Head of General Practice in Carlisle

Cumbria Health is seeking an experienced and dynamic Head of General Practice to provide senior strategic and operational leadership across six GP practice sites and the Millom Primary Care Network. This is a key leadership role responsible for ensuring the effective, efficient, and sustainable delivery of high-quality primary care services across the region. Working closely with the Chief Operating Officer, Medical Director, General Practice Clinical Lead, Lead Nurse, Clinical Leads, Practice Managers, and the Executive Leadership Team, the successful candidate will lead the coordination and integration of services across all sites. You will play a central role in harmonising operational processes, improving performance, implementing shared systems and policies, and strengthening collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. This role requires a strong systems thinker who can manage complexity across multiple sites while building high-performing teams and supporting clinical leaders to deliver safe, high-quality patient care.

Main duties of the job

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across six GP practices and the Millom PCN.
• Maintain high standards of care and performance while meeting the needs of each practice.
• Coordinate and integrate services across all sites to improve efficiency and teamwork.
• Manage budgets, optimise income, and support long-term financial stability.
• Ensure compliance with regulations, contracts, and organisational requirements.
• Lead service improvement and innovation, including digital, workforce, and access developments.
• Implement shared systems, policies, and operational processes to strengthen organisational resilience.

All staff at Cumbria Health work in line with our shared values:

• Clinically Focused: Everything every one of us does is for the patient.
• Responsive: We listen and respond quickly in a patient-focused way.
• One Team: We work together to provide a high-quality, organised, and consistent service in partnership with local Acute and Community Trusts.
• High Standards: Skilled professionals working to the highest standards and passionate about improving patient care.
• Growth & Sustainability: With strong roots, we continue to thrive and grow.
• Communities: Connecting and engaging to meet local needs.

Cumbria Health on Call - CH places the patient, their family and their community at the heart of everything we do. We are an award-winning organisation, the first out-of-hours organisation in the country to be rated as outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We provide primary health care services, both in and out of hours, across Cumbria. We are values-driven and place great emphasis on inclusivity and the wellbeing and development of our staff, while striving to provide a consistently high-quality service. Our service is designed to improve health and wellbeing. Working for CH can offer flexible opportunities in terms of location, hours and working patterns so you can enjoy a great work-life balance.

Job responsibilities

This list of duties and responsibilities represents the broad range of tasks which may be required to be undertaken either routinely or periodically. This list is not exhaustive, and the role may include additional duties which are not listed here.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement the strategic vision for General Practice services in alignment with organisational objectives. Lead service transformation and improvement initiatives. Identify opportunities for innovation, growth, and service optimisation. Support integration with wider healthcare services and system partners.
• Operational Management: Oversee the day-to-day operational performance of General Practice services. Ensure services operate efficiently, meeting activity, access, and performance targets. Develop and monitor KPIs and performance dashboards. Ensure effective systems, processes, and workflows are in place. Manage business continuity planning. Lead financial planning and budget management for GP services. Monitor expenditure, income streams, and contract performance. Identify cost-saving opportunities and efficiency improvements. Support business case development for new services or investments.
• Workforce & People Management: Provide leadership to Practice Managers and administrative teams. Lead workforce planning and resource allocation. Oversee recruitment, retention, and succession planning. Ensure staff performance management processes are in place. Promote staff engagement, wellbeing, and professional development.
• Governance, Compliance & Risk: Ensure compliance with healthcare regulations, contractual obligations, and organisational policies. Oversee quality assurance frameworks and internal audit processes. Support risk management and incident reporting systems. Ensure data protection, safeguarding, and health & safety compliance. Support regulatory inspections and accreditation processes.
• Stakeholder & Partnership Management: Build strong working relationships with clinical leaders, commissioners, regulators, and external partners. Represent General Practice services at senior leadership meetings. Foster patient engagement and feedback mechanisms. Manage contractual relationships with suppliers and service partners.
• Performance & Quality Improvement: Monitor service performance against agreed local targets and national standards. Use data analytics to inform decision-making and service redesign. Support implementation of digital transformation initiatives.

Person Specification

Qualifications: Evidence of ongoing professional development. A Master's degree in a related field (e.g., healthcare management, business administration). A clinical qualification (e.g., medicine, nursing).

Experience: Significant senior management experience within healthcare, primary care, or a related sector. Experience managing multi-site operations or complex service delivery. Financial management and budget oversight experience. Experience leading service improvement or transformation programmes. Experience managing multidisciplinary teams. Knowledge of digital technologies and their application in primary care. Understanding of quality improvement methodologies and tools. Familiarity with data analysis and performance.

Skills and Aptitudes: Strong strategic and operational leadership skills. Ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders. Strong problem-solving and analytical skills. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders. Ability to lead service transformation and improvement initiatives. Ability to manage financial planning and budget management. Ability to lead workforce planning and resource allocation. Experience in project management and change management. Ability to analyse data and inform decision-making. Strong emotional intelligence and self-awareness.

Other Requirements: Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing priorities. Commitment to working in line with Cumbria Health Values. Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information. Ability to represent General Practice services at senior leadership meetings. Ability to foster patient engagement and feedback mechanisms. Experience of working in a collaborative environment with multiple stakeholders. Familiarity with regulatory requirements and inspection processes.

Personal Circumstances: Ability to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends. Willingness to travel to different locations within Cumbria. Previous experience working in a similar role or environment.

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.