Divisional Clinical Pathway Manager

Job overview

The Clinical Pathway Manager is accountable for the development, implementation, governance and delivery of clinical pathways across their area of responsibility. This includes aligning pathway initiatives with commissioning frameworks, Integrated Care System (ICS) priorities, NHS England strategy, and SCAS / SECAmb collaboration objectives. The post holder will lead divisional and operational sector clinical pathway and care navigation service transformation projects, ensuring patient safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement in clinical quality.

The Clinical Pathway Manager is accountable for driving forward the effective utilisation of clinical pathways across the sector within their division. They will work closely with the Sector Operational Leadership Team, particularly the Clinical Operations Manager to lead, manage, deliver and improve access to clinical pathways ensuring that people who use services are given the best possible care with the best possible outcomes.

Main duties of the job

As a senior manager within South Central Ambulance Service, you will be required to provide leadership to all operational teams across the area of responsibility to support the safe effective provision of the service they provide and to champion change in the organisation. You will ensure that staff are motivated and express a positive attitude towards the organisation. You will address any issues and concerns that may inhibit staff from achieving both their personal and organisational goals.

Alongside the Clinical Operations Manager, and the operational leadership team, they will work collaboratively with central teams such as but not limited to Patient Safety, Safeguarding, Clinical Governance and the legal team to ensure improved performance standards and patient outcomes are delivered. Should the standards and performance not be met, they will ensure learning is taken and the implementation is supported by the postholder within the region.

Directly link with local service providers to develop new initiatives and clinical care pathways as needed to facilitate the successful delivery of changes required by SCAS.

Lead and drive local change initiatives across directorates and with partner agencies, in order to deliver the changes required to achieve regional and national objectives.

Liaise with all local Integrated Care System (ICS) partners to facilitate connectivity between Ambulance and other Urgent & Emergency Care services.

Using consistent, robust Clinical Governance measures complete regular reviews of all SCAS clinical care pathways to ensure continued improvements are made for safety of patients as well as the visibility and accessibility for our clinicians.

Other responsibilities will vary according to the needs of the organisation, ranging from facilitation of internal and external stakeholders at engagement events, realising and reporting on the benefits of changes made, work stream evaluation and sharing lessons learnt.

The post holder is expected to act independently, taking decisions to ensure operational delivery of clinical pathways for the organisation, driving change and improvement by supporting and influencing operational, clinical and corporate teams.

The post holder will deputise for the Head of Clinical Pathways and Care Navigation, both internally and externally as required, and at a system and ambulance sector level.

Please familiarise yourself with the Secondment Procedure found on the Hub. Interviews will be held the week beginning 9th November.

Working for our organisation

At South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), every role contributes to helping people when they need us most. Whether delivering frontline care, supporting our Emergency Operations Centres, or working in corporate and support services, your work makes a meaningful difference every day.

Our values of Caring, Professional and Honest guide everything we do. We care for our patients, communities and each other, act professionally with pride and a commitment to excellence, and work honestly, building trust through openness, integrity and respect.

We offer a range of learning and development opportunities, wellbeing support, flexible working where service needs allow, membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, and a variety of staff benefits. We also work in partnership with our recognised trade unions, Unison, Unite GMB and RCN, which provide members with workplace support, representation and advice.

SCAS is proud to be an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We strive to create a workplace where everyone feels they belong, are valued for who they are, and have opportunities to grow and succeed.

Join SCAS and help us deliver exceptional care when it matters most.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Governance & Compliance

