Integrated urgent care/NHS 111 team leader

Team leaders in the integrated urgent care/NHS 111 service manage a team of service advisers, health advisers, and other support staff. They provide real-time performance management, visible and accessible leadership, and coaching to staff in the team.

This may be in both face-to-face and virtual environments.

Working life

Team leaders require factual and theoretical knowledge of urgent care/NHS 111. Work is guided by standard operating procedures, protocols or systems of work, and you will make judgements, plan activities, contribute to service development and demonstrate self-development. You may have responsibility for supervising some staff.

You’ll be experienced in the use of a clinical decision support system, a specialist computer software to help assess people over the phone, and local decision-making protocols.

You’ll ensure efficient, high-quality, safe service delivery with adherence to national quality requirements and organisational key performance indicators.

Who will you work with?

You will be part of an integrated urgent care team working with non-clinical and clinical colleagues, including healthcare professionals, such as nurses, doctors, allied health practitioners, pharmacists, and dentists. You’ll work with these colleagues on site and remotely.

Training and development

Training for team leaders could include:

qualifications at level 4 and 5, for example a higher apprenticeship
leadership, mentoring and coaching
support skills

Entry requirements

You’ll need to be educated to GCSE level and possess a fundamental level of maths, English and IT skills. However, this will depend on the provider and may vary.

As a team leader, you’ll have previous experience of working within an integrated urgent care/NHS 111 service as a health adviser or other experience in a healthcare setting.

Team leaders will have an advanced understanding of clinical decision support systems with the ability to coach others.

You'll need to be able to demonstrate working knowledge of:

recruitment
performance management
communication skills
dispute resolution
disciplinary and grievance processes

Pay and conditions
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Roles within integrated urgent care/NHS 111 services are aligned to Skills for Health levels. The team leader role will usually be level 4, dependent on the provider. Salary will vary depending on provider and experience.

Team leaders work agreed hours per week, this may be on a shift pattern basis. Shifts cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year so work patterns may include evenings, nights, early starts, weekends and bank holidays. Terms and conditions may vary from provider to provider.
Where the role can lead
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You can build a career in integrated urgent care/NHS 111. There are roles available from Skills for Health levels 2 to 9. Apprenticeships start at level 2 and can go up to Master’s degree level.

You could go on to become a clinical adviser (level 5) or clinical lead (level 6) or to the levels above this, after graduating with an appropriate degree (via the apprenticeship route/or through directly gaining a degree) in a healthcare profession.
Job market and vacancies
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NHS 111 is changing and the service is moving towards a single point of access for patients to urgent care. This means patients with less severe conditions will find it easier to access urgent medical advice, on the phone and online.

Plans include rolling out enhanced assessments across urgent care services, and potentially to urgent treatment centres, care homes and ambulance services. GP out of hours and NHS 111 services will increasingly be combined. By 2019, NHS 111 will be able to book people into urgent face-to-face appointments where this is needed.
Further information
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Find out about other NHS 111 roles and working in the NHS 111 service as a clinical manager.

And visit the NHS England website for further details about a career in integrated care/NHS 111. There's information about:
- an apprenticeship scheme
- accreditation and qualifications
- example job descriptions
- case studies
- a handy infographic
Other useful websites:

NHS Jobs

Skills for Health

NHS 111