Management
Effective healthcare services cannot run with clinical teams alone. Doctors, nurses, carers and allied health professionals need managers on their teams so that they can focus on patient care.
In the NHS, managers have a range of responsibilities - from looking after staff, running services and managing finances. In social care, managers oversee day-today operations, ensure staff receive the appropriate training, and make strategic decisions to improve service delivery.
Management Roles
Managers in the health sector work in a variety of disciplines including clinical care, human resources, finance, project management, hotel services, procurement, communications and corporate affairs.
There are various routes into management. For example, you could work your way up from a junior role, through an apprenticeship, apply for a place on a graduate management training scheme or gain relevant experience in another sector before applying for a position.
To be a line manager means that you directly manage another person or persons.
Line managers can be clinical or non-clinical, and they may be someone who works with you in your team or department, or someone who works in another team. A line manager will usually hold a more senior position than you.
A line manager has the responsibility of ensuring their staff are well supported and have all of the training required to do their job well. Line managers also monitor your performance at work and provide support where needed.
Line manager responsibilities:
- performance management including appraisal
- training, coaching and guiding team members
- engaging team members in the purpose and direction of the department and the organisation as a whole
- providing effective communication and ensuring employee voice
- facilitating work-life balance
- managing reward and recognition
Here are some of the tasks carried out by someone in finance:
- working in the payroll department, making sure colleagues get paid
- handling payments for goods and services in an accounts department
- purchasing goods and services in the procurement department
- tracking and checking budgets to make sure money has been spent correctly
- senior finance roles would include setting and managing budgets and making decisions on how money is spent
There are many different roles in finance which hold different levels of responsibility, such as:
- working in the payroll department, making sure colleagues get paid
- handling payments for goods and services in an accounts department
- purchasing goods and services in the procurement department
- tracking and checking budgets to make sure money has been spent correctly
- senior finance roles which include setting and managing budgets and making decisions on how money is spent.
The People Service (Human Resource) team manage all aspects of the employee lifecycle from recruitment to retirement. People Services make sure colleagues, both on the frontline and behind the scenes, are fully supported and able to do their jobs.
As a member of People services, you'll manage all issues relating to the employment of your NHS colleagues. This could involve:
- recruitment of staff
- introducing new employment policies
- support staff wellbeing
- being an expert in employment law (equality and diversity, right to work, working hours etc)
- working closely with health unions and professional bodies
- managing employee database and keeping up-to-date records about colleagues
The service manager is a key position in NHS leadership team and is responsible for the operational and performance management of a service. You could work in a hospital, as a service manager for a medical or surgical department such as gastroenterology or trauma and orthopaedics, or you could work as a service manager (or practice manager) in a GP practice or primary care.
As a health service manager, you'll need to:
- oversee the day-to-day operations of a healthcare organisation, a specific unit or a service area to achieve departmental objectives
- allocate work and establish rotas
- gather and analyse data, using it to plan and manage both projects and systems
- check the quality of departmental outputs
- manage clinical, professional, clerical and administrative staff
- Manage resources, budgets and finance
- implement policies and ensure government guidelines are followed
- provide professional or technical advice
An NHS or care sector project manager uses change management, quality improvement and project management methodology to set up and lead projects that have positive benefits for the patients, staff, organisation or service delivery.
As a project manager, you will be responsible for the planning, delivery and implementation or a new policy or service. You will manage each step of this including planning budgets, risk assessment and planning, and make sure that you work closely with colleagues and service users as you do this.
Communications and engagement professionals help NHS organisations engage with patients, their local communities, staff and other interested groups including the media.
Who will I work with?
Depending on the size of the organisation, communications and engagement staff may work alone or as part of a team. NHS organisations have a duty to consult and engage people in the development of their services. In a large organisation, there may be a communications and engagement department, with a manager. In some organisations, communications and engagement staff may have other related roles, such as patient and public involvement or corporate affairs.
Working in healthcare communications and engagement could include:
- internal communications – making sure colleagues are consulted and engaged with what is happening in the organisation
- external communications – with local and national media, politicians and the public.
You'll use many different types of communication channels, including:
- print such as newsletters, leaflets and posters
- digital, such as websites, social media, intranets and videos
- the media including TV and radio, press releases and setting up interviews
- events such as conferences, meetings, exhibitions and speeches
- ad campaigns in newspapers, radio, social media and in the community, such as on public transport.
