Director of Improvement

Strategic Leadership • Lead the design, delivery and continuous evolution ofPatient First, ensuring alignment with the Trust's strategic objectives, NHS Long Term Plan and ICS priorities. • Work with the Executive Team to ensure improvement activity supports delivery of strategic themes, breakthrough objectives and statutory duties. • Provide visible senior leadership, acting as a role model for values-led, inclusive leadership and championing a culture of continuous improvement. • Lead the Trust's improvement function, ensuring clear objectives, accountability and professional development to maximise team effectiveness and impact within the organisation. • Promote a culture of innovation, questioning the status quo and encouraging evidence-based practice. • Develop and maintain a strong external profile, positioning UHD as a national exemplar in continuous improvement. • Provide expert advice and horizon scanning to the Board and senior leaders on improvement, emerging trends and innovation opportunities (e.g digital, AI, sustainability). Improvement Delivery • ensure thePatient First programme is underpinned by clear objectives, metrics, governance and benefits realisation. • Evaluate thePatient First annual improvement programme plan and outcomes, ensuring systematic learning and embedding best practice across the organisation. • Work closely with transformation, digital, workforce and organisational development leads, using structured improvement methodology to spread and scale new technologies, redesign clinical pathways and workforce roles in clinical and non-clinical services to deliver sustainable improvements for patients and staff. • Continue the implementation of UHD's improvement strategy, ensuring measurable and sustainable improvements in patient care, operational efficiency and staff experience. Job description Job responsibilities Strategic Leadership • Lead the design, delivery and continuous evolution ofPatient First, ensuring alignment with the Trust's strategic objectives, NHS Long Term Plan and ICS priorities. • Work with the Executive Team to ensure improvement activity supports delivery of strategic themes, breakthrough objectives and statutory duties. • Provide visible senior leadership, acting as a role model for values-led, inclusive leadership and championing a culture of continuous improvement. • Lead the Trust's improvement function, ensuring clear objectives, accountability and professional development to maximise team effectiveness and impact within the organisation. • Promote a culture of innovation, questioning the status quo and encouraging evidence-based practice. • Develop and maintain a strong external profile, positioning UHD as a national exemplar in continuous improvement. • Provide expert advice and horizon scanning to the Board and senior leaders on improvement, emerging trends and innovation opportunities (e.g digital, AI, sustainability). Improvement Delivery • ensure thePatient First programme is underpinned by clear objectives, metrics, governance and benefits realisation. • Evaluate thePatient First annual improvement programme plan and outcomes, ensuring systematic learning and embedding best practice across the organisation. • Work closely with transformation, digital, workforce and organisational development leads, using structured improvement methodology to spread and scale new technologies, redesign clinical pathways and workforce roles in clinical and non-clinical services to deliver sustainable improvements for patients and staff. • Continue the implementation of UHD's improvement strategy, ensuring measurable and sustainable improvements in patient care, operational efficiency and staff experience.