Band 8c - Associate Director of Quality & Patient Safety

NHS; Watford; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job description

Band 8c - Associate Director of Quality & Patient Safety

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Quality is a key priority for the trust, and this post holder will have a key role in ensuring patient safety and will have direct line management responsibility for the harm free care team.

With a clinical leadership focus for all aspects of patient safety, clinical risk management, and clinical governance; the post holder is expected to be one of the named patient safety specialists in line with the Patient Safety Response Framework.

Key workstreams which form part of the day-to-day responsibilities are:

• Patient Safety Incident Response Framework
• Support the development and operational translation of the patient safety/quality strategy, infrastructure, and culture across the organisation
• Patient Safety Specialist
• Harm Free Care
• Quality Account
• Duty of Candour
• To provide quality assurance, ensuring the fundamentals of care are delivered effectively and efficiently against recognised best practice
• Support the Deputy Director of Nursing - Quality and Safety in working with external stakeholders to implement the governance framework relating to clinical quality and safety in the HCP and wider linking in with the ICB. This includes working across boundaries with health and social care organisations to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be skilled and have expertise as a qualified healthcare professional with NHS patient safety syllabus training. They must have knowledge of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework as well as the function of the harm free care team; this includes falls prevention, pressure ulcer prevention, nutrition and hydration, continence management, and VTE.

Having knowledge of quality governance and leadership skills in managing complex issues. Experience in working in a patient safety, quality, risk management, or clinical governance in addition to harm free care and ward accreditation.

Job responsibilities

Core hours will be Monday to Friday.

The job responsibilities are to lead, enable, and facilitate change on quality initiatives to support the delivery of key objectives and strategic goals driving quality and improvement.

The post holder will deputise for the Deputy Director of Nursing, Quality & Safety.

Day to day line management of the Harm Free Care Matrons.

Clinical input into the implementation and delivery of the PSIRF related activities and leading on learning responses to patient safety incidents as assigned.

Person Specification

Education

• Qualified healthcare professional, with current professional registration
• Evidence of relevant ongoing professional development with relevant experience gained through education, training, and work experience.
• Level 1 and 2 NHS Patient Safety syllabus training completed or in progress
• Willingness to commit to and complete Level 3 and 4 NHS Patient Safety syllabus training
• Qualification in a governance-related discipline.
• Masters level education or equivalent experience
• Training in systems approach to learning from patient safety incidents
• Formal qualification in advocacy or mediation

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework.
• Knowledge of the Harm Free Care team function - falls prevention, pressure ulcers education and management, nutrition and hydration, continence management & managing VTE.
• Knowledge of quality governance. Demonstrable track record of working effectively and successfully at corporate level.
• Consistent effective management of staff, financial accounts, organisation development, and service delivery
• Evidence of leadership role in a complex environment
• Evidence of managing complex clinical governance issues
• Evidence of robust change management skills in a changing and complex environment
• Evidence of autonomous decision making

Experience

• Experience of working in a patient safety, quality, risk management, or clinical governance area.
• Experience of harm free care improvement
• Experience of ward accreditation
• Ability to prepare Board reports and other reports at short notice and under pressure
• Ability to present complex data in an understandable format
• Track record of delivering set objectives and achieving key organisational targets within an agreed timeframe
• Experience of line managing staff
• Experience of operating in a professional autonomous and risk-based decision-making environment
• Significant experience of working at a senior level within the health service (or equivalent).
• Experience of complex budgetary management
• Experience of line management within complex structures

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Deputy Director of Nursing, Quality & Safety