services.
Develop and maintain workforce plans, identifying skill gaps, training needs and opportunities for staff development and retention.
Ensure PCN staff are deployed effectively and visibly across member practices, with clear job plans and objectives that reduce practice workload and improve patient access and experience.
Complete workforce reporting requirements, including national workforce returns and any ICB reporting templates.
Act as the first point of contact for practices and staff on operational and workforce matters, resolving issues promptly and escalating to the PCN Director where necessary.
Supporting the PCN Director: transformation and the NHS 10 Year Health Plan
Support the PCN Director in identifying, planning and delivering transformation and service developments arising from the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, including the three shifts: hospital to community (neighbourhood health), analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention.
Support the development of neighbourhood working, building relationships and integrated ways of working with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy and voluntary sector partners.
Translate national and system policy including the Network Contract DES and ICB priorities into practical local plans, and support practices to understand and implement them.
Support the adoption of Modern General Practice ways of working and digital tools (e.g. online consultation, cloud telephony, the NHS App) that improve patient access and practice efficiency, while promoting digital inclusion.
Manage agreed transformation projects through the full project lifecycle, establishing clear plans, milestones, risk registers and evaluation measures, and applying recognised change and quality improvement methodologies.
Use data, benchmarking and population health insights to identify improvement opportunities, monitor progress and evaluate impact.
Operational management and governance
Ensure the smooth day-to-day operation of the PCN, including coordination of PCN services.
Organise and support PCN meetings, including preparing agendas, papers, minutes and action logs, and attending PCN Board and relevant external meetings.
Maintain PCN governance, compliance and contractual documentation, including data sharing agreements, policies and the Network Agreement.
Provide regular, high-quality progress reports to the PCN Director and PCN Board, escalating risks and issues promptly.
Communication, engagement and relationships
Build and maintain excellent working relationships with practice managers, PCN staff, the ICB, and community and voluntary sector partners.
Bring people together around a shared vision for change, securing clinical leadership, staff engagement and patient involvement in the design and delivery of improvements.
Represent the PCN at relevant local and system-level forums, sharing learning and influencing wider developments.
Governance and General Duties
Confidentiality and information governance
Maintain strict confidentiality in relation to patients, staff and business information at all times, in accordance with data protection legislation, the common law duty of confidentiality and organisational policies.
Health, safety and safeguarding
Comply with health and safety policies and contribute to a safe working environment, and understand and work within safeguarding policies and procedures, reporting concerns appropriately.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, and act in a way that recognises the importance of people's rights and reduces health inequalities.
Personal and professional development
Participate in appraisal, mandatory training and any training programme implemented as part of this employment and take responsibility for own ongoing development.
Quality
Strive to maintain quality within the PCN alerting colleagues to issues of quality and risk and reflecting on own performance and activities.
This job description is not exhaustive and may be amended in light of changing circumstances, in consultation with the post holder. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the role.
Person Specification
Skills and abilities Essential
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly to a range of audiences Strong analytical and numerical skills, including confident use of Microsoft Office / Excel for budget monitoring and reporting Ability to lead, motivate and manage staff, and to handle sensitive people-management issues fairly and confidentially Ability to build effective relationships, negotiate, influence and resolve conflict constructively Highly organised, able to prioritise a varied workload and work autonomously within a part-time role Ability to facilitate meetings and workshops and to bring people together around a shared vision
Desirable
Competence in data analysis and presentation tools (e.g. Power BI) Skills in process mapping and pathway redesign
Qualifications Essential
Educated to degree level in a relevant subject or equivalent experience gained in a health, care or service improvement setting Evidence of continued professional development
Desirable
Quality improvement training e.g. QSIR, Lean, Model for Improvement Leadership or management qualification
Knowledge Essential
Understanding of the NHS landscape, including primary care networks, the Network Contract DES, the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) and integrated care systems Understanding of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and its implications for primary care, including neighbourhood health, digital transformation and prevention Knowledge of good HR and people-management practice Knowledge of change management and quality improvement methodologies Understanding of information governance, confidentiality and data protection requirements
Desirable
Knowledge of general practice clinical and operational systems (e.g. SystmOne, EMIS, GP Connect, population health management tools) Knowledge of PCN finance processes, ARRS claims portals and workforce reporting Understanding of Modern General Practice and the Capacity and Access Improvement Plan
Experience Essential
Proven experience of operational, service or team management in a health, care or comparable setting Experience of line managing staff, including recruitment, appraisal, development and performance management Experience of managing budgets, financial monitoring and reporting Experience of leading or supporting service transformation, change or improvement projects through the full project lifecycle Experience of engaging clinical and non-clinical staff and securing buy-in to change Experience of using data to identify opportunities, monitor progress and evaluate impact
Desirable
Experience of working in general practice, a PCN, a GP federation or the wider NHS Experience of managing ARRS funding, claims and workforce returns Experience of managing multidisciplinary teams across multiple sites Experience of delivering digital transformation projects (e.g. online consultation, cloud telephony, NHS App uptake) Experience of bid writing or presenting to boards or senior leadership groups
Personal attributes Essential
Proactive, resilient and adaptable, with a positive approach to change Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to reducing health inequalities Professional, discreet and able to maintain strict confidentiality Willing and able to travel between practice sites across the PCN
Desirable
Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
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.
Employer details Employer name Central Durham GP Providers Limited
Address Belmont Surgery
Broomside Lane
Durham
DH1 2QW
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.centraldurhamgpproviders.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)