• Provide oversight and leadership for the development and delivery of clinical pathways and care navigation, within the divisional area of responsibility ensuring alignment with national and regional healthcare strategies.
• Responsible for ensuring that governance, compliance and all risks related to clinical pathways and patient care navigation within the postholders region of responsibility are appropriately identified and that they are managed via mitigation actions plans to reduce harm to patients, staff or corporate reputation. Including Clinical Governance, CQC and Health & Safety, and Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF).
• Support their line manager in the clinical pathway annual planning process, ensuring realistic and achievable plans are based on a full understanding of expected demand and required capacity to meet short- and medium-term objectives.
• Represent SCAS at a divisional and regional level and at local collaborative forums, influencing policy and service redesign relating to clinical pathways and patient outcomes.
• Lead organisational change in all aspects of care pathway, care navigation and patient outcome initiatives using recognised Quality Improvement methodologies to enhance patient outcomes and operational efficiency.
• Accountable for ensuring that clinical pathway quality improvement projects are delivered in a cost-effective manner, aligning with allocated budgets and financial controls. This includes identifying opportunities for efficiency and implementing measures that contribute to Trust-wide cost improvement programmes. There is a requirement to balance quality outcomes with financial sustainability, ensuring that resources are optimised while maintaining high standards of patient care and service delivery.
• Responsible for setting clinical pathway quality standards as appropriate, proposing, interpreting, developing and implementing policy appropriate to the function, including policies which impact on service provision and other areas of the Trust.
• Produce high-quality reports, audits, and data analysis to monitor performance, identify trends, and inform strategic decisions.
• Ensure lessons learned from adverse events relating to clinical pathways and service evaluations are embedded into practice and shared across the organisation.
• Maintain clinical competence and participate in operational duties as required.

People Management

• As the subject matter expert and regional lead for Clinical Pathways, provide expert advice and guidance to the Sector Operational Managers and Clinical Operations Managers with mentoring support for operational clinical staff relating to clinical pathways and care navigation.
• Improve the level of support for staff by developing and encouraging a culture of responsibility for personal development which ensures that all the requirements necessary for personal and professional skills are met and maintained.
• To generate a culture which promotes empowerment and ensures that decision-making is allocated to appropriate levels, allowing staff to feel they make a valuable contribution.
• The post holder will identify and take actions if own or others’ behaviour undermines equality and diversity. To be aware of and take action to mitigate unconscious bias.

Operational Delivery

• Be the clinical role model within their assigned division, demonstrating strong leadership and promoting an open, supportive culture, which is in line with the Trust’s values.
• Be the divisional lead accountable for the development and implementation of clinical pathways in their area of responsibility, providing direction and leadership to the sector operational leadership team relating to clinical pathway delivery.
• Responsible for delivering successful outcomes to any Business Continuity incidents within the area of responsibility working with internal and external agencies as required.
• Responsible for the delivery of all clinical pathway services within the division, and will be required to liaise, negotiate and provide reassurance to stakeholders regarding the delivery of the service.
• Responsible for ensuring that clinical pathway services are delivered to agreed quality and financial standards, referring requests for specialist care or contractual deviation to the Head of Clinical Pathways and Care Navigation.
• Will contribute to the development of strategic plans for the improvement and redesign of clinical pathway services in the Trust, taking into account the need to balance service development against immediate service delivery needs and the requirements of stakeholders, by providing information and evidence that supports improvement to activity, which will impact across all areas of service, and by championing change in the organisation.

Finance and Resource Management

• Assist in the development and implementation of cost improvement programmes for the area of responsibility, ensuring that the Trust delivers financial savings through efficiencies, whilst ensuring the maintenance of safe, timely and effective patient care.
• Ensure that there are effective mechanisms in place within the operations directorate that ensure engagement with all staff, and which promote positive collaborative working relationships and which will support the modernisation of working practices and to promote successful and cooperative team working within the operations directorate.

Quality and Performance

• The post holder will be responsible for the achievement and sustainability of clinical pathway, care navigation and patient outcome metrics within their scope of responsibility and influence.
• Produce high quality investigation reports utilising a range of investigation techniques.
• Provide advice at the initial review of patient safety incidents, relating to clinical pathways, requiring a learning response under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) or Patient Experience incidents. They will contribute to analysis of complex scenarios to determine whether incidents are required to be reported and investigated.
• Attend Patient Safety Decision Making Panels and review meetings related to clinical pathways, as required.
• Responsible for ensuring that actions allocated to their region arising from patient safety incidents related to clinical pathways, safety improvement plans and patient experience investigations are enacted.
• Responsible for ensuring that lessons are learnt from adverse and moderate harm events related to clinical pathways. Audit and gather local intelligence to improve patient safety by leading on the development of Trust-wide, regional and local service developments.
• Identify and monitor trends, and to continually evaluate and audit the quality and effectiveness of clinical pathways, identifying gaps in service, knowledge and practice within the region, and to use this data to develop and implement action plans, which may impact across the Trust, when appropriate.
• Support the development and implementation of quality standards related to clinical pathways ensuring that people who use services are given the best possible care with the best possible outcomes.
• To support the provision of evidence, data, clinical and quality information and outcome measures related to clinical pathways for compliance with the CQC regulations.

