Job Overview
We are recruiting a Head of Patient Safety & Quality Improvement. This newly created role demonstrates our investment to further develop and support the growth of our dedicated patient safety team. Reporting to the Associate Director for Patient Safety and Quality, you will support on leading the patient safety, quality and risk agenda at Royal United Hospitals (RUH).
The role is a key investment in helping us to grow our patient safety and quality improvement offering across the Trust, shaping and driving new approaches to learning responses and continuous improvement.
The role will provide expert advice and leadership across the organisation, ensuring rigorous systems and processes are in place for managing events and improvement. You will be proactive in your approach and will encourage an open and transparent reporting culture.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for embedding the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and Patient Safety Incident Response Plan (PSIRP) at the RUH. The role will ensure high quality and timely management of all Patient Safety Incident Investigations (PSIIs) and learning responses. You will support the Associate Director for Patient Safety and Quality in developing strong governance insights, involvement and improvement activity across the organisation and ensuring that systems thinking, human factors understanding and just culture principles are embedded within all we do.
You will work closely with our Head of Quality Assurance and Head of Patient Experience to provide cross cover of the combined portfolio. You will also work closely with divisional and speciality governance leads and senior leaders to ensure triangulation in our approach.
This role is ideal for an experienced professional who has demonstrated experience of:
- Leading patient safety and quality improvement initiatives.
- Working with diverse stakeholder groups to improve services and address safety concerns.
- Navigating complex governance environments and regulatory requirements.
- Championing a culture of learning, openness, and continuous improvement
Working for our organisation
At the RUH we put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone’s contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.
We are proud to be in the top 20 best hospitals to work for in the country.
We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks – celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.
A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.
We value staff wellbeing, with a well-established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We’ve even got a pool!
We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we’re providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about the role.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level or equivalent level of professional experience
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Recognised qualification in patient safety and quality improvement
- Evidence of continuing professional development in patient safety and quality & improvement
Desirable criteria
- Teaching or training qualification
- Professional registration with the NMC or HCPC
Experience
Essential criteria
- Detailed understanding of all aspects Improvement Science and knowledge and experience of developments in the field.
- Extensive experience of involvement in front line delivery of multiple quality improvement programmes and initiatives.
- Extensive experience in the design, delivery and evaluation of quality improvement programmes and projects to agreed timescales and within budget
- Knowledge of the NHS patient safety. strategy and how it can be implemented.
- Knowledge of systems thinking, human factors understanding and just culture principles.
Please note - Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered unless an alternative right to work solution can be provided. Candidates requiring sponsorship (or will need sponsorship at the end of a current visa e.g. those with graduate visa's) should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying: Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
- Job description (PDF, 330.4KB)
- Join the RUH (PDF, 1.1MB)
Further details / informal visits contact
Name Christopher Lafferty Job title Associate Director of Patient Safety & Quality Email address christopher.lafferty@nhs.net
