Job overview
We are pleased to offer an exciting secondment opportunity to take on the role of Patient Safety Lead. This is a key leadership position providing senior oversight for patient safety across the Trust.
The Patient Safety Lead will play a central role in delivering the Trust’s Patient Safety Programme and providing day‑to‑day leadership for incident management. The postholder will offer visible, expert leadership to promote systems thinking, human factors principles and a Just Culture across the organisation.
Working in close partnership with clinical and managerial colleagues, the executive team and external partners, the postholder will support the development of a strong safety culture focused on learning and continuous improvement.
Please ensure you have the permission of your current line manager before applying for a secondment opportunity.
Main duties of the job
1. Lead and coordinate the delivery of the Trust’s Patient Safety Programme
2. Provide senior leadership for incident management and organisational learning
3. Champion the application of systems thinking, human factors and Just Culture principles
4. Support teams to identify, analyse and reduce patient safety risks
5. Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen safety culture
6. Provide expert advice to senior leaders on patient safety matters
Working for our organisation
For further information about working for out Trust, please visit:
Our benefits
We offer a range of benefits to support our staff including:
7. Access to the NHS Pension Scheme, providing generous benefits upon retirement, as well as a lump sum and pension for dependants
8. 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service)
9. A generous relocation package of up to 30% of salary (capped at £18k) to support with relocation expenses for hard to fill positions where relocation would be an expectation to undertake the role fully. If you would like to discuss a potential relocation package, please speak to the recruiting department/manager at interview stage.
10. A variety of different types of paid and unpaid leave covering emergency and planned leave
11. Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues, 24/7, from our Employee Assistance Programme
12. NHS Car Lease scheme and Cycle to Work scheme
13. An extensive range of learning and development opportunities
14. Discounts on restaurants, getaways, shopping, motoring, cinema and finance from a range of providers
For further information on the fantastic range of benefits we offer please visit the Trust's dedicated Staff Benefits pages.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
A full description of the role is available in the attachment: job description.
Please note that if a high number of applications are received this advert may close early. You are advised to submit your application at the earliest opportunity.
Working for the Trust
Across our organisation, people are guided by values that were co-developed with staff: we are kind; we are open; and we pursue excellence.
Our values play into our ambition to develop a more diverse workforce, truly representative of our communities. We welcome applications from everyone, while working with our Staff Networks - including our Race Equality, LGBTQ+, Disability and Carers Networks - to increase the number of applications we receive from different backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to make our application process more accessible to you, please contact: .
As part of seeking to become more inclusive, we will consider requests for flexible working from the start of your employment. It may not be suitable for every role, but we will try and be supportive where we can. We would encourage you to speak to the recruiting manager named within this advert to discuss any requirements you may have.
Armed Forces Friendly Employer
We are holders of the Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we have made a statement of intent to support all Defence personnel, including with applications for employment.
Person specification
Qualifications & Training
Essential criteria
15. Degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant experience
16. Leadership and management training or qualification
17. Incident investigation and root cause analysis training
18. Professional or clinical registration
Desirable criteria
19. Human Factors qualification
20. Quality Improvement training
21. Master’s degree in a relevant subject (e.g. Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Health Studies, Management) or equivalent experience
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
22. Working knowledge of NHS patient safety legislation, regulation, and national programmes, including LFPSE and National Patient Safety Alerts
23. Knowledge of quality improvement methodologies and the wider NHS governance and patient safety agenda
24. Minimum of three years’ experience working in a patient safety or governance role
25. Demonstrable leadership experience in patient safety, including incident reporting, investigation, and learning
26. Experience of developing, implementing, and assuring systems to monitor and improve patient safety and risk
27. Experience of leading projects and working collaboratively across professions and organisational boundaries
Desirable criteria
28. Experience of leading quality improvement projects using PDSA or similar methodologies
29. Project management and/or formal improvement methodology experience