Appointment of

Director of Policy and Research

Candidate Brief, June 2020

Introduction Thank you for your interest in the role of Director of Policy and Research at Marie Curie. If successful, you would be joining our charity at an exciting time: we have a new Chief Executive and have agreed an ambitious new strategy, focussed on delivering a significant shift in how our society prioritises death, dying and bereavement so that everyone can get the end of life experience they deserve. The global COVID-19 pandemic only heightens public appreciation of this issue and presents a real opportunity for us to make a step-change in our impact. At Marie Curie, we believe that each individual life is precious and that we all deserve the best possible conclusion to that life. For over 70 years, Marie Curie has been by the sides of people approaching the end of their lives, providing them and their loved ones with expert care and emotional support and guidance to help them make the most of the time they have left together. We are rightly well-known and loved, with one of the most recognised charity brands in the UK and over-indexing on public trust. We are proud of what we’ve achieved to date, but we know there is so much more to be done. Every five minutes – perhaps the time it takes you to read this pack – someone in the UK dies without all the care and support they need. As our population ages and we live longer with more, and more complex, conditions, that unmet need will continue to grow unless we are able to change this trajectory. This is where you come in. Our new strategy is based on the recognition that we have a unique position and a unique responsibility to influence the system for positive change. Through our network of c. 2,000 Marie Curie Nurses working in the community and our nine hospices, we are the largest provider of end of life care in the UK

outside of the NHS and the only service provider active in all four nations of the UK. We are also the largest charitable funder of research into palliative and end of life care in the UK. If we can’t lead on this issue, no one can. In fact, we believe this leadership position gives us a responsibility to be the voice of people affected by dying, death and bereavement. We want to ensure that no one misses out on the end of life experience they deserve. We are seeking a high-energy, dynamic leader who can build on our strong foundations to create change at pace. You will have the intellectual rigour to ensure that we are leading from an evidence-based position and the emotional intelligence to understand how to translate facts and figures into a compelling narrative that brings people with us. You will bring fresh perspectives and challenging thinking to the charity, helping us join up opportunities for greater collaboration between policy and research and our marketing, fundraising and services. If you come to work for us, you’ll be joining a team that is passionately committed to our cause, with our staff consistently scoring in the top decile among our peers in terms of engagement. We can offer flexible working, and we are proud to be a Stonewall Diversity Champion. We hope you are as inspired by the opportunity. If you have the skills, experience and motivation we’re looking for, please contact our partners at Saxton Bampfylde. Yours sincerely, Meredith Niles Executive Director of Fundraising and Engagement

Our core services

Marie Curie Nurses Marie Curie Nurses work night and day, in people’s homes across the UK, providing hands-on care and emotional support. If you’re living with a terminal illness, they can help you stay surrounded by the people you care about, in the place where you’re most comfortable.

Marie Curie Hospices Marie Curie Hospices offer the reassurance of specialist care and support, in a friendly, welcoming environment, for people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones.

Information and support We help everyone affected by a terminal illness to get the information and support they need, whether they are living with an illness themselves, or supporting a family member or friend.

Marie Curie Helper volunteers We know little things make a big difference when you’re living with a terminal illness. Our trained Helper and Companion volunteers visit regularly to chat or nip to the shops to pick up the essentials.

Policy and public campaigning We influence decision-makers on issues affecting people with a terminal illness. We keep quality care on the political agenda and encourage people to use their voice to create change.

Research We’re a leader in research into better ways of caring for people with a terminal illness. This helps improve care and support across our services, as well as those provided by others.

2018/19 targets and achievements

Targets

Our policy work 2018/19

Target

Use our voice and encourage others to advocate for better palliative and end of life care and improved outcomes for patients and families.

Achievements

England: starting conversations about end of life

• We secured changes to the NHS Long Term Plan to ensure end of life care was properly addressed.

• We launched a benefits campaign in partnership with the MND Association.

• Our Surrey campaign highlighted concerns that dying people were stuck in over-stretched hospitals when they’d prefer to be at home. We encouraged supporters to contact their MP, asking them to make sure those people got the care they deserve. This opened up important conversations with commissioners and MPs.

Wales: promoting good palliative care for all

• We played an important role in securing an additional £3 million for end of life care since the 2016 Assembly Elections.

• We instigated and drove the initiative that led to the Welsh Government committing to Wales becoming a Compassionate Country.

Scotland: changing approaches to death and dying

• In April 2018, Scottish Parliament passed the Social Security (Scotland) Bill. In this Bill, the new definition of terminal illness was based on clinical judgement with no timescales. By 2020, more people living with a terminal illness in Scotland will access these benefits quickly, without assessment and at the highest amount payable.

• We secured changes to Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s general standards for neurological care and support, to better address palliative care.

Northern Ireland: getting support for those in need

• We secured a recommendation to scrap the six-months rule in the review of the Personal Independent Payment assessment process. We gained support for Madeleine Moon MP’s Bill from four local councils and every political party in Northern Ireland, as well as the Democratic Unionist Party Westminster group.

