Job summary
This is an exciting and exceptional opportunity to become an integral member of the team who will be key to the evolving Patient Safety Strategy at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.
We as a Trust have fully transitioned to the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) and we are seeking an individual who will be a leader for our patient safety team. This person will work across our Trust sites supporting the clinical and non-clinical teams implementing the revisions to how patient safety incidents are investigated in the NHS and improvements implemented to ensure effective, safe patient care.
We wish to be forward facing with room for innovative ideas and approaches to ensure we reach all of our invested community that cares about patient safety.
This position will not be supported for visa sponsorship. All applicants are expected to have valid right to work document to work in the UK when applying for this position.
Main duties of the job
Support the central Patient Safety Team with delivery of the annual work plan and NHS Patient Safety Strategy.
Act as a coordinator for patient safety investigation activity as required across the Trust.
Contribute to the development, application, monitoring and review of serious incidents.
Support the process of analysing and embedding and testing the effectiveness of learning across the Trust.
Provide oversight and direction to Trust staff and will act as the advisor in relation to patient safety matters for the Trust.
Support the provision of integrated reports triangulating issues from concerns, incidents complaints, claims and inquest cases, national and local investigations to ensure key learning and improvement is progressed across our hospital services and the wider system.
Support the Divisions to write up reports to the required standard and format prior to external submission.
About us
We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse employer. We strive to employ people who reflect the communities we serve, and aim to create an inclusive culture where everyone can reach their full potential. Whatever your race, ethnicity, belief, