Place Director (Neighbourhood Health)

Job responsibilities

Responsible to

Executive Director of Public Health and Wellbeing.

As a system role, the post-holder will additionally be accountable to a joint board with responsibility for overseeing Sunderlands Neighbourhood Health approach (TBC)

Responsible for staff/equipment

The post-holder will be responsible for the following joint funded posts that sit within Sunderlands Place Partnership-

Clinical Lead for Neighbourhood Health - ext appointment

Managerial Lead for Neighbourhood - ext appointment

Senior Programme Manager - ext appointment

Integrated commissioning posts employed by SCC.

In addition, the post-holder will be expected to matrix manage, as required, to support local implementation and oversight of neighbourhood health teams and resources

Main purpose of job

Aligned to the national Neighbourhood Health Framework, the postholder will ensure Sunderland delivers the minimum expectations for neighbourhood health, including improving access, embedding proactive and preventative care, establishing Integrated Neighbourhood Teams - INTs, and achieving the nationally defined goals for high priority cohorts such as frailty, long term conditions, CYP and end of life care

The post holder will lead Sunderland's transition toward population based delivery, proactive and preventative care, and neighbourhood level integrated services, ensuring outcomes, resources and delivery models are shaped around defined populations.

They post-holder will act as the strategic integrator for Sunderland, forging alignment between NHS, local authority, VCSE, primary care and community partners and ensuring Sunderland becomes an early adopter of future models including Single Neighbourhood Providers - SNPs, Multi Neighbourhood Providers - MNPs and readiness for Integrated Health Organisation - IHO arrangements.

Key responsibilities

Lead the development and implementation of the Sunderland Neighbourhood Health Plan; providing strategic leadership and expert advice to the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) in ensuring the plan aligns with national goals and ambitions, Sunderland's Healthy City Plan, the JSNA, and local outcomes frameworks.

Support the HWB to transition into a proactive, decision driving partnership body. Ensure the HWB holds a clear line of sight between national goals, Sunderlands system priorities, and neighbourhoodlevel delivery.

Work with the HWB to undertake aligned financial planning, including pooled-aligned budgets, prevention investment strategies, and use of the Better Care Fund - BCF in line with national policy expectations.

Lead the establishment of a host-partner integrator model, testing the administrative and legal frameworks required to receive delegated funds.

Oversee the establishment and development of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams - INTs, serving priority cohorts including: frailty, long-term conditions - CVD, diabetes, COPD, dementia, mental health, CYP, end-of-life and high risk populations.

Lead the identification of system-wide needs and assets to optimise collaboration across health, care, and public health. Developing tactical plans and strategies to configure resource in a way that aligns to left shift and productivity ambitions.

Lead the evolution of primary care networks into neighbourhood health providers - SNPs, ensuring strong clinical leadership and seamless connections between general practice, community services, council commissioned services, and wider community-based provision.

Shape Sunderland's approach to Multi-Neighbourhood Provider functions across localities, enabling consistent service delivery at scale and effective coordination.

Design governance, outcomes frameworks and financial architectures that prepare Sunderland for future IHO arrangements where appropriate.

Develop the governance for population based contracts, including use of pooled budgets, risk share approaches, delegated authority mechanisms, and oversight of subcontracting chains.

Lead Sunderland's shift to data driven planning, embedding population health analytics, real time intelligence and risk stratification across all programmes.

Ensure neighbourhood health delivery meets or exceeds national metrics, whilst shaping local outcomes that reflect Sunderland's priorities around inequalities, community wellbeing and prevention.

Build a culture of collaborative system leadership, strengthening relationships with clinical leaders, local authority directors, VCSE organisations, community groups and residents.

Work with the HWB to develop a robust VCSE partnership infrastructure, recognising the sector as a critical enabler of prevention, community engagement and neighbourhood working.

Ensure public and community voices shape neighbourhood plans, and support neighbourhood boards, community assets, and local public service reform agendas, e.g., Pride in Place, Best Start in Life, SEND reforms.

Lead system-wide workforce development and culture change in line with the 10-Year Workforce Plan, ensuring Sunderland becomes a leading place to work in community and neighbourhood services.

Act as Sunderland's ambassador regionally and nationally, influencing policy, sharing learning and securing investment.

Key tasks

Lead the development of the Sunderland Strategic and Operational Neighbourhood Health Plan, ensuring it is a live document that synthesises health, care, public health and wider public reform priorities.

Develop and lead the roadmap toward a formal Joint (Integrator) Committee - s75/s65Z5 - to oversee Sunderland's Neighbourhood Health delivery.

Lead the roadmap to formal population based contracting models - SNP/MNP/IHO, working with key partners on payment flows, outcomes and delegated authority.

Embed the national minimum expectations for neighbourhood health, ensuring Sunderland meets the required baseline in GP access, INT development, elective pathway redesign, community waiting times and data-sharing standards.

Design and oversee the implementation of local single points of access, neighbourhood based outpatient redesign, and modern service ...