Data Lead

The Addiction Care & Treatment Service (ACTS) at University Hospitals Dorset is looking for a Data Lead.

ACTS is a small specialist team. We work with patients across our hospitals who have difficulties with alcohol and other drugs and tobacco dependence. We also work with people who experience high intensity use of hospital services. The service reports its activity to NHS England, NHS Dorset and local authority commissioners as well as to the Trust. Looking after the data behind all of that is the focus of this post.

You will be the only person doing this work. That brings independence and a direct working relationship with the Head of Addiction Services. The reporting deadlines sit with you, though not in isolation. You will work closely with the clinical team and with the Trust’s Business Intelligence department, who support the service’s data flows., o Manage all statutory and mandatory data submissions on behalf of ACTS and UHD, including drug and alcohol returns through NDTMS and tobacco returns and act on DOMES and RAG report findings.

o Coordinate the collection, validation and entry of patient data and take the lead on resolving validation issues with clinical staff and the Business Intelligence team.

o Build and maintain the reporting databases, dashboards and digital processes the service runs on, covering outcome measures, activity trends and performance against KPIs.

o Produce routine internal and external reports and respond to ad-hoc information requests, to a high standard of accuracy, timeliness and presentation.

o Work with clinicians and service managers to interpret what the data shows and turn it into practical recommendations.

o Act as the single point of contact for ACTS data queries across both hospital sites, and set consistent data standards so that reporting means the same thing wherever it comes from.

o Design and deliver training for colleagues on data handling and spreadsheet use, pitched to a range of skill levels and provide ongoing troubleshooting support.

o Allocate work to the ACTS administrative staff and give guidance on data handling, confidentiality and data protection.

o Represent ACTS in meetings, forums and working groups on data, quality improvement and service development.

We are more interested in how well you handle data than in whether you have worked in addiction services before. You will need office experience in a healthcare setting and advanced Excel skills. You will also need to explain what a set of figures shows about the team’s activity and outcomes, in terms a clinician or a commissioner can use.

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

ACTS is a small, specialist team working across inpatient, outpatient and community settings. You would be the only person in the service holding this brief, working directly to the Head of Addiction Services and alongside the specialist nursing team. That means real ownership and visible impact, and it means you need to be someone who can organise their own work.

UHD has active networks including Women’s, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.