About this role
Job summary
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Deputy Occupational Health Manager to support the delivery of a high-quality occupational health service. Working closely with the Head of Service, you will help lead a multidisciplinary team, ensure compliance with professional and regulatory standards, and contribute to the development of employee health and wellbeing initiatives.
This is an excellent opportunity for an occupational health professional with leadership experience who is passionate about promoting workplace health, safety, and wellbeing.
Improving Diversity and Inclusive Recruitment:
As part of the Trust's aim to improve diversity across the Trust, positive action is being taken and all applications for this post from BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ candidates can request to be considered under an expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum criteria as specified in the person specification for this role. Applicants will be prompted in the application form to declare if they wish to be considered under this expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme, and their response would be visible to the Shortlisting Panel. If you have any queries about expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please contact Rob Saunders (HR Manager - Recruitment) in confidence via email [email protected]
Main duties of the job
Support the Head of Service in the day-to-day management of the occupational health service. Provide clinical leadership and professional guidance to occupational health staff. Deliver occupational health assessments, including: Management referrals Fitness-for-work assessments Health surveillance Pre-employment screening Vaccination and immunisation programmes Assist with service planning, quality improvement, and policy development. Monitor service performance and contribute to audits and reporting. Promote employee wellbeing initiatives and health promotion activities. Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, professional standards, and organisational policies. Deputise for the Head of Service when required. Essential Requirements Registered Nurse with a valid professional registration. Specialist qualification in Occupational Health. Significant experience working within an occupational health setting. Experience supervising or managing staff. Strong knowledge of occupational health legislation and best practice. Excellent communication, organisational, and leadership skills. Ability to manage a varied workload and work collaboratively with stakeholders.
About us
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester
Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Being open and honest
Ensuring people feel cared for
Showing respect to everyone
We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
DBS Checks and Costs
Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.
Job description Job responsibilities
Key working relationships: The OH&W Deputy Manager will work closely to share best practice with both internal and external stakeholders including but not limited to: OH&W Team, Human Resources and Workforce Teams, Line Managers and Senior Leaders, Infection Prevention & Control Teams, Health & Safety Teams.
External: Senior managers and HR personnel from all external contracts and traded service customers.
Job Purpose:
To support the Head of OH&W in the leadership, management, and delivery of a high-quality Occupational Health (OH) service. The post holder will deputise for the Head of OH&W when required and ensure the provision of effective, evidence-based services that promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of staff in line with organisational objectives and relevant legislation including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Equality Act 2010.
To lead on the clinical governance function of the OH department by providing leadership, guidance, and expertise in all aspects of quality, risk management and clinical governance, ensuring compliance with policies, legislation, and best practice.
The role also involves provision of clinical expertise, managing an active case load and operational management responsibilities within the OH team supporting the Head of OH&W.
Key areas of responsibility:
The post holder will act in such a way as to be a credible, effective leader, demonstrating values-based clinical leadership on a daily basis.
The post holder will deliver autonomous practice, using advanced knowledge and skills to holistically assess and manage the identified complex patient caseload.
The post holder will plan and manage own workload and the workload of the service, in a flexible manner, ensuring service provision meets needs of patients.
The post holder will contributes to the Trusts governance process, including adverse incident and complaints reporting and investigation, as appropriate.
The post holder will autonomously manage and take responsibility for making decisions in OH cases involving a high degree of complexity/risk.
The post holder will provide clinical leadership for the continuous professional development of the nursing staff, this includes supporting systems for revalidation and performance management.
The post holder will oversee line management of all the nurses and will have clinical and operational responsibility for the Band 7 OH&W nurses setting clear objectives, holding regular 1:1s, appraisals, and talent/skills development plans.
The post holder will promote the Trust as a centre of excellence for OH&W practice in its widest possible sense.
The post holder will ensure robust rota, capacity and business continuity arrangements across sites and functions, ensuring safe staffing and effective resource utilisation.
The post holder will work in support of the OH&W service to ensure that best OH practice is embedded and embraced within the team and that this be reflected in performance against key performance indicators and patient experience.
Communication and Relationship skills:
The post holder provides and receives highly complex, highly sensitive and contentious information, which requires using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills using sensitivity, tact, negotiation, and persuasion.
The post holder will provide effective and comprehensive communication in a manner that is consistent with peoples level of understanding, culture, and background.
The post holder will develop and provide support and motivation to colleagues.
The Post holder is expected to manage and appropriately challenge colleagues about behaviour, attitude, and performance as necessary using tact and diplomacy.
The Post holder will provide expertise and specialist OH&W advice, guidance and consultation to other OH professionals regarding service users on all matters related to employee health and wellbeing.
The Post holder will prepare and present in a variety of formats, (written, verbal and formal presentations) on a wide range of complex issues relating to OH&W.
The Post holder will build constructive and effective relationships with colleagues at all levels, effectively utilise relationships and informal networks to successfully achieve delivery of OH&W strategy.
Analytical and Judgmental Skills
The Post holder will exercise expert decision-making when managing challenging employee health conditions, balancing clinical needs, occupational demands, and legal responsibilities.