• We ensured the needs of people with terminal illnesses are considered as part of two major health service transformation projects: the review of urgent and emergency care and the development of a new Cancer Strategy.

Mark’s Story

Mark Hughes is living with terminal cancer, and has first-hand experience of the difficulties faced by dying people when trying to claim the benefits they are entitled to.

“I was given six months to live in 2011. Trying to get a doctor to confirm that so I could be fast-tracked through the benefits system proved impossible. Form after form kept arriving – meanwhile, my family and I were trying to come to terms with my terminal diagnosis.

“When I heard that Marie Curie was campaigning to scrap the six-month fast-track scheme, I offered to help. Anyone with a terminal illness should be fast tracked and there should be one department that deals with all cases, so information isn’t lost between teams.

“Scrapping the six-month rule on fast tracking will stop people being put through the worry of endless form-filling and being made to feel like they are claiming benefits that they aren’t entitled to.

“Sadly, the likelihood is that in everyone’s lifetime someone close to them will be affected by terminal illness. Supporting this campaign will help them make that difficult journey easier. The last thing dying people need is obstacles in their way.”

Helping professionals provide better care

Last year, research at University College London, funded by Marie Curie and Alzheimer’s Society,

developed a toolkit to help healthcare professionals and carers better support people with dementia.

Practical and easy to use, it is designed to help practitioners make decisions when caring for someone with dementia at the end of their life.

The toolkit includes guidance that helps with eating and swallowing difficulties, managing agitation and restlessness, reviewing treatment and interventions at the end of life and providing routine care in the most sensitive ways.

In January 2019, researchers at the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, received the largest ever grant for improving palliative and end of life care for people with dementia and their carers in the UK. The £3.7 million grant will be used to fund research to help understand the current and future needs for dementia palliative care.

Supporting our staff to conduct research

Last year, we launched our internal small research grants scheme, which offers Marie Curie colleagues who have an interest in research and first-hand experience of palliative care the opportunity to apply for funding. Staff who have a research idea relating to improving the care of people living with terminal illness, or their carers and families, are encouraged to apply for a grant of up to £15,000.

To date, two grants have been awarded to fund:

• A study to identify the most appropriate and

acceptable method of assessing quality of life among patients receiving palliative care day services

• A study relating to the effectiveness of a screening tool called 4AT that looks for delirium in hospice patients living with a terminal illness

Morag’s Story

Dr Morag Farquhar has worked in health services research for more than 30 years, predominantly in palliative and supportive care. She led on the development of the Support Needs Approach for Patients (SNAP), initially for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“My team were awarded a Marie Curie research grant to develop SNAP. It is designed to enable person-centred care for patients with progressive conditions. Essentially, SNAP puts the patient in the driving seat during their consultations.

“Patients and their families have told us that SNAP helps them discuss areas where they might need more support. For some, it highlights areas they didn’t realise they could or should ask about.

“Similarly, healthcare professionals have been able to learn more about patient support needs – even in patients they’ve known for a while. So far, SNAP has been helpful in opening up conversations about future care that can be difficult to start.” Find out more about the project at thesnap.org.uk

Our Research

People in the UK are living longer, with more and more of us likely to be living with multiple conditions and more complex needs at the end of our lives. As the largest charitable funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK, we’re committed to meeting this challenge by improving care for everyone.

The role of Director of Policy and Research

Directorate: Fundraising and Engagement

Reports to: Executive Director of Fundraising and Engagement

Team: 5 direct reports; c. 20 staff in team

Job Summary

The Director of Policy and Research is a critical leadership role within the Fundraising and

Engagement (F&E) Directorate, working to influence policy, practice and public opinion so that we

can improve the end of life experience for more people, including the people who care about them.

Having recently brought Research into the F&E Directorate, your role will be to help align the Policy

and Public Affairs (PPA) and Research functions into a single, unified department with strong impact.

Working closely with the Executive Leadership Team, you will be responsible for developing and

executing our overarching influencing strategy.

The Director for Policy and Research will also be responsible for ensuring we maximise the value of

our investment in research. Our Research network includes academics, students and practitioners

working in our two research centres (located within UCL and Cardiff University), our Research

Fellows who work closely with our research-active Hospices, as well as our internal team. You will

work closely with colleagues in our Quality Improvement team within Caring Services to ensure that

we are translating evidenced-based best practice into our work and practice.

You will provide inspirational leadership to the teams under your management and will work to build

a culture of joint working that maximises current and future opportunities. You will be responsible

for a team of c. 20 staff and an annual expenditure budget of c. £4m; as part of our new strategy, we

have ambitions to grow the headcount and investment in this department significantly.

