The chief people officer [CPO] will lead the development and delivery of the long-term people strategy of the integrated care board (ICB), ensuring this reflects and integrates the strategies of all relevant partner organisations within the ICS.

As a member of the unitary board, each board director is jointly responsible for planning and allocating resources to meet the four core purposes of integrated care systems (ICSs);

• to improve outcomes in population health and care;

• tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access;

• enhance productivity and value for money and

• help the NHS and Local Authorities to support broader social and economic development.

 They are each responsible for their part in the management of the budget of the ICB.

The CPO reports directly to the ICS chief executive and is professionally accountable to the regional director of workforce and organisational development.

Key accountabilities

Setting strategy and delivering long-term transformation

You will support the production and delivery of a five-year plan for the ICB with the CEO, other board members, partners across the ICS and the local community. This will include interpretation and implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan, NICE quality standards and other national and regional strategic priorities for health and social care. This will include system-wide plans to deliver the:

• People Plan and People Promise.

• Priority actions set out in the national guidance on ICS people function, and the local People Board.

• Actions set out in Future of NHS HR and OD report.

• ICS specific people priorities.

• ICS specific future workforce plans for health and care in conjunction with NHS England and NHS Improvement regional teams and HEE.

These plans are designed to support elective recovery times, tackle health inequalities, and deliver the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan and the delivery and reform of Adult Social Care.  

Driving high quality, sustainable outcomes

• The CPO will lead the performance oversight arrangements for people issues with each provider of services within the ICS.

• Leading on the identification of performance risks and issues related to the workforce and work with relevant providers and partners to develop impactful solutions.

• Actively address poor performance, working with the ICB executive team to agree intervention as required.

• The CPO will take a leadership role in overseeing recruitment within ICS and a direct role in all senior people professional appointments.

• The CPO will contribute to the people aspects of Emergency, Preparedness, Prevention response.

Creating a compassionate and inclusive culture

• The CPO will support the CEO to ensure their ICB is ‘Well Led’.

• Arrangements for driving significant improvements in equality, diversity and inclusion and health and wellbeing will be key.

• The CPO will also play a lead role (with the NHS Leadership Academy, Skills for Care and Health Education England [HEE]) in the development of leaders, leadership teams and next generation leaders in their system and across their region.

• They should ensure their ICB is well positioned as an anchor employer in their system.

• The CPO should ensure the delivery of the People Plan against the four pillars including how digital will be a key enabler for People Services. 

Building trusted relationships with partners and communities

• This role will build strong relationships with local people leaders, trade union representatives and ICS partners.

• The CPO will work in partnership with relevant stakeholders to build confidence in the workforce improvements across the ICS.

• They will take a leading role in engaging with HEE and Skills for Care and the provision of workforce development and education across their systems

Leading for social justice and health equality

• The CPO will take a leading role in how the ICB collaborates with the ICP and system partners to create education, employment, volunteering, and apprenticeship opportunities and widen participation in health and care for local communities, including in areas of greater deprivation, for seldom heard groups and for people not in education, employment, or training.

• They will identify and address health inequalities for the workforce considering wider determinants (such as housing, education, and employment) that may have an impact on health.

Providing robust governance and assurance

The CPO will support a strong culture of public accountability, probity, and governance, ensuring that appropriate and compliant structures, systems, and process are in place to minimise risk and promote the freedom to speak up.  This will include ensuring the formal governance and accountability arrangements are in place in the ICB. In addition, hereto this will also include:

• Agreement of the formal governance and accountability arrangements for people and workforce functions in the ICS, including appointing senior responsible officers (SROs).

• Agreement of how and where specific people responsibilities are delivered and funded within the ICS.

• Review and refresh of the ICS People Board, including reporting metrics.

• Assess the ICS’s readiness, capacity, and capability to deliver the people function.

• Lead the ICS Leadership and Talent Board: accountable for the development and delivery of the ICS talent strategy.

• Work with the ICS chair to ensure the Fit and Proper Persons Regime and the Well Led Framework are in effective operation across the ICS.

• Identification of workforce risks and mitigations.

Supplementary duties and responsibilities

 Data Protection and Confidentiality

All employees are subject to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GPDR) and must maintain strict confidentiality in respect of patient, client, and staff records.

 Equality and Diversity

The organisation is committed to promoting equal opportunities to achieve equity of access, experience, and outcomes and to recognising and valuing people’s differences. This applies to all activities as a service provider, as an employer and as a commissioner.

Flexible Working

The organisation is committed to offering flexible, modern employment practices, which recognise that all staff need to strike a sensible balance between home and work life. All requests to work flexibly will be considered.

Health and Safety

Employees have a legal responsibility not to endanger themselves, fellow employees and others by their individual acts or omissions. The post holder is required to comply with the requirements of any policy or procedure issued in respect of minimising the risk of injury or disease.

Information Management and Technology (IM&T)

All staff are expected to utilise the relevant national and local IM&T systems necessary to undertake their role.

Mobility

Employees may be required to work at any of the other sites within the organisation subject to consultation. The organisation is in a period of rapid change due to developments and rationalisation of services. This will lead to modification of structures and job descriptions. The post holder will be expected to co-operate with changes subject to consultation, at any time throughout the duration of your contract

Other Duties

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The job holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by the ICS Chief Executive.

Reasonable Adjustments

The organisation is seeking to promote the employment of disabled people and will make any adjustments considered reasonable to the above duties under the terms of the Equality Act 2010 to accommodate a suitable disabled candidate.

 Safeguarding Responsibilities

The organisation takes the issues of Safeguarding Children, Adults and addressing domestic violence very seriously. All employees have a responsibility to support the organisation in our duties by:

• attending mandatory training on Safeguarding children and adults.

• making sure they are familiar with their requirements and the organisation’s requirements under relevant legislation.

• adhering to all relevant national and local policies, procedures, practice guidance (e.g., LSCB Child Protection Procedures and Practice Guidance) and professional codes.

• reporting any concerns to the appropriate authority.

Smoking and Health

The organisation has a no smoking policy throughout its premises, including buildings and grounds.

Person Specification

Personal values

• Personal commitment to the values of the NHS Long Term Plan, the NHS People Plan, Nolan Principle and the Fit and Proper Persons regime.

• Demonstrates a compassionate leadership style with a track record of improvements to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

• Lives by the values of openness and integrity and has created cultures where this thrives. 

Experience

• Executive experience in health, care, or related sectors essential. Additional experience outside of health is desirable.

• Substantial experience of operating at board level and leading within a complex regulated environment.

• Experience of navigating the media and political stakeholders is highly desirable.

• Experience of delivering digital and workforce transformation at scale.

• Able to lead complex and sometime contentious change and transformation at significant scale.

• Experience and success in addressing discrimination and inequalities. 

Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of the health, care and local government landscape and an understanding of the social determinants of public health.

• Current thinking on practices which reduce health inequality, improve patient access, safety and well led.

• Sound understanding of financial planning and budgeting, and oversight and control of public funds.

Skills

• Exceptional communication skills that engender community confidence, strong collaborations, and partnership.

• Strong critical thinking and strategic problem solving; the ability to contribute to a joint strategic plan and undertake problem resolution and action. Analytical rigour and numeracy.

• Sophisticated leadership and influencing skills; building compassionate cultures where individuals and teams thrive at organisation, partnership, and system levels.

Qualifications

• Full membership of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) or equivalent qualification in a relevant management and leadership discipline.