Patient and Customer Experience

• Work with managers from all areas of the Trust to ensure a seamless pathway of care throughout the patient journey for all our service users.
• Ensure lessons learned are embedded into service redesign and quality improvement.

Information Management and Technology

• The post holder will work closely with the Digital Directorate to ensure effective data information is available for monitoring, reviewing, trend identification and analysing the use of clinical pathways across the Trust. This includes overseeing day-to-day processes for accurate data capture, validation, and reporting to measure clinical pathway performance and patient outcomes.
• The role will ensure timely analysis of data to identify areas for improvement, support service development, and implement changes that enhance clinical effectiveness and patient experience. By embedding robust data-driven practices into operational delivery, the Clinical Pathway Manager will ensure that improvements are actioned promptly and consistently to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients and service users.
• Will provide internal and external reports and analysis for regional and local stakeholders to support decision making and progress planning related to Clinical Pathways.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a Trust representative with external organisations, other NHS bodies, and regional forums within their area of responsibility. To ensure that the Trust can influence developments, promote Trust achievements and share best practice related to Clinical Pathways and Care Navigation.
• Responsible for the delivery of Clinical Pathways and work in partnership with stakeholders regarding the delivery of the service on an operational level.
• Responsible for ensuring that Clinical Pathway and Care Navigation services are delivered to agreed quality and financial standards in their area of responsibility, addressing requests for specialist care or contractual deviation raised by the local commissioners
• Accountable for effective interaction with stakeholders both internally and externally. To develop and maintain strong working relationships across all sectors of the local health and social care economy, ensuring that active, open and robust lines of communication are maintained.
• Responsible for communicating service-related information to stakeholders, which may contain highly complex, sensitive, contentious or business sensitive information, ensuring an understanding of the Trust and how the decisions of other service providers impact on the work of SCAS.
• Build and develop relationships with commissioners, providers, and system partners in all areas related to Clinical Pathways in their area of responsibility.
• The post holder will be responsible for establishing working relationships with the ICC and Planning Management teams to develop cross-departmental work-streams to manage seamless transition of working practices and processes.

Education and Development

• The post holder is accountable for their own continuing professional development and own personal development by participating in an annual appraisal with their line manager, developing a personal development plan, and actively participating in agreed learning activities and evaluating effectiveness of learning in relation to their role.
• Enhance own performance through continuously developing own knowledge, skills and behaviours to meet the current and future requirements of the job and respond to the learning needs of the Trust.
• Act within acceptable parameters as an employee/manager for the Trust, having regard to the applicable 'Code of Conduct’ for your role and ensuring own practice is in accordance with Trust policies.
• Regularly review own practices and makes changes in accordance with current and/or best practice, makes suggestions for improved practice and identifies where other activities affect own practice.
• The post holder will ensure SCAS fulfils its legislative responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) and be fully competent to undertake any appropriate designated role within SCAS (appropriate to their qualification or registration) in response to any incident

Innovation and Change Management

• Responsible for developing and synthesise new concepts in clinical pathway care and patient safety, leading projects related to care pathways and care navigation development and patient safety.
• Undertake projects using recognised quality improvement techniques, as part of the Trust’s Quality Improvement Programme.

Person specification

Qualifications & Training

Essential criteria

• Registered Nurse, Paramedic or other professional registrant educated to degree level (in a relevant discipline), or equivalent experience of working at a senior level or ability to work towards completing a qualification
• Post-graduate management, leadership or specialist qualification or demonstratable previous experience working at this level.
• Evidence of on-going professional development.
• UK approved full driving licence.
• Road Safety Act Section 19 Emergency Response Driving certification for or willingness to complete within the next six months

Desirable criteria

• Educated to Masters / Level 7 in a clinical practice, leadership or business-related discipline or equivalent professional experience
• Patient safety qualification / completion of Health Services Safety Investigations Body training
• PSIRF & SIF2015 experience
• Project / Programme management qualification or ability to work towards completing a qualification
• Quality Improvement training and experience e.g. LEAN Six Sigma IHI or QSIR or ability to work towards completing a qualification
• Clinical Leadership qualification or demonstrable experience

