The Clinical Director Medicine plays a significant leadership role in supporting the delivery of safe, sustainable, and high-quality healthcare services across the Medicine Stream within the Division of Critical Care and Medicine. The role provides professional leadership to the medical workforce and contributes to strong clinical governance, workforce planning, and risk management. The position requires the ability to balance strategic, operational, and tactical priorities to support service delivery across a portfolio of medicine sub specialities.

A key focus of the role is strengthening workforce capability and experience through effective leadership, workforce development, talent attraction and retention, and fostering a positive and supportive workplace culture. The Clinical Director works collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, executive leadership, and key stakeholders to ensure services remain responsive to the needs of the community while maintaining high standards of governance and patient care.

This is an exciting time with the North Canberra Hospital undergoing a transformation to deliver on new and expanded services in a new hospital expected to open around 2032. This is a new billion-dollar hospital on Canberra’s northside.

The position holder is expected to operate within the Public Sector Management Act (1994), the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct and the professional requirements specified by the appointee’s Specialist College.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

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. Hold direct line management accountability for Unit Directors across designated clinical services, including but not limited to General Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Neurology, Endocrinology, and other subspecialties.
3. Hold professional reporting responsibilities, where appropriate.
4. Provide clinical leadership, as part of the Executive Team, across the Medicine Stream to develop and deliver clinical services and operational plans. Represent the Division and participate in strategy and planning across NCH and with external stakeholders to optimise future service delivery.
5. Proactively develop a positive and collaborative workplace culture through providing professional support for the Unit leads.
6. Through strengthening the Medicine stream reputation as a great place to train and work, create a sustainable and effective medical workforce, with growth in clinical, research and teaching across all areas of the Portfolio.
7. Lead and facilitate professional development and training requirements, including training accreditation, for medical staff within the Medicine stream. Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders with regards to training and education as needed.
8. In conjunction with the Divisions leadership team, provide governance of quality and safety activities, guideline development, service redesign and model of care development and ensure that appropriate clinical governance structures are in place.
9. In partnership with the Executive Director, Critical Care and Medicine, the Director Medical Services and Medical Unit Leads, ensure timely workforce planning of medical staff and effective line management of medical staff including rostering, leave planning and performance management.
10. Take an active part in budget planning and financial management with other members of the Division’s leadership team.
11. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification and within the approved scope of clinical practice which contribute to the operations of the Medicine stream.

• Effective and high-quality communication skills and the ability to develop and maintain networks across Canberra Health Services and with external parties.
• Ability to work within multi-disciplinary and management teams and adapt quickly to a changing environment, including managing confidential and sensitive information.
• Displays critical thinking skills and forms defensible conclusions based on evidence and sound judgement.
• Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and provide responsive services to meet consumers’ needs.
• Strong organisational skills with a high degree of drive.
• A good understanding of the principles of quality and safety to deliver exceptional care.

In addition to a commitment to work, health and safety (WH&S) and contributing to the CHS positive patient focus displaying behaviours consistent with the organisational values of Reliable, Progressive, Respectful and Kind.

For consideration at the Senior Specialist level, you will require the above and:

1. Clinical: Show advanced clinical expertise in their speciality area, which may include the ability to work without supervision, as recognised by their peers.
2. Safety and Quality: Provide leadership through:
   1. a demonstrated ability to be effective in leading safety and quality activities, including experience relevant to specialist college accreditation
   2. providing senior medical input to the safety and quality activities of the medical unit and clinical division, and
   3. participating actively in specialist college accreditation, as overseen by the Australian Medical Council.
3. Teaching: Provide senior input using demonstrated experience in the development and provision of teaching and training at CHS and services in the surrounding region.
4. Research: Undertake speciality-specific research and/or have relevant publications of research in a respected health or medical journal.
5. Administrative functions: Support the medical unit director in the administration of the unit and provide senior medical input to the development of policies and practices of the unit.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• Be registered or eligible for registration as a medical practitioner with the Australian Health Practitioner’s Regulation Agency, with no conditions, undertakings or reprimands (AHPRA).
• Hold or working towards a Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College (FRACP) or an equivalent qualification or relevant experience
• 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.
• Strong engagement with junior medical officers, a sound understanding of all levels of medical workforce and an ability to engage with different medical specialities to address their needs

Desirable

• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

For Senior Specialist we will also expect that you:

Essential

• Experience in a similar role and environment
• Sound understanding of all levels of medical workforce and an ability to engage with different medical specialities to address their needs.

Desirable

• Fulfil the responsibilities of this role in alignment to the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Medical and Dental Appointments Advisory Committee (MDAAC) credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for medical professionals.

• 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
• Approval for second job will need to be submitted annually. Commitment to second job must not impact on the agreed clinical duties of the specialist at Canberra Hospital.
• Adherence to agreed attendance hours including agreement to annual job planning for clinical operational requirements is required.

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.

For Senior Specialist we will also expect that you:

1. Have demonstrated advanced clinical experience outlined in a CV that clearly and comprehensively outlines the applicant’s professional history.
2. Have been employed at the equivalent of a Specialist Band 5 for a period of at least three years.
3. Have demonstrated their advanced ability to provide leadership to their colleagues through either clinical or administrative means.
4. Have gained demonstrable advanced experience and attained such ability in the relevant specialty that is acceptable to CHS, to justify a recommendation for advancement to Senior Specialist by the Review Panel.
5. Be able to demonstrate their ability to undertake duties and responsibilities deemed by CHS as those expected of a Senior Specialist.
6. Be able to demonstrate that they are performing at a level consistent with this competency framework.

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

1. Proven experience as a senior clinician who has led and implemented clinical services across hospital and community settings with the ability to contribute to the strategic planning and the development of contemporary health services.
2. An active commitment to teaching and education of medical, nursing and allied health professionals. While demonstrating the ability to provide and promote leadership to all medical practitioners within the Portfolio.
3. Proven ability to lead sustainable systems within a changing environment that support clinical governance and demonstrated experience in the application of quality and safety improvements, including clinical reviews, audits, service evaluations and incident management.
4. Demonstrated high level of stakeholder management with strong interpersonal and communication skills to build trusted professional relationships which have enabled organisational change, effective workforce planning and performance.
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.

Applicants for Senior Specialist must also provide two detailed supporting statements from referees including:

1. A supporting statement from the relevant medical unit director or equivalent, attesting to:
   1. The applicant’s ability to work at a senior level in the relevant unit or department,
   2. Compliance with CHS policy and guidance documents, and
   3. Behaviour consistent with CHS’ values
2. A supporting statement from a second referee who is a Senior Specialist.

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.

Administrative	Frequency
Telephone use	Frequently
General computer use	Frequently
Extensive keying/data entry	Occasionally
Graphical/analytical based	Occasionally
Sitting at a desk	Frequently
Standing for long periods	Frequently

Psychosocial demands	Frequency
Distressed People e.g. Emergency or grief situations	Occasionally
Aggressive & Uncooperative People e.g. drug / alcohol, dementia, mental illness	Occasionally
Unpredictable People e.g. Dementia, mental illness, head injuries	Occasionally
Restraining e.g. involvement in physical containment of clients/consumers	Never
Exposure to Distressing Situations e.g. Child abuse, viewing dead / mutilated bodies; verbal abuse; domestic violence; suicide	Occasionally

Physical demands	Frequency
Distance walking (large buildings or inter-building transit)	Frequently
Working outdoors	Occasionally

Manual handling	Frequency
Lifting 0 - 9kg	Occasionally
Lifting 10 - 15kg	Never
Lifting 16kg+	Never
Climbing	Never
Running	Never
Reaching	Occasionally
Kneeling	Occasionally
Foot and leg movement	Occasionally
Hand, arm and grasping movements	Occasionally
Bending/squatting	Occasionally
Bend/Lean Forward from Waist/Trunk twisting	Never
Push/pull	Occasionally
Sequential repetitive movements in a short amount of time	Occasionally

Travel	Frequency
Frequent travel – multiple work sites	Occasionally
Frequent travel – driving	Occasionally

Specific hazards	Frequency
Working at heights	Never
Exposure to extreme temperatures	Never
Operation of heavy machinery e.g. forklift	Never
Confined spaces	Never
Excessive noise	Occasionally
Low lighting	Occasionally
Handling of dangerous goods/equipment e.g. gases; liquids; biological.	Occasionally
Slippery or uneven surfaces	Never