Deputy Emergency Planning Manager

Main area Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract 12 months (Secondment/Fixed term) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 285-5092-CORP

Employer Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Black Country Healthcare NHS FT Town Wolverhampton Salary £46,148 - £52,809 Per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 17/04/2025 23:59

Deputy Emergency Planning Manager

NHS AfC: Band 7

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country.

Across the whole of the region we provide:

• Adult and older adult mental health services
• Specialist learning disability services
• Mental health services for children and young people
• Community healthcare services for children, young people and families in Dudley

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020, with the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Combining resources, strategies and talented workforce enables us to deliver a wider variety of outstanding services that are based on best practice and are continually improving.

We currently employ over 4,000 people and just like the population we serve, we are made up of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Whatever your role, working in a NHS Foundation Trust, like ours, is a demanding and extremely rewarding experience. Knowing that every day you can help to make a positive difference to someone’s life is a very powerful feeling. We know that our Trust runs on this desire to help and support people, and our Trust vision expresses this. Our vision is to improve health and wellbeing for everyone, especially our colleagues to achieve the best possible work/life balance.

We proudly offer supportive, inclusive and family friendly employment and flexible working policies. We have a wide range of professional services and employee networks to help our colleagues be at their best - and find support if they need it.

Job overview

Black Country Healthcare, is looking to appoint an experienced and motivated Deputy Emergency Planning Manager within the Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) Team on a 12 month secondment or fixed term. The Deputy Emergency Planning Manager will work on specific projects to help BHCFT fulfil its duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and meet its obligations as described within the NHS England Core Standards for EPRR. The EPRR Deputy Manager will promote continuous improvement in BCHFT EPRR arrangements and will undertake joint working with colleagues in partner organisations to enhance plans and processes for emergency preparedness. The successful candidate will report and deputise for the Emergency Planning Manager.

The Deputy Emergency Planning Manager will be responsible for the daily management of BCHFT’s emergency preparedness, resilience and response functions, and to support the enhancement and embedding of the resilience culture across the Trust. This is an opportunity to work within a diverse and complex acute Mental Health & Learning Disability hospital / community environment, working across all teams and sites of operations.

Main duties of the job

This post has a direct impact on:

Adequacy of BCHFT’s business continuity planning and arrangements

• Achievement of NHSE standards for emergency and business continuity preparedness as detailed in NHSE: Standards for Organisational Resilience, NHSE Preparing for Emergencies guidance, and associated standards.
• EPRR Corporate & Divisional risk management arrangements through personal contact with General Managers, Directors and their representatives.
• The interface between emergency and business continuity plans

Working for our organisation

Organisational and professional responsibilities

1. Deputise for the General Manager in EPRR aspects of their role in their absence.
2. Have financial responsibility to sign off staff rosters and invoices for procured items/services.
3. Line manage staff within the department.
4. Develop their knowledge, experience, professional skills and aptitudes by progressively increasing a portfolio of responsibilities over time.
5. At all times display excellent interpersonal skills.
6. Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing and in presentations.
7. Prepare clear and well laid out plans, reports, briefings and guidance commensurate with the appropriate level of knowledge and experience.
8. Liaise with a range of contacts across a variety of organisations to communicate technical, complex, sensitive or contentious information.
9. Employ negotiating and/or persuasive skills to achieve desired outcomes.
10. Employ project management techniques to achieve discrete objectives within a wider work programme.
11. Use a variety of information and communications technology to relay information.
12. Write and prepare meeting notes and minutes where necessary and arrange meetings and events as required.

Person specification

• Degree or equivalent experience.
• Diploma in Health Emergency Planning (DipHep) or equivalent relevant qualification.
• Awareness of a range of Health Services Provisions.
• Evidence of relevant continuous professional development.
• Understanding of confidentiality and the Data Protection Act.
• Experience across a wide range of administrative activities.
• Teaching/ training experience or qualification.

Experience

• Detailed and wide reaching EPRR knowledge or Experience of working in a high-pressured environment with rapidly changing priorities.
• Experience in communication with a wide range of staff at all levels and in a range of organisations (internal/external stakeholders) through a range of methods (formal presentations, face to face and virtual meetings).
• Experience in dealing with sensitive and confidential information.
• Experience of operating as Tactical/Silver incident /coordinator in a wider range of incident scenarios including those requiring multiagency response and incidents with prolonged response and recovery phases.
• Experience of multi-agency planning, training and exercising.
• Working in the NHS, or other large complex multidisciplinary and multi-sited organization.
• Experience of designing and delivering training and exercising interventions to practice or validate emergency or business continuity arrangements or equivalent.
• Experience of developing, maintaining and evaluating emergency and business continuity policies and plans.
• Experience of supporting NHS incident teams in responding to incidents and emergencies.
• Experience of CBRNE incident response planning and training or understanding.
• Evidence of demonstrable EPRR experience and knowledge.

** Please Note that Internal at Risk Employees will be given preference for this position**

We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward for this vacancy at any time should we receive an overwhelming response of applications. We therefore encourage applicants to apply early if you wish to be considered for this post.

If you do not hear from the recruitment 4 weeks within the advertised closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage. Please ensure that you check your emails on a regular basis for any recruitment updates regarding this vacancy.

The salary range quoted is as per NHS Agenda for Change pay structures. This is based on the number of years’ working directly within the NHS at the advertised pay band. Experience gained with other NHS Trusts will apply, but candidates without prior experience working direct for the NHS would normally be appointed at the lowest point unless they can demonstrate the equivalent experience and then be eligible for incremental increases in future years.

Successful applicants for clinical posts up to and including Band 4 are expected to hold the national Care Certificate qualification and will be supported to attain this once in post.

The Trust is committed to equal opportunities, providing opportunities for flexible working and is a non-smoking organisation.

As a Trust we are passionate about Anti-Racism, Disability Inclusion, and LGBTQ+ Equality, and are committed to diversifying our staff team in all areas and at all levels of seniority to better reflect the diverse communities we serve.