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience and knowledge of the components of clinical governance, incident response, risk management and assurance function; current NHS national policies, standards, requirements, and directions that relate to measuring and improving the quality and safety of patient care
• Experience of managing change programs within their area of expertise.
• Experience of business planning, objective setting and performance management within their area of expertise.
• Experience of working with stakeholders across multi-disciplinary teams and external stakeholders within the healthcare economy and other agencies at a regional level
• Proven ability and experience of leading, developing, supporting and motivating individuals in a team environment whilst commanding confidence of Managers and Staff.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of Ambulance Service and NHS Development Programmes
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of National Health Service Emergency & Urgent Care Framework issues

Desirable criteria

• Middle management experience in an operational function.
• Budget management experience
• Experience in providing advice on complex professional issues.
• Experience of report writing, synthesising information and data into an accessible format to meet the needs of the audience
• Proven track record in leading and managing change programmes and service transformation and delivering milestones to strict schedules.
• Knowledge of leadership and management development programmes through participation or delivery
• Experience of contract management and service level agreement negotiations

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential criteria

• Proficient ability to interpret complex information to inform decision-making (including patient incident data, administrative data, operational performance data and how that links with clinical pathways and patient outcomes)
• Understanding of NHS developments and their impact on the Trust, together with knowledge of locality-based decision makers and influencing bodies
• Strong leadership and influencing skills with a commitment to an open and inclusive working environment where integrity and respect are evident and highly valued
• Able to manage the key organisational delivery aspects within the project framework in the specified locality area.
• Demonstrates the ability to contribute to long term strategic plans and to make short term reactive decisions
• Ability to use initiative, working autonomously and innovatively
• Excellent time management skills, able to deliver quality work to strict, agreed deadlines
• Excellent organisational skills, is able to prioritise workload and ability to act effectively and maintain clear focus under pressure
• Ability to work in a pressurised environment and maintain clear focus under pressure, understand, evaluate and analyse complex information and to multi-task whilst maintaining high levels of attention to detail
• Excellent communications skills with the ability to effectively communicate complex information to staff at all levels
• Dynamic and proactive in approach to challenges
• A role model for openness and inclusion with a commitment to engaging all managers and staff in performance and service development.
• Encourages innovative thinking in others
• Demonstrates strategic thinking, and innovation
• Demonstrates resilience, persistence, confidence and self-belief.
• Demonstrates self-awareness, including impact on others.
• High levels of personal integrity.
• Keeps the patient at the heart of everything they do
• Has a democratic, supportive leadership style
• Committed to promoting diversity and awareness of equal opportunities.
• Committed to values and principles of public service, and health and social care in particular.
• Proficient IT systems user, able to produce reports as required and oversee the maintenance and standard of data quality produced from these systems.

Physical & Special Requirements

Essential criteria

• As a registered health care professional then fitness levels need to be in line with registration requirements
• Able to portray a professional image
• Enhanced DBS check required
• Ability to drive and have access to a vehicle which can be utilised for business purposes
• Holds a full/clean driving licence* *(We will consider applications that have up to 3 points dependent on the nature of the offence. Any offence relating to drink / drugs showing on the license will be rejected)

We understand that some applicants may choose to use AI tools to assist with completing their application. While this is not against our guidelines, it’s important that your application remains an accurate and honest reflection of your own skills, experience, and achievements. Please ensure that any content generated or supported by AI truly represents you and your capabilities, as this will form the basis of our assessment throughout the recruitment process.

We actively welcome job applications from candidates who have a disability or who are members of the BAME, LGBTQ+ and Armed Forces community (including: Reservists, Veterans, Spouses and Cadets). Here at SCAS we are proud to have a workforce that reflects the diverse community we serve. Applicants who have a disability or are members of the armed forces community who meet the minimum shortlisting criteria for their post of interest will be invited for an interview and/or assessment (where applicable).

Please be assured that any requests for reasonable adjustments will not negatively affect your application.

As well as standard NHS benefits like generous holiday entitlement and an excellent pension scheme, we offer lots of extras for our staff.