Position Overview

North Canberra Hospital is a general level 4 facility offering medical, surgical, maternity and palliative care services. The Director of Medical Services (DMS) is a key position within the senior/executive leadership team, responsible for providing operational, professional and strategic leadership, governance and directions for medical and support services for North Canberra Hospital.

The DMS is directly responsible for a range of administration activities and requires skills and understanding sufficient to provide advice on the strategic priorities in the planning and delivery of health services, resulting in the provision of efficient, high quality and safe patient care.

The DMS has a professional reporting line to the Executive Director of Medical Services, CHS and will work collaboratively with other DMS (or equivalent positions) across the CHS Network. The DMS will provide input into the development of frameworks, plans and standards for the medical workforce and is accountable for the implementation and reporting against these to ensure that quality, safety and professional standards for the workforce are met within the DMS portfolio.

The DMS is appointed for a period of three years with the possibility of extending it to five years. The holder of this role is supported to maintain clinical duties in their specialty area and FTE is negotiable. This role attracts a management allowance level 3.

Key responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following under limited direction of the Clinical Director you will:

Under limited direction of the General Manager North Canberra Hospital, you will provide high level operational management and governance of the Medical Services portfolio. You will:

1. Provide strong, visible and professional leadership acting as a role model for the application of CHS’ role, vision and values whilst fostering a culture of continued professional development and professional accountability.
2. Operational management of Medical Services including, but not limited to the management of:
   • Operational budgets
   • Human resource related matters
   • Clinical governance and quality and safety
   • Work health and safety
   • Reporting.
3. Implement reforms to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of the Medical Service portfolio for North Canberra Hospital.
4. Lead work on strategy, planning and policy development in Medical Services, including providing advice on critical issues, opportunities and risks, and ensuring processes and documentation are well developed, robust and future focused.
5. Exercise relevant financial and human resources delegations to achieve favourable budgetary and workforce outcomes.
6. Oversee the maintenance of safe facilities appropriate for the delivery of high-quality person and family-centred, safe care, including maintenance of healthcare technology to ensure safe environments.
7. Work collaboratively and in partnership with executives, internal stakeholders and external stakeholders to support operational business, governance and strategic deliverables of North Canberra Hospital.
8. Work collaboratively with the other members of the Executive team and Canberra Health Services across the network to develop workforce strategies to recruit, retain and develop highly skilled medical workforce in alignment with professional standards and training requirements.
9. Have a high level of expertise in and provide advice on industrial matters including involvement in the Medical Practitioner Enterprise Agreement negotiations.
10. Consistent with the principles of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, in collaboration with other stakeholders across the CHS network, lead the clinical workforce at NCH to enhance contemporary safe practice, innovative models of care, mentor support, professional development and service growth.
11. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

About you

CHS is committed to workforce diversity and to creating an inclusive workplace. As part of this commitment, we welcome applications from all diversity groups. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability and people who identify as LGBTQIA+ are particularly encouraged to apply.

Competencies

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate others to achieve goals, identify and develop the potential in others, and assess and mitigate future work and capability requirements.
• High level critical thinking ability and extensive process, resource and budget management skills to implement operational efficiencies in healthcare.
• A commitment and the ability to lead the delivery of person and family centered, safe and high-quality care in a sustainable health system.
• High level interpersonal skills to influence and provide key information to support decisions made by a diverse stakeholder group.
• Political sensitivity and astuteness with a sophisticated understanding of the demands of public sector accountability.
• Knowledge and understanding of work, health and safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience and displays behaviours consistent with CHS’ values.

Position Requirements / Qualifications

Mandatory

• Eligible to be appointed as a Staff Specialist / Senior Staff Specialist including being registered or eligible to be registered with AHPRA.
• Not be the subject of an unresolved scope of clinical practice review by Medical Dental Appointments Advisory Committee or under a current inquiry by AHPRA.
• Experience working professionally in a leadership position within a health environment.
• CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates and contingencies.

Desirable

• Tertiary Qualification in Health or Business Administration
• AFRACMA
• Highly developed interpersonal and strong leadership skills with the ability to apply critical thinking.
• Motivated, enthusiastic and a strong communicator to effectively liaise with internal and external stakeholders.
• Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and provide responsive services to meet patient and staff needs.
• Academic affiliation and/or co-joint appointments.
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.
• Fulfil the responsibilities of this role in alignment to the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.

Please note prior to commencement successful candidates will be required to:

• Undergo a pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for medical professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
• Be available for weekend and/or after-hours work.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your CV and experience.

1. Demonstrated experience and achievement in a leadership and operational management role with appositive   track record of delivering quality outcomes in a complex healthcare environment.
2. Proven extensive experience in workforce planning, development, recruitment, retention to ensure that the skill mix and capability of the workforce meet professional standards and provide safe high-quality care across a health service.
3. Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills with strong verbal and written skills, high-level liaison, representation and negotiation skills with the ability to be influential with stakeholders at all levels.
4. Demonstrated ability to exercise a high degree of judgement with a proactive approach to problem solving and risk mitigation, including the ability to make decisions and reprioritise quickly.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

Work Environment Description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.