Unit General Manager - Private Patient Service

The postholder is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational delivery and commercial development of Private Patient Services across the Trust.

The role is accountable for maximising private patient income, ensuring regulatory compliance, and delivering high-quality, patient-centred services, while supporting the Trust’s wider financial sustainability objectives.

The postholder will operate as a senior leader, advising Executive colleagues and leading complex commercial negotiations, service transformation, and external partnerships to grow and optimise the Trust’s private healthcare portfolio.

Pay banding subject to NHS Job Evaluation

As we continue to develop our private patient services, we are looking for an experienced and commercially focused senior leader to help shape, grow and strengthen this important area of the Trust’s work, supporting both patient choice and the wider financial sustainability of the organisation.

The Unit General Manager for Private Patient Services will provide strategic leadership, operational oversight and commercial development across the Trust’s private healthcare portfolio. Working closely with clinical teams, consultants, Executive colleagues, private medical insurers and external partners, the postholder will lead service growth, improve pathways, develop new commercial opportunities and ensure services are delivered safely, efficiently and in line with regulatory requirements. This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated and influential leader with strong commercial acumen, stakeholder management skills and a commitment to excellent patient care.

Working for our organisation

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic NHS Trust (RJAH) is one of the leading orthopaedic hospitals in the country, with some of the highest levels of staff and patient satisfaction, as well as a strong reputation for research and innovation.

In the National Staff Survey, 69% of our staff would recommend the Trust as a place to work and 91% would recommend the hospital to a friend or relative for treatment.

Joining RJAH is more than just a job – we want our people to have the best opportunities to thrive in their role.

We have a range of fantastic staff benefits on offer to everyone who joins RJAH and you'll have access to outstanding professional development opportunities and state-of-the-art facilities.

RJAH has strong links with a range of universities including Staffordshire, Keele, Glyndwr, Chester and Birmingham.

The hospital is located on a site outside Oswestry in Oswestry, just off the A5. The nearest train station is in Gobowen, approximately two miles from the hospital. The station is part of the Chester to Birmingham line.

We are based in North Shropshire, close to the border with North and Mid Wales. It is one of the most attractive parts of the country, with a rich historic culture and excellent transport links. It offers outstanding opportunities for anyone who enjoys an outdoor lifestyle or is looking to raise a family.

The provision of professional and specialist support to the clinical users of the private patient service demonstrating a high level of organisational ability and leadership

To develop and manage relationships externally with purchasers of healthcare and key influencers, such as private medical insurers, private GPs and other referrers, to understand market requirements and to develop the RJAH private care revenue in line with targets.

To develop and manage relationships with consultants internally on behalf of RJAH to repatriate external private work of established consultants, to grow the volume and revenue of our business

Develop and delivery the Trusts private patient strategy across all services e.g. surgical, diagnostics, therapies

Accountable for the delivery of the Trusts private patient income targets and activity plans along with related expenditure budgets.

Provide strategic advice to Executive and Board-level committees

Lead long-term income growth planning, including scenario modelling and market analysis

Lead on ensuring Trust wide governance is in place for private patient services; developing an expert knowledge of indemnity, risk and private practicing privileges.

To understand the practical constraints and issues for consultants working at RJAH and lead on resolving any issues and encourage growth of private practices at the RJAH, in particular the smooth facilitation of theatre session availability.

Engage and coach staff and consultants to ensure a patient focused delivery of services.

To lead alongside Finance and the Commercial Director in negotiations with the Private Medical Insurers to secure the best tariffs and terms of business for the Trust, and to negotiate favourable terms for any specific agreements outside the usual contracts, for instance network arrangements, preferred provider agreements etc.

To seek new commercial opportunities with new and existing partners, developing innovative services, business models and ways of working to secure additional private income streams.

To lead and manage the service areas whilst developing and sustaining effective working relationships with the unit teams, consultant medical staff, all other internal and external stakeholders to ensure that RJAH private healthcare business is represented appropriately and its objectives are achieved.

To develop a network of external stakeholders, including but not limited to Private Medical Insurers, private GPs, referral agents, medical consultants and other private hospital providers, who are influential in determining where patients access private care

To manage internal and external communications, working with the Head of Communications, using sound judgment to ensure that all communications represent the values and business interests of RJAH

Accountable for the leadership, performance and development of the Private Patient Services workforce, including direct and indirect line management of multidisciplinary teams

Work closely with the Communication Manager to develop a portfolio of marketing products and information consistent with RJAH branding, values and commercial objective

To manage relationships with consultants, ensuring that their views and requirements are understood, acted upon appropriately and that they are engaged and motivated to carry our private work.

To continually question and challenge the status quo looking for new and innovative ways to improve service delivery to make the most effective use of resources and ensure services are patient focused.

To model a collaborative and influencing style of working, negotiating with others to achieve the best outcomes

To maintain a detailed working knowledge of competition law surrounding private healthcare including but not limited to the Bribery Act and guidance from the Competition and Markets Authority

To develop a robust understanding of the information and reporting systems in the Trust and to continuously develop and improve business and activity reports for the COO summarising performance and highlighting risks and issues

Your application form must include a complete record of your employment history. Please explain any gaps in your employment/education history and reasons for these gaps. The Trust maintains the right to withdraw an employment offer or terminate employment if it is later found that an application for employment contained false, mis-leading or inaccurate information. For the avoidance of doubt this would include omissions of previous periods of employment or reasons given for gaps in employment.

Please be aware that we reserve the right to close this job advert early where sufficient applications have been received.

The RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital NHSFT recognises and supports appropriate and reasonable use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in preparing your application (eg researching the role). However, we reserve the right to reject applications where AI has been used in a misleading manner, for example, by implying experience or understanding that the applicant does not possess or where its use is considered by the Trust to be excessive or unfair. Applications must reflect only your own skills, experience, and interests. If AI has been used to support compiling your application, you must declare this within your submission.

Appointed candidates who hold a Graduate Visa will be appointed on a fixed term contract which will end at the expiry date of their visa.

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHSFT embraces diversity, equality and inclusion and our aim is to be diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability and ethnicity.

We are committed to ensuring disabled workers aren’t disadvantaged when applying for and doing their jobs and offer an interview to all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised post. Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 will be considered upon request.

We commit to enable patients and visitors to access our site and buildings with confidence, find out more at www.accessable.co.uk/the-robert-jones-and-agnes-hunt-orthopaedic-hospital-nhs-foundation-trust

Further information on how your personal data is managed can be found on the supporting Privacy Notice.

Your application will be made in Trac, the RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital NHSFT's preferred third party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs and also available in your candidate account.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

In submitting an application form to Trac, you are giving your consent for parts of your application data to be transferred to the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and other secure, internal NHS Workforce systems. This is to support and manage your recruitment and employment within your employing organisation. You also authorise the RJAH Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record IAT process should you be appointed to the post.

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