Community Healthcare Network Manager

Details of Service

Health care services in Ireland are undertaking a significant reform in line with Government policy as envisioned in Sláintecare to ensure that the service delivery model and associated governance and management structures in Community Healthcare are fit for purpose to deliver high-quality, safe and effective care that meets the needs of the population and is delivered as close to home as possible.

In order to realise the benefits of Sláintecare and the future of healthcare in Ireland, there is a need for strong leadership and ownership at local level, bringing the relationship between primary care and specialist social care, mental health & acute hospital services, as well as advancing the health and wellbeing of the population, into a much more focused and integrated approach in each local area.

Ownership and responsibility for the provision of health and social services, through the life cycle is best placed within the communities that people live.

Community Healthcare Networks, serving a community population of on average 50,000, are the fundamental unit of organisation for the delivery of services. When fully rolled out there will be 96 Community Healthcare Networks across the country. Community Healthcare Networks, led by a Network Manager, will facilitate the move to a lowest level of complexity and will ensure a focus on the population in local areas.

The Network Manager is the accountable and responsible person for ensuring the delivery of primary care services to the population within the defined network area. They will coordinate the delivery of the services within/outside Networks through the identification of clear access and referral pathways to services for older people, people with disabilities, people with mental illness and to acute hospitals.

Both the role of Network Manager and Head of Discipline are critical to the safe and effective provision of service at network level. The Network Manager position is the key role within the overall operational management and delivery system taking ownership of the integration of services within the network, and with other service providers relevant to the network. It is acknowledged that the roles of Network Manager and Head of Discipline are distinctive in nature. It is vital that the respective roles are collaborative in nature while being clear about their respective functions so that there is no ambiguity, duplication of purpose or confusion of responsibilities.

The Community Care Network Manager is the accountable and responsible person for ensuring the delivery of primary care services to the population within the defined network area. The Head of Discipline is accountable and responsible for providing clinical governance and assurance regarding professional practice, quality and standards and will have a line of supervision to the relevant staff in this respect.

The HSE Enhanced Community Care Programme includes the implementation and evaluation of the CHN Learning Sites and additional Enhanced Community Care Networks, which will expand the CHN multidisciplinary approach across an additional 48 Networks to maintain people in their communities, enable a ‘home first’ approach, keep people out of hospital and/or ensure people are discharged from hospital without delay.

Reporting Relationship

Reports to the Primary Care General Manager as the accountable and responsible person for ensuring the delivery of primary care services to the population within the defined network area, working collaboratively with the Head of Discipline and with colleagues within Primary Care.

Key Working Relationships

To deliver the Network Operating Model, focused on multidisciplinary working, co-ordination & integration to deliver a service to the population of the Network. The day to day key working relationships of the Community Healthcare Network Manager, responsible for the primary care network staff, are with the GP Lead, Community Nursing and Heads of Discipline.

The role of Community Healthcare Network Manager and Head of Discipline are Critical to the safe and effective provision of services.

Purpose of the Post

The Community Healthcare Network Manager is the accountable and responsible person for ensuring the delivery of high quality, safe, coordinated, primary care team services to the population of the network. This will be provided in accordance with legislative and service delivery frameworks and requirements, within the resources allocated.

Using a multi-disciplinary team based model of service delivery, Community Healthcare Network Manager will have full responsibility and accountability for managing specified Primary Care staff within the network. They will provide day to day operational line management for these Primary Care Staff, working collaboratively with the Heads of Discipline who will provide clinical governance and assurance regarding professional practice, quality and standards and will have a line of clinical supervision regarding the practice of each HSE professional within the Network.

The Community Healthcare Network Manager will co-ordinate the integration of community healthcare services within the Network in response to the needs and requirements of the population & the requirement to deliver services. They will be responsible for service user involvement and lead on engagement with communities.

Emma Ball

General Manager|Primary Care Division|Sligo/South Donegal/Leitrim/West Cavan Integrated Healthcare Area

Markievicz House|Barrack St|Sligo

Tel: 087 100 6117 Email: emma.ball@hse.ie