Case Manager (Student Discipline and Professionalism) - College of Medicine and Health - 98620 [...]

Position Details

College of Medicine and Health

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £35,880 to £45,163 with potential progression once in post to £47,874

Grade: 7

Part Time (18.75 hours per week)

Permanent

Closing date: 16th March 2025

Zoom Info Session

If you are unsure as to whether this is the role for you, have any questions, or just want to learn more, we invite you to join us at the "UoBStudent Discipline and Professionalism Case Manager". This will be open discussion sessions where you can learn more about the role, ask questions, and hear more about what it's like to work at the University of Birmingham from a current Programme Administration Manager. Please see below for details:

When: 25th Feb 2025 at 2pm and 7th March 2025 at 2pm

Register in advance for this meeting by emailing Sue Geraghty s.e.geraghty@bham.ac.uk

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Pre-Interview test and Interview

Interviews will be held on 26th March 2025 with a pre-interview task to be undertaken remotely beforehand.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do. The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

We have an exciting opportunity for a Case Manager for Student Discipline and Professionalism matters to join our diverse and vibrant Education support teams, supporting students and staff across the University. We are passionate about providing service excellence and the role will offer you the scope to contribute by proactively leading a team and identifying ways of enhancing the student experience, providing guidance and advice and supporting the successful delivery of academic programmes.

You will be part of the Education Services and Support team within the College of Medical and Dental Sciences which consists of over 100 Professional Services staff who work together to support and enable the delivery of education across Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes. You will be part of a team of professional services staff undertaking this role, with the addition of further administrative support.

Role Summary

Students on professional healthcare programmes within the College of Medical and Dental Sciences are required to demonstrate professional standards of health and conduct in order to be considered fit to practise in their chosen profession. The College therefore has a responsibility to the professions, the public and employers to ensure that only those students who are fit to practice are permitted to complete the curriculum and graduate.

The College is required to manage increasingly complex academic appeals and Fitness to Practise referral cases which could result in a) legal repercussions, b) students graduating who are not fit to practise in a health care profession, and c) refusal of registration and licence to practise by the relevant Public Statutory Regulatory Bodies (e.g. General Medical Council (GMC), General Dental Council (GDC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)). The post holder will be responsible for managing the cases - some of which may last several months before resolution and where some students may engage legal representation, to a conclusion whilst considering the reputation of the College and University and ensuring cases are handled so as to mitigate against legal action and judicial review.

Main Duties

Investigations

• Facilitating thorough investigations and preparing detailed reports in collaboration with the relevant Investigating Officer. In more complex cases this will involve working collaboratively with the University’s Legal Services team.
• Compiling, checking and indexing the case files for each case to ensure they are thorough and include the allegation of concern, any witness information or other evidence and the student’s initial response.

Hearings and Appeals

• Providing proactive, professional and expert support and advice for Fitness to Practice Hearings by using your detailed knowledge of procedures, case history and licensing body guidance to support the decisions made by Case Presenters, Senior Academics and Committees in relation to appeals and Fitness to Practise outcomes. This will include:
• Exercising professional judgement and experience to guide others as appropriate;
• Managing the interview process for witnesses and students under investigation for Fitness to Practise Hearings;
• Preparing accurate statements for agreement;
• Briefing witnesses and students under investigation so that they are prepared for the hearing;
• Ensuring outcomes of the hearings are actioned and followed through;
• Providing professional support and advice in managing appeals, in collaboration with academic and professional services colleagues;
• Recording and monitoring the progress of all appeals within the College, reporting on progress to the Head of Operations (Student Experience and Support).
• Maintaining an accurate record of all cases, providing management information to the University and the relevant Professional and Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB) as required.
• Ensuring that cases which require suspension of study on health or conduct-related grounds are managed, progressed and reviewed with due regard to relevant legislation and institutional risk but also with sensitivity. This will require you to work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders across the College and University.
• Acting as Secretary to College and University Misconduct and Fitness to Practise Committees, writing complete and accurate notes, and ensuring all required follow-up letters are produced, to provide a comprehensive official record. This will require you to develop and maintain an excellent and in-depth knowledge of University legislation and procedure as well as professional body regulations and professional practice standards in order to be able to advise Committee panel members as appropriate.

Quality Assurance and Training

• Devising appropriate, efficient, and effective quality assurance mechanisms which will meet both University and PSRB standards.
• Developing training materials and running regular training sessions and briefings for academic and clinical colleagues who are engaged in Fitness to Practise activities.
• Reviewing current procedures, guidance, and template documentation to ensure they are fit for purpose and reflect changes in regulations and best practice. This will require you to collaborate with and influence senior colleagues within the College and wider University to ensure the procedures and guidance are legally sound, transparent and comply with the licensing body's guidance. You will need to proactively identify if there are any conflicts and where there are suggest appropriate changes to procedure and guidance.

General

• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) plus relevant practical experience - where no equivalent qualification is held significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a series of progressively more demanding roles will be required.
• Ability to review and understand multiple regulatory frameworks, regulations and policies and implement complex procedures and guidance related to these.
• Ability to review complex University procedures and policies with a view to contributing to their ongoing development in light of operational, regulatory and legislative developments.
• Knowledge of external legislation that impacts on the areas of responsibility, including the General Data Protection Regulation, the Equality Act, and Human Rights Act.
• Excellent organisational, communication and relationship building skills with the ability to deal confidently and professionally in providing accurate advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders including Clinical Academics, students, senior managers, academic staff and staff at all levels of the organisation and externally with key stakeholders in the NHS and professional bodies.
• Highly developed written communication skills, including the ability to draft succinct, sensitive and accurate guidance, reports and correspondence for a variety of internal and external audiences.
• Ability to negotiate and influence the direction of the service.
• Experience in working in a compliance-based organisation.
• Experience of sourcing, analysing and reporting on management data.
• Able to show a conceptual and analytical approach to problems.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality in all areas of work.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

Dimensions

You will manage student Misconduct, Fitness to Practise and Appeals cases across the College of Medical and Dental Sciences, working with the other Fitness to Practise & Appeals Case Manager and relevant Academic leads.

Planning and Organising

You will be expected to manage your caseload, securing internal and external stakeholder commitment, to ensure that cases are heard, and decisions are made in a timely manner.

Problem Solving and decision making

You will take responsibility for day-to-day operational decisions relating to the management of Student Misconduct, Fitness to Practise and Appeals cases and will support the Academic Teams in reaching informed decisions about the outcome of any investigations and liaising with central departments (Registry) as appropriate.

Internal and External relationships

The role is a key liaison and co-ordination role on specified deliverables, so will have a range of internal and external stakeholders, including Heads of Operations and key Professional Services staff across the College and University, Academic staff and Programme Leads, Students, and External Partners – e.g. NHS Trusts, Regulators etc.

Further particulars can be found here

Informal enquiries to Sue Geraghty, email: s.e.geraghty@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.