Job overview
The post holder is accountable for effective operational delivery of the Group-wide safeguarding service for adults and children in hospital and community settings.
They will operationally manage the safeguarding workforce and service. He/she/They will provide expert operational safeguarding advice and leadership to colleagues at all levels of the organisation and will role model best practice
This post is based at St Georges Hospital
Main duties of the job
As a member of the Group senior team they will take a lead role in setting the operational direction for safeguarding.
Ensure that effective governance systems are in place in each Trust to ensure, maintain and evidence organisational compliance with statutory guidance and Care Quality Commission safeguarding standards, and will provide Board assurance on compliance.
Lead in the delivery of safeguarding priorities including prevention and early and accurate identification and management of safeguarding concerns by health care professionals.
Manage, lead and develop Group lead, Site delivered safeguarding services, ensuring that appropriate support, supervision and risk management processes are in place to enable safe, efficient, effective and timely management of the Safeguarding agenda.
Support the Site Safeguarding Named/Lead Professionals, Site Chief Nurse and all Divisional/Deputy Directors of Nursing, Medic and Allied Health professionals to ensure that their safeguarding objectives are delivered.
Work with the Group Director for Quality (Safeguarding) to interpret statute and national, regional, and local policy, and lead on the development, implementation and monitoring of Site specific Group lead safeguarding strategy, policy and procedures.
Working for our organisation
George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group is a new hospital group, comprising St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (SGUH) and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, which includes Sutton Health and Care and Surrey Downs Health and Care. Sharing a single Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive team, the GESH Group is one of the largest healthcare providers in the country, with a combined annual turnover of around £1.5 billion, 16,000 staff, and serving a population of approximately 3.5 million people across South West London, Surrey, Sussex and beyond. The GESH Group provides a full range of local hospital services across its sites at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, Queen Mary Hospital in Roehampton, Epsom Hospital and St Helier Hospital, and provides a range of specialist services from St George’s.
Working as a hospital group allows for more joined up decision making for local people, a larger and more resilient clinical workforce, reduced variation in care and access to a wider range of services for our patients.
The Group Chief Nurse (GCNO) is the Executive Director accountable to the Trust Boards for the delivery of Safeguarding across all aspects of the Group’s service provision. The GCNO works closely with the Site Chief Nurse’s who hold responsibility for safeguarding activity within their organisation.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Provide expert professional leadership to the site Safeguarding leadership teams to ensure that they are supported to deliver excellence in safeguarding.
2. To be the Group strategic lead for safeguarding children and adults ensuring that specific safeguarding leadership in child sexual abuse and exploitation, domestic violence and abuse including honour-based violence and forced marriage.
3. Work closely with the GCNO, Group Director of Quality, Site Chief Nurse’s, Deputy Chief Nurse’s and all senior leadership within the Trust to discharge their duty as executive leads for safeguarding.
4. Actively work to support and empower Named Professionals to develop and utilise clinical leadership skills, ensuring they are invested in appropriate levels of authority to undertake their role effectively and fulfil their accountabilities. This includes supporting practitioners within their teams to develop skills and experience consistent with job description and function
5. Horizon-scan and influence national and regional policy and lead the development and updating of Trust safeguarding strategy and policy
**Please see the attached supporting job description and person specification document, which contains more information about the role and requirements. Please ensure your application refers to the job description and person specification**
Person specification
Essential
Essential criteria
6. Graduate in health or safeguarding related subject
7. Significant experience in senior safeguarding role for children and adults
Desirable criteria
8. •Management /Leadership qualification
Essential
Essential criteria
9. Graduate in health or safeguarding -related subject
Your application : Please ensure that you have read the job description and person specification and that your supporting statement reflects these, as your application will be assessed and scored against these criteria.
References : You will be required to provide 3 years of employment/educational history. We do not accept references from personal email addresses such as Hotmail, Gmail etc. therefore please ensure you are providing professional working email addresses within your application form. If you are unable to provide professional email addresses and are invited to an interview, please ensure you advise the interviewers of this - otherwise, this may delay your pre-employment checks.
Closing date : In order to streamline recruitment within our Trust, we reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications.
Shortlisting : You will only be contacted via e-mail/SMS by the SWL Recruitment Hub if you are successfully shortlisted for this post. Please ensure that you check your Trac registered e-mail regularly.
DBS : We are committed to safeguarding children and adults who are at risk of abuse. As such, if this post will have access to children or vulnerable adults, you will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. However, all employees have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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
Further details / informal visits contact
NameStephanie SweeneyJob titleGroup DoN Quality and safety GovernanceEmail addressTelephone number07747187346