Unscheduled Care Policy – Hospital at Home Lead

Do you have strong leadership skills with ability to give honest, motivating messages about priorities, objectives, and expectations?

The Directorate for the Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland is responsible for developing Health & Social Care Policy for the people of Scotland. The Directorate works to achieve the best health and care outcomes for people by supporting NHS Scotland in delivering key performance targets.

Within this Directorate, the Performance and Delivery Division supports the development of policies for urgent and unscheduled care through collaborative programmes. One such policy is Hospital at Home which is a continually developing area and is now a key deliverable as part of the First ministers plan for NHS renewal, supported by £85 million of additional funding.

To enable successful delivery of the Hospital at Home programme, and to meet the ambitions set out in the recently published Operational Improvement Plan, will require a committed Hospital at Home Lead.

You will be responsible for overseeing policy and engagement activities across the Hospital at Home programme and be expected to model appropriate behaviours and values in line with the Civil Service Code. 

You should have a high degree of political awareness, be capable of working autonomously in a demanding environment, and be able to provide leadership across the Hospital at Home programme and to the wider organisation.

Responsibilities

• Supporting the Deputy Director and Director to deliver the Hospital at Home programme making well-informed decisions ensuring stakeholder views are appropriately built into proposals / recommendations; ensuring that Ministerial commitments are met.
• Provide strategic leadership and advice on the expansion of Hospital at Home programme and chair key meetings, managing sensitive negotiations and working collaboratively to shape, influence, co-produce, and influence and implement key initiatives in line with wider strategic initiatives. 
• Provide robust advice and recommendations on the allocation of financial resources within the Directorate, including the allocation of the £85 million budget to support the implementation of the Operational Improvement Plan.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, represent the Government and in discussions including leading the commissioning of key delivery partners such as Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Public Health Scotland and ensuring digital and workforce requirements are reflected in policy proposals. 
• Lead the management and monitoring of Hospital at Home implementation ensuring activity is on track and appropriate governance / oversight is in place to inform governance groups and Programme for Government updates.
• Collaborate closely with analytical colleagues to design, monitor, and lead the development of data collections, including an external evaluation of the Hospital at Home expansion, ensuring insights are effectively integrated into policy development and decision-making. 
• Lead communication and manage relationship with delivery partners, ensuring messaging is consistent across all Hospital at Home pathways, using advanced problem solving and influencing skills.
• Provide leadership to the wider unscheduled care team, managing and coordinating work, supporting staff to learn and develop.  

Success profileSuccess profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on. Experience

Experience of developing and evaluating policy including financial aspects to influence decision-making or resource allocation.

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing - Level 4
• Working Together - Level 4
• Leadership - Level 4
• Delivering at Pace - Level 4

You can find out more about Success Profiles here: Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot
 How to applyApply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1500 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.   Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and Presentation. Assessments are scheduled for w/c 3rd November however this may be subject to change. About us
The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland. We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Working patternOur standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. From October 2025, the Scottish Government will require staff in hybrid-compatible roles to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us. Security checksSuccessful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.  Equality statementWe are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation. Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them. Further informationFind out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website. Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes. Apply before; 20th October (23:59) This post is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship organisations only