Policy and Research Director

Head of PPA England

Head of PPA Wales

Head of PPA Scotland

Head of PPA Northern Ireland

Head of Research

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Thought Leadership

• Working in close coordination with the Director of Fundraising and Engagement, the Marketing and Communications Director, and the Executive Leadership Team, develop Marie Curie’s overarching influencing strategy, including defining the key issues on which we wish to lead and refining our position within these;

• Develop a new multi-year strategy for maximising the impact of our investment in research activity, ensuring alignment with our policy and service delivery ambitions;

• Stay abreast of emerging trends within the health and social care sector and wider environment, analysing how these might impact on people’s experience at end of life and seeking proactively to influence these in a way that improves conditions for our constituents;

• Shape creative solutions that can be turned into actionable policies/translations into service;

• Crystallise complex findings into clear and motivating narratives;

• Work closely with colleagues in Marketing and Communications to ensure that our policy and research work is appropriately highlighted externally through broadcast, print, journals, and social media.

Relationships and Influence

• Raise the profile of end of life experience as an issue, and of Marie Curie as a leader within this field, with key influencers within governments, within the health and social care sector, within the voluntary sector, and within academia;

• Identify and build strategic partnerships that will strengthen Marie Curie’s voice and ability to advocate for our cause;

• Be prepared to represent the Charity at the highest levels, engaging credibly, dynamically and charismatically with key influencers, including with Marie Curie donors and senior volunteers;

• Build strong relationships with senior peers across the Charity and collaborate strategically to ensure an integrated approach to achieving the Charity’s objectives and vision;

• Work with the rest of the F&E Senior Leadership Team to help develop and deliver the overall public engagement strategy for the charity;

• Represent Policy and Research and the F&E Directorate on charity-wide boards and working groups, as required;

• Deputise for the F&E Executive Director where required;

• Promote internal dialogue and activities to ensure that policy and research mutually support and engage for maximum impact.

Leadership and Culture

• Lead, inspire, motivate and develop your teams to deliver an ambitious thought leadership strategy that will help UK society make a step change in people’s end of life experience;

• Nurture and develop the talent within your teams to build resilience and depth;

• Embed a culture of organisational cooperation, encouraging collaborative working between PPA and Research, with the rest of the Fundraising and Engagement Directorate, and with the charity as a whole.

Other

• Visibly live the Charity’s values, including our commitment to diversity and inclusion;

• Actively invest in continuous learning, staying on top of best practice and emerging trends and translating this into actionable insights for the department;

• Fulfil other reasonable duties as required.

Person Specification

Essential

Experience

• Proven track record in strategic development and implementation within a policy / thought leadership context, including experience in at least one or more of the following areas;

o Experience commissioning research;

o Experience of lobbying or campaigning;

o Experience working within government;

o Experience working with the media;

• Has held key senior roles and has worked at a strategic level;

• Previous experience leading and developing teams.

Skills

• Outstanding written communication skills, with the ability to draft and edit content appropriate for a range of audiences – speeches, position papers, blog posts, social media posts;

• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the credibility and confidence to win support from decision-makers at the highest levels;

• Sharp critical thinking and strategic planning skills and ability to translate strategy into action;

• Strong leadership required; in particular, must be able to inspire and motivate people internally and externally;

• Ability to manage through ambiguity and complexity;

• Ability to distil complex information into clear and coherent board reports and presentations;

• Excellent judgement and decision-making abilities, including the ability to make tough decisions quickly and confidently;

• Be able to respond quickly, creatively and decisively to opportunities;

• Must be an excellent team worker, committed to building collaborative and effective relationships both internally and externally.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the dynamics of the health and social care sector;

• Understanding of how policy decisions are made and how to use public and private influence to create change;

• Appreciation of the role of research in evidence-based policy and practice.

Other

• Must have an authentic desire to work in the voluntary sector and a genuine commitment to the work of Marie Curie;

• Self-motivating, proactive and with a real drive for success;

• A flexible and adaptable approach will be required for the role;

• Ability to provide visible leadership to a team dispersed throughout the UK and, under normal circumstances, willingness to travel throughout the UK regularly.

Desirable

Any of the following specific areas of experience would be desirable:

• Previous experience managing significant budgets;

• Knowledge of the palliative care/end of life care sector;

• Understanding of the differences associated with working in the voluntary sector (if little

voluntary sector experience).

Terms of Appointment

Location: 89 Albert Embankment, London

Flexible working: Given the current situation, the role is home-based for the time being. We hope that

in the longer term, the Director of Policy and Research will be present at our Head Office at least 2-3

days per week.

As a national charity with offices throughout the UK, we are open to candidates who are based in

other locations but willing to travel weekly to London.

A willingness to travel throughout the UK regularly is required.

How to applySaxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to Marie Curie on this appointment.

Candidates should apply for this role through our website at www.saxbam.com/appointments using code UAJAE.

Click on the ‘apply’ button and follow the instructions to upload a CV and cover letter, no longer than 2 sides of A4.

The closing date for applications is noon on Wednesday 24th June 2020.

Preliminary interviews with Saxton Bampfylde will take place w/c 6th & 13th July.

Formal panel interviews will take place w/c 3rd August 2020.

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