PCN Operations Manager in Deal

The PCN Operations Manager plays a pivotal role in ensuring high-quality, efficient and sustainable care for the population of Deal and Sandwich. The role provides oversight of our growing ARRS workforce, supporting recruitment, retention and effective utilisation of staff to meet service demands and contractual requirements. Working closely with member practices, the postholder will lead on planning, implementing and evaluating PCN service developments, ensuring alignment with national priorities and local population needs. The postholder will work collaboratively with GP practices and system partners to remove operational barriers, optimise workflows and ensure ARRS roles are effectively embedded. The Operations Manager will lead on reporting, governance and continuous improvement initiatives relating to the ARRS workforce, using data to monitor impact, productivity, outcomes and to inform decision-making across the network.

This role is highly versatile, spanning operational leadership, workforce management, strategic planning and service development. It requires the ability to balance day-to-day delivery with long-term improvement, adapting to changing priorities across multiple practices and services. The postholder must be comfortable working across a wide range of areas, from HR to digital innovation and stakeholder engagement. This breadth makes the role both dynamic and varied, offering the opportunity to influence all aspects of PCN delivery and development.

Main duties of the job

• Line manage and support ARRS staff (e.g. Enhanced Health in Care Homes team, Clinical Pharmacy, Social Prescribing, Mental Health and other PCN roles), including recruitment, induction, supervision and performance management.
• Lead and oversee the operational delivery of PCN services across member practices, ensuring compliance with the Network Contract DES and other commissioned services.
• Be a key member of the PCN leadership team, working closely with the Clinical Directors, Practice Managers, PCN Finance Lead, PCN Board and ARRS teams to plan, implement and review projects and services.
• Support the effective adoption of national and local initiatives, including integrated working at neighbourhood and place level to improve access to services for patients.
• Support PCN strategy, business development and contracting, including identifying new opportunities, contributing to tenders and business cases, and responding to a changing commissioning landscape.
• Lead and support digital transformation in line with the Modern General Practice model, using data and analytics to monitor performance, inform decision making and support population health management.
• Understand demand, capacity and activity to drive improvements in operational efficiency and staff experience at work.
• Build strong relationships with the Integrated Care Board (ICB), community and mental health providers, local community hospital and voluntary sector partners, representing the PCN at relevant meetings.

About us

Deal & Sandwich PCN is a collaborative partnership of five GP practices (Balmoral Surgery, Cedars Surgery, New Golf Road Surgery, Sandwich Medical Practice and St Richards Road Surgery) collectively serving approximately 50,000 patients in a beautiful semi-rural coastal area. Our team includes a wide range of professionals working together to provide joined-up, proactive and preventative care within the community. We have an established leadership team and a growing multidisciplinary workforce funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), including an Enhanced Health in Care Homes (EHCH) team, Clinical Pharmacists, Social Prescribing and Mental Health teams. Our PCN is geographically distant from acute sites; creating a unique opportunity to develop a robust PCN and neighbourhood team, with a real focus on community-based care, prevention and proactive support for our local population. We are prepared to wait for the right person to help us build a secure and sustainable PCN team for Deal and Sandwich.

Job responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate day to day PCN operations across multiple practices and teams.
• Oversee the operational running of PCN services, ensuring delivery against the Network Contract DES and other commissioned services.
• Work closely with the PCN leadership team to ensure PCN projects and services are well planned, implemented and reviewed.
• Coordinate and support delivery of Enhanced Health in Care Homes (EHCH), Clinical Pharmacy, Social Prescribing, Mental Health, Care Coordination and other ARRS roles.
• Assist in the co-ordination of various PCN meetings, including setting dates, drawing up agendas, minute taking and communicating decisions and actions to the wider PCN.

Workforce and people management

• Provide operational and people management for a growing ARRS workforce, ensuring safe, effective deployment aligned to the Network Contract DES and local priorities.
• Line manage and support ARRS staff (and any other PCN employed staff), including recruitment, induction, supervision, appraisal and performance management.
• Ensure staff are deployed effectively across practices to meet population need, support capacity and access, and reduce unwarranted variation.
• Foster a positive, supportive culture across the PCN workforce, promoting teamwork, resilience and continuous improvement.

Strategy, business development and contracts

• Work with the Clinical Directors, PCN Finance Lead and board to develop and implement the PCNs strategic plan, aligned with the Network Contract DES, the NHS Long Term Plan and 10 year ambitions, ICB and place based priorities.
• Use a strong understanding of the NHS and primary care business environment to identify and pursue new opportunities, including tenders and local contracts.
• Support the development of business cases and funding bids.
• Ensure the PCN is well positioned to navigate and capitalise on the rapidly changing NHS environment, including tendering for contracts and developing new services.
• Ensure that digital and operational PCN transformation is embedded in, and aligned with, ICS (Integrated Care System) and national strategies.
• Help translate national NHS strategy into practical, local delivery for our population.

Digital transformation and data analysis

• Support the PCN to move from analogue to digital, through adopting new technology to enhance patient access and experience and increase PCN productivity.
• Work with practices to harness digital tools to improve access, efficiency and patient experience.
• Use data and analytics to monitor PCN performance and activity, inform decision making and service redesign, and support delivery of population health management and reduction of health inequalities.
• Ensure the PCNs compliance with GDPR and FOI along with other relevant legislation and professional information management standards.

Relationships, networking and system working

• Act as a key interface between member practices, ensuring good communication, alignment and collaborative working.
• Build relationships and facilitate collaboration between practices to support the delivery of care to each other's patients.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with the Integrated Care Board, community and mental health providers, the local community hospital trust, and voluntary and community sector partners.
• Represent the PCN at relevant system and place based meetings, advocating for the needs of our population.
• Lead and manage the collaborative relationship with our Patient Participation Group, ensuring meaningful engagement, effective communication and active involvement in service development and improvement initiatives.

Governance, risk and conflict resolution

• Develop and maintain robust governance arrangements for PCN services, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), risk management and incident reporting in compliance with relevant NHS and contractual requirements.
• Use conflict resolution and negotiation skills to manage differences between stakeholders, ensuring fair, pragmatic solutions that protect member practices and patients.
• Maintain high standards of professionalism, confidentiality and probity at all times.

Person Specification

• Excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills, with experience of effective conflict resolution and ability to communicate with a wide range of people at all levels of organisations.
• Strong relationship building and networking skills.
• Knowledge of primary care networks and collaborative ways of working.
• Operational oversight - ability to think strategically; plan, organise and co-ordinate work effectively, proactively and under own initiative.
• Ability to plan and manage multiple workload priorities and meet deadlines.
• Willingness to work flexibly, demonstrating problem solving skills and an ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
• Effective time management skills and able to work effectively under pressure and within strict time constraints.
• Strong IT skills and an interest in digital opportunities in primary care.
• Exceptional organisation and administrative skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel between PCN sites.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent practical experience.
• Management / leadership qualification.

Experience

• Experience of primary care and/or PCN operations, with a strong understanding of how general practice works.
• Proven track record of personnel and operations management.
• Demonstrable ability to lead and manage multidisciplinary teams and deliver projects across multiple sites.
• Experience of quality improvement and service redesign.
• Experience of successfully supporting delivery of new initiatives.
• Experience of developing and interpreting complex reports.
• Evidence of high management effectiveness, delivering tangible outcomes in complex environments.
• Experience of EMIS and General Practice IT systems.
• Experience of tendering for NHS contracts, business case development or service redesign.
• Experience of digital transformation projects in healthcare.
• Understanding of population health management and reducing health inequalities.

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.