The Post holder will deliver autonomous practice, using advanced knowledge and skills to holistically assess and manage the identified patient caseload, using a range of specialist techniques, investigations and resources requiring experience, education and training to the most highly complex degree.
The Post holder will take responsibility for and use sound judgment and analytical skills in directing and delivering care and assessing conflicting priorities, in line with best practice guidance and evidence-based standards in force at the time.
The Post holder will exercise discretion and sensitivity when handling confidential health data and when communicating challenging health decisions to diverse stakeholders.
Policy and Service Development
The post holder will evaluate the quality of service provided by self and others by leading audit, service evaluation and research activities, selecting and applying valid methods and acting on the findings.
The post holder will evaluate OH&W services against national benchmarks and standards.
The post holder will analyse and interpret referral data in order to advise on future developments.
Responsibility for Human Resources
The post holder will support the recruitment and selection of all disciplines of staff associated with OH&W.
The post holder will foster a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative team culture, promoting staff wellbeing and resilience
The post holder will act as a clinical role model, educator, coach and mentor seeking to instil and develop confidence in the workforce.
The post holder will oversee performance appraisal processes, set objectives, provide feedback, and manage underperformance or disciplinary matters in accordance with organisational policies.
Financial & Physical Resources
The post holder will influence decisions regarding the allocation of financial resources through consultation, service redesign, participation in meetings and audit activities.
The post holder will be responsible for the development and monitoring of systems to control stock.
Responsibility for Information Resources
The post holder will analyse OH&W data to identify trends, risks, and areas for improvement; prepare reports and present findings in senior management meetings for example TIPCC, H&S.
The post holder will maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and exercise professional self-governance in accordance with the NMC professional code of practice and the Trust policies and procedures.
Responsibility for Research and Development
The post holder will use OH data (absence trends, referrals, risk assessments) to generate research questions.
The post holder will benchmark against national standards e.g. MoHaWK.
The post holder will take a lead role in the audit and evaluation of nursing practice, supporting development of national standards, frameworks and implementing quality guidance and quality benchmarks.
Freedom to Act
The post holder will work without direct supervision in the OH&W service as an autonomous practitioner, being accountable for their own practice in line with professional codes of conduct.
The post holder will use authority and experience to make independent decisions on complex clinical and operational matters, escalating issues to the of Head of OH&W as appropriate.
The post holder is a point of contact for other staff and members of the multi disciplinary teams to seek advice and guidance in relation to a wide range of OH&W issues, some of which can be highly complex or highly sensitive.
The post holder will provide professional leadership for OH professionals within the specialty, such that the best professional standards which underpin excellent patient outcomes are deployed in all OH&W services.
The post holder will deputise as required, providing cover across the portfolio and representing OH&W Services at committees/meetings.
The post holder will undertake other duties commensurate with the grade to meet service needs.
Physical effort
The role requires periods of standing, walking, and moving around clinical and workplace environments to conduct assessments and ergonomic evaluations.
Repetitive tasks such as typing, using a mouse is required throughout the day, necessitating good ergonomic posture and regular movement breaks.
Mental Effort
Frequent requirement for concentration.
Frequent interruptions during scheduled work (e.g. phone calls, emails, unscheduled appointments), requiring the ability to quickly switch focus and maintain accuracy.
Emotional effort
The role involves frequent exposure to emotionally sensitive or distressing situations, such as supporting employees experiencing work-related stress, mental health issues, or the impact of long-term or terminal illness.
A need to remain calm and composed during high-pressure situations, such as outbreaks, critical workplace incidents, or contentious case reviews.
Must manage conflicting demands from staff, management, and external stakeholders while maintaining professionalism and objectivity.
Support and debrief staff within the OH&W team, particularly after difficult consultations or incidents, maintaining a supportive team environment.
Regularly deal with confidential and sensitive information, requiring empathy, discretion, and emotional resilience.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
RGN 1st level with specialist OH Diploma (SCPHN) Management/leadership qualification or equivalent relevant experience at a senior level
Desirable
Educated to Masters Level or equivalent experience that equates to a masters level qualification
Personal Qualities Essential
Exemplary personal standards of conduct and behaviour Personal commitment, energy and drive to deliver on the job description requirements
Desirable
Desire to develop self and others Personal credibility, with the ability to quickly gain the confidence of others
Other Job Requirements Essential
Must be able to demonstrate the ability to travel effectively between sites as required
Improving Diversity and Inclusive Recruitment Essential
As part of the Trust's aim to improve diversity across the Trust, positive action is being taken and all applications for this post from BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ candidates can request to be considered under an expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum criteria as specified in the person specification for this role. Here you can declare if you wish to be considered under this expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme and this response would be visible to the Shortlisting Panel.
Experience Essential
Significant post registration Occupational Health nursing experience Significant experience of leadership experience Significant audit experience Significant clinical governance / improvement experience Excellent understanding of SEQOHS accreditation standards/requirements Evidence of continuing professional development Experience in managing Occupational Health IT systems
Desirable
Project Management experience Experience working with colleagues across local, regional and national forums within OH Experience of achieving SEQOHS accreditation
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 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Address Charles Hastings Way
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR5 1DD
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)