Improvement Advisor

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Improvement Advisor to join the Continuous Improvement Team at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The post holder will provide practical coaching, facilitation and improvement support to clinical and non-clinical teams, helping them to apply the Lancashire Improvement Method and deliver improvement activity aligned to the Trust’s Single Improvement Plan. We are looking for someone with experience of improvement methods, strong facilitation and communication skills, and the ability to work with teams to understand problems, use data, test changes and embed sustainable improvements. This is a key role in building improvement capability across the organisation and supporting teams to deliver meaningful change for patients, staff and services.

Main duties of the job

• Coach and facilitate teams to deliver improvement initiatives aligned to Trust priorities
• Support the application of the Lancashire Improvement Method across clinical and corporate services
• Deliver improvement training, workshops and capability-building programmes
• Use data and measurement to support improvement, learning and decision-making
• Enable sustainable change that improves patient care, staff experience, operational performance and productivity.

Working for our organisation

Here at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, we’re all about people and that means looking after our staff just as much as our patients. We’re proud to be a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone’s voice is heard and respected. Whether you’re here to grow your career, learn something new, or take on a fresh challenge, we’ll support you every step of the way with real development opportunities and because we know life doesn’t stop when your shift ends, we champion flexible working and a healthy work-life balance too. It’s a place where you can thrive, belong, and make a difference – all at once.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Support clinical and corporate teams to deliver improvement initiatives aligned to the Trust’s Single Improvement Plan (SIP).
• Provide coaching, facilitation and practical support to teams applying the Lancashire Improvement Method (LIM).
• Build improvement capability across the organisation through training, workshops and development activities.
• Support teams to use data and measurement to understand problems, monitor progress and demonstrate impact.
• Facilitate sustainable improvements that enhance quality, safety, patient experience, productivity and staff experience.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and organisational learning across the Trust.

Main Duties

• Facilitate improvement projects, workshops and improvement events with multidisciplinary teams.
• Coach staff and leaders in improvement tools and methodologies, including process mapping, PDSA cycles and measurement for improvement.
• Support services to identify improvement opportunities, analyse processes and test changes.
• Develop and maintain project documentation, action plans, measures and progress reports.
• Collect, analyse and present improvement data, including run charts and SPC charts where appropriate.
• Deliver improvement training and capability-building programmes for staff at all levels.
• Support delivery of Local Improvement Programmes (LIP), Pathway Improvement Programmes (PIP), Rapid Improvement Workshops (RIWs) and other Trust improvement priorities.
• Work collaboratively with clinical, operational and corporate teams to embed sustainable improvements.
• Share learning, good practice and improvement success stories across the organisation.
• Act as a champion for the Lancashire Improvement Method, supporting consistent application of improvement approaches across the Trust.

Person specification

Qualifications & Education

Essential criteria

• Qualification in Quality Improvement
• Previous experience in the NHS
• Evidence of CPD

Desirable criteria

• Degree in Quality Improvement Science or equivalent analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Project/Programme Management qualification e.g. PRINCE 2, MSP or equivalent experience

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant experience of implementing improvement methods
• Experience of teaching service improvement theory and methods
• Experience of working in an acute teaching hospital and/or community services
• Experience of leading large or complex improvement projects and programmes
• Experience of working and influencing senior teams
• Experience of working across professional and organisational boundaries
• Experience and confidence to represent the programme at local, regional and national level

Desirable criteria

• Experience of coaching improvement methods
• Initiating and facilitating successful organisational or system wide improvement at a senior level
• Experience of managing budgets
• Experience of managing teams