Deputy Chief Operating Officer - Planned Care

We are seeking an exceptional and experienced leader to join our senior operational leadership team as Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Planned Care at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

This is a senior operational leadership role with responsibility for the strategic and day to day delivery of planned care services, including Cancer pathways, referral to treatment performance, diagnostics and elective care recovery.

The post holder will work closely with the Chief Operating Officer and wider Executive team to ensure high quality, safe and effective services for our patients.

You will play a pivotal role in leading transformation, improving performance against national standards and delivering sustainable improvements in patient access and experience.

Face to face interviews will be held at MKUH on Thursday 16 July 2026., You will take a senior leadership role across planned care, shaping how services are delivered and performing across the Trust. This is a role where you can make a visible and lasting difference, leading improvements in referral to treatment, cancer pathways and elective access, and ensuring patients are seen at the right time in the right place.

Working alongside clinical and operational leaders, you will focus on improving patient flow, reducing waiting times and making the best possible use of capacity. You will be at the forefront of driving performance against national and local standards, with a clear line of sight to quality, safety and patient experience.

You will lead and support transformation across planned care, delivering service redesign and embedding continuous improvement in a way that is practical, sustainable and meaningful for teams and patients. This is not just about plans on paper, but about delivering real change at pace.

Equally important will be your ability to build strong, trusted relationships across the organisation and the wider health and care system. You will bring teams with you, developing high performing services, supporting leaders and creating a culture where people feel accountable, supported and motivated to deliver their best.

Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a "Good" rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.

As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.

We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.

Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards - a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards - and the recently approved Women and Children's Centre, set to open by 2030.

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