The role
Your role in communications and engagement will include:
- managing the reputation of the organisation
- media handling, such as placing good news stories, handling bad publicity and dealing with media enquiries
- updating the website, intranet and social media
- briefing other health organisations about developments, plans and incidents
- producing information for patients
- writing speeches for senior managers
- managing the NHS corporate identity and taking local responsibility for the NHS brand
- including patients and local communities in changes to health services
- advising senior colleagues on strategic communications
- health promotion campaigns
- developing, implementing, and evaluating communications strategies
- developing relationships with organisations, the media and partners.
Jobs may have different titles. Some reflect the seniority of the post, for example:
- communications and engagement assistant
- communications and engagement officer
- communications and marketing officer
- communications lead or specialist
- communications manager
- deputy head of communications
- head of communications and engagement
Join the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme and make a difference to the lives of millions of people. The NHS are the biggest employer in Europe and have placements available across England.
The NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme offer you the opportunity to develop into a future leader in one of our specialisms including General Management, Human Resources, Finance, Policy & Strategy, Health Informatics and Health Analysis.
Our trainees work in a range of organisations and types of services. You could be improving patient care in a busy hospital department or developing better ways of using data to improve key services as part of an office-based team. You will face challenges and enjoy success on a scheme where no two days are the same. This could be the start of an amazing journey.
The Care Sector
There are lots of management and non-clinical roles in the care sector. Click on the headings below to find out more, or you can visit the Skills for Care website.
Team leaders or supervisors can work in care homes or can coordinate domiciliary carers in the community.
Role overview
- managing and supporting workers so they can perform their roles safely and to the best of their ability
- supporting your manager to run your workplace according to standards and legislation
- acting as a positive role model to colleagues
- developing care plans that outline what care and support individuals need
- leading team meetings and doing inductions, supervisions and appraisals
- working in partnership with other professionals to ensure individuals get the support they need.
Specific skills needed to work in this role:
- supervisory and team leading skills
- the ability to deal with conflict
- good English skills to understand and apply policies and procedures in practice.
Your induction will include necessary training such as health and safety, first aid and moving and handling. Additional specific training such as autism awareness, communication skills or working with people with dementia may be offered.
It might be useful to have experience working in a similar role or with vulnerable adults. You can gain this experience through a work placement, from your personal life, through volunteering or as part of a traineeship or apprenticeship.
As a manager in care, you'll manage a team of care worker and/ or a care service to ensure your organisation and everyone in it provides high quality care and support.
Management roles in social care
- first line managers such as service managers or residential unit managers
- middle managers such as assistant director or department head
- senior managers such as service director or chief executive.
Managers can work in any social care setting including care homes, supported living flats, in the community, or local authorities.
Role overview
Depending on your organisation and your level, your role might include:
- overseeing the day to day running of a care service
- leading and managing staff so they can perform their roles safely and to the best of their ability
- managing budgets and contracts
- making strategic decisions about the future and growth of your care service
- leading on specific projects or clinical areas, for example setting up a new care service.
Lead and manage the care team, helping them to deliver high standards across the organisation. You’ll also play an important role in supporting the manager of the service.
Deputy managers and / or team leaders are an important position within any social care setting including care homes, supported living flats, in the community, or local authorities.
Role overview:
- supporting your manager to run your workplace, including covering in their absence and ensuring standards of care are maintained
- ensure the service safely plans staffing levels and complies with legislation and regulatory requirements
- undertake care assessments of people needing care and support, as well as working closely with healthcare professionals and others
- helping the service to recruit and develop new care workers, supporting, supervising and performance managing them
Skills and experience
You’ll ideally need to have experience and qualifications before progressing into a Deputy manager or Team manager role. Experiencing of directly delivering care can be highly beneficial in understanding the needs of your team. Specific skills needed to work in this role include:
- supervisory and team leading skills
- effective communication skills
- performance management
- self-motivation and resilience
- understand regulatory requirements
We would recommend that you have completed Level 2 or Level 3 Adult Care qualifications or Apprenticeship Standards before progressing into management roles.
The Lead to succeed learning programme can also be beneficial to help prepare you for the role and understanding key areas of adult social care management.
Specialise in one area of care such as dementia, end of life care, mental health, substance misuse or moving and handling, and take responsibility for coordinating this aspect of care.
Specialist coordinators could work in care homes, or on a wider scale in a local authority, health or voluntary sector organisation.
Role overview
- training staff about your aspect of care
- ensuring everyone can access the care and support they need
- developing and putting policies and procedures in place
- working with a range of other statutory and volunteer organisations to coordinate care services
- implementing specific projects about your area of specialism.
Skills and experience
Specific skills needed to work in this role include:
- good communication skills
- coordination and organisational skills
- the ability to motivate others
- negotiating skills.
You’ll also need in depth knowledge about your area of specialism and keep up to date about policies and best practice in this aspect of care.