Reason for Secondment/Loan: To lead on the planning, implementation and co-ordination of the Scottish Government's Framework for Chronic Pain Management.

Applications are invited from: NHS / Health and Social Care Partnership employees, people employed within the independent sector

Main Duties

This is a great opportunity to work on the implementation and co-ordination of Scotland’s first Framework for Pain Management that aims to drive improvement in the care, treatment and support available to people living with chronic pain, and their carers. You will join during the draft Framework public consultation and therefore have the chance to review consultation responses/ contribute to refining the final Framework.

This is a challenging time in the health system, as it continues to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but with it comes the exciting prospect of re-designing services to improve person-centred outcomes. To ensure successful delivery of the commitments set out in the Pain Management Framework, you will:

• Cross government and partners collaboration – build relationships with a wide range of policy, implementation, analytical and clinical colleagues (including within Healthcare Improvement Scotland, NHS 24, Public Health Scotland and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery based at the Golden Jubilee) to lead development and agreement of an implementation plan that sets out clear actions, accountability, metrics and timescales – taking into account activities already underway.
• Drive change – liaise with NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnership management to influence the pace and scale of change as part of wider operational and recovery planning and programmes, including addressing health inequalities.
• External stakeholder engagement - work with advisers to involve stakeholders in shaping delivery and reviewing progress including people with lived experience, healthcare professionals and third sector organisations.
• Programme planning and risk management – use change and improvement methodologies to manage and monitor delivery including project resources, to keep activities on track – mitigating against risks and problem solving to address issues.

Key Competencies

Leading others:

• Actively manages environment, making connections across boundaries to build strong networks and partnerships.
• Contributes to and develops clear, creative and detailed policy communication strategies to achieve outcomes.

Communications and Engagement:

• Manages internal and external relationships, creating positive networks and maintaining trust and credibility.

Analysis and Use of Evidence:

• Uses relevant evidence, recognising validity and limitations, in evaluations & assessment of risks against desired outcomes, engaging analytical specialists appropriately.

Improving performance:

• Set targets to improve the value achieved from resources, utilising financial data in business cases for change and monitors outcomes using performance measures.
• Uses relevant tools, techniques and skills development to facilitate continuous improvement.

Essential Criteria

1. Highly developed communication skills with the ability to manage and influence a range of internal and external relationships including at senior levels, promoting collaborative working - building consensus for vision and buy-in for changes/ action, within the context of competing priorities.
2. Proven ability in working well under pressure, expressing clear logical thinking and creative problem solving in the face of challenging opposition by articulating persuasive arguments to overcome issues.
3. A robust working knowledge of the health and social care system in Scotland, its structures and governance and a history of managing complex change programmes to achieve improved outcomes - using experience of programme and project management principles/ improvement methodologies effectively to review and analyse progress and adjust delivery accordingly.
4. Experience in identifying, developing and using a range of outcome measures to assess performance against goals.

Further information about the Organisation:

The role is part of the Healthcare Quality and Improvement Directorate within the Scottish Government, led by Jason Leitch, the National Clinical Director. The Directorate seeks to achieve the best health and care outcomes for people by ensuring the provision of high quality health and social care services.

The Clinical Priorities Unit within this Directorate has responsibility for policy on national strategies for various health conditions such as Cancer, Long Covid, Diabetes, Stroke, Chronic Pain and many others. The role offers a supportive team environment, which would be beneficial to applicants where it may be their first experience of working on national programmes. Given many of the delivery challenges are similar regardless of condition, our implementation leads work closely together to achieve the best outcomes and share knowledge and experiences. The cross cutting nature of the plans also provide lots of development opportunities to influence and contribute to policy and its delivery across other Government Directorates.

The Clinical Priorities Unit is primarily based in St Andrews House Edinburgh, although home working continues to be our default position and we can accommodate candidates from other locations. We are supportive of flexible working and would encourage applications from those on flexible working patterns.