Clinical Engagement & Implementation Manager

Job Title: Infection Prevention and Control - Clinical Engagement and Implementation Manager 

Function: Commercial

Location: Mobile, with occasional travel

Type: Permanent

Hours: 22.5 hours a week 

Salary: £32,190 with the opportunity to earn £37,870 by year 3  

Closing date: 24^th September 2024

Please note this role is not in a clinical setting.

We are excited to offer this unique opportunity to help shape the future of the clinical engagement service of NHS Supply Chain across the NHS.  This role will draw on the candidate’s significant clinical experience and expertise.  The clinical engagement function brings clinical and product expertise to the forefront of national procurement.  In doing so it provides product assurance, reviews innovation, and ensures that clinical teams across the NHS are provided with all relevant information required to make informed decisions on product selection.

Holding credible practical experience, product expertise, being knowledgeable of the patient pathways, “Speaking the language” and ensuring clinician and patient needs are at the heart of the decision-making processes, are key foundations on which this service will be built.

This is a great and unique opportunity to join an established and credible team, covering the category for Infection Prevention & Control

This Clinical Engagement & Implementation Manager role would be a great fit for clinicians who have a desire to take their skills into a new setting and career.

Reporting to the Clinical Engagement & Implementation Lead, this role will have responsibility for working as an active partner within a multidisciplinary team, accountable for the clinical needs of the strategy; focused on optimisation, resilience, quality and safety, and provision of framework offering to meet the needs of the NHS.  This needs to fit with national drivers as well as regional and local policy and governance whilst ensuring that clinician and patient needs are at the heart of the decision-making process.

Therefore, it is essential that as a minimum, applicants hold significant and demonstrable experience as clinicians, or relevant industry products specialist personnel, who have a deep understanding of the products within the category and of the clinical practice which is associated with them.

This role focusses on the needs of clinical teams and their patients, helping them to navigate their way through the procurement process.  You will be working within a designated product portfolio with responsibility for development of quality led product specifications, project delivery, and to support uptake across NHS Trusts or ICSs. 

Conducting complex analytics to review “current clinical practice needs” vs “future clinical practice needs” whilst ensuring that the end users are complying with national initiatives and programs and understand how decisions made may impact on these. 

Working with stakeholders through a clinical engagement process, across clinical and non-clinical stakeholder functions including regular presentations to teams of specialist clinicians and working with suppliers as part of a collaborative approach with category colleagues from procurement.

Making recommendations for opportunities with products from across the market which promote standardisation, are clinically sound and have fiscal responsibility for best use of the budget. 

Take shared responsibility to support supplier / NHS product and award meetings/events, ensuring that informed decisions are made which align to the parameters of the national framework agreement.

We are very proud to be part of the NHS family and the savings we generate directly benefit the patient.  We ensure that the NHS can access the products it needs at the right time and at the right price.

Relevant and informed clinical engagement is at the heart of our processes and keeps the interests of the patient at the forefront.

The Role:

We are looking for a healthcare professional or relevant industry professional to join our team as a Clinical Engagement & Implementation Manager (CEIM).

Using your clinical/product experience and knowledge, your role has responsibility for engaging with healthcare, suppliers and procurement professionals in NHS Trusts and providers to:

• Understand their requirements for products, based on their current operating preferences, sub-specialty practices, clinical environment and any key issues which may hinder progress such as product safety notices, recalls.  
• Support them through effective clinical engagement and procurement initiatives. Each CEIM works closely with and is supported by a Category Manager and a Procurement Assistant.

• Build and manage effective relationships with healthcare professionals within NHS organisations/providers to ensure the clinical “voice” is captured when product specifications are detailed and options for clinical change are put forward. 
• Build and support relationships with Supplier/Industry professionals, when working on projects with relevant NHS Trusts, with category team colleagues
• Provide project leadership support, ensuring the delivery of quality services that represent best value and understand the key strategic direction of the organisation in order to ensure that processes are adhered to and projects are effectively managed with a clear understanding across different stakeholders.
• Support clinicians to optimise their product base and care delivery through product change and service provision, whilst ensuring patient centric care is the focus.
• Develop product specifications and data analytics to support the decision-making process, ensuring key personnel from any NHS Trust project are engaged and informed. 
• Participate in and develop clinical forums and networks to ensure NHS SC is appropriately represented and engaged in best practice and up-to-date thinking on products and services. 
• Take shared responsibility for Supplier Relationship Management with the rest of the category team, to build on the partnership with industry and allow for a better supported process in delivering projects across the NHS.
• Requirement to work with and support clinical and non-clinical National initiatives and programs which are managed by NHS England.
• Support and develop National Device Working Groups to review and better understand the differences and benefits in technology which comes to market.
• Work to ensure that the National Category Strategy is delivered.

Travel Expectations

This role is based from home although there will be a requirement for regular travel. Travel will include to NHS hospitals and the NHS Supply Chain site locations. The work will be with multiple clinical and non-clinical stakeholders in NHS Trusts.

Smart working has become part of our new normal and most meetings now take place over MS Teams.  This means that applicants will need to ensure they have facilities that will allow for home working to take place. IT will be provided.

Who you are:

We are looking for a professional with exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.  A person with the ability to process information, understand clinical needs, drivers, patient demographics and user experience.  An individual who can gain credibility with clinicians due to product and clinical knowledge, and professional experience.

A rounded understanding of procurement and contracting would be advantageous although this role is supported by procurement professionals. 

An understanding of Infection Prevention & Control, through experience, and importantly having a strong product knowledge for relevant products is essential as well as how those products are used in practice.

Have an established network of peers within their clinical environment, and/or with products industry.

Experience of managing projects is desirable.

IT capable, (in particular with Excel) with an analytic and attention to detail competence. Training is given for those who need it, but a propensity is important.

Willingness to travel, you will already be a car driver but depending on the meeting locations, travel may also be by public transport – mileage, train travel and accommodation is provided or is expensed.

We are looking for a self-motivated individual who is comfortable with managing their own diary.  Gaps in your understanding will be developed and, as such, being able to take on a new challenge and develop expertise in relation to products is key.

This role will require an ability to conduct detailed work at a computer for long periods and so a mental capacity for this whilst working remotely is essential.

Confident with great energy and an engaging manner.

How you will work?

In return for your passion, enthusiasm, and hard work you will be rewarded with an attractive salary and benefits package, consisting of:

• Performance led annual bonus scheme
• 27 days holiday plus bank holidays (pro rota) with the option to purchase up to an additional 5 days
• Generous contributory pension scheme (up to 6% employee / 12% employer contributions of your base salary)
• Access to Flexible Benefits Scheme – you will be able to choose from a variety of benefits such Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover, Income Protection, Health Cash Plan, Dental Insurance and additional pension contributions that suit you
• 2 days paid Volunteering Leave
• 1 day paid Wellbeing Leave
• Long Service Awards
• Access to the Blue Light Card and NHS Discounts
• Flexible working options

• National Annual season ticket purchase scheme
• Eye Care vouchers
• Access to a free 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme

NHS Supply Chain, who are we?

We are a part of the NHS family, and our role is to source, deliver and supply healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organisations across England and Wales. We make sure the products we supply are always safe, quality assured and delivered efficiently.

We’re always listening to the people who use our products, so that we’re aware of the changing needs across the NHS. In all, we serve every NHS Trust and operate a national network of distribution centres. We also manage relationships with more than a thousand suppliers, delivering more than 8,000,000 orders each year to more than 17,000 locations.

And by doing all of this on behalf of the NHS, this gives NHS staff more time to focus on their main priority of proving excellent patient care.

Our, Purpose, Vision and Strategy are clear. We provide direction, leadership, and commercial focus to improve health outcomes.

Vision: To make it easier for the NHS to put patients first

Purpose: Our role is to support the NHS to save lives and improve health

Values:

• Be Authentic
• Be Inclusive
• Be Driven
• Be Enterprising
• Be The Difference

NHS Supply Chain is an equal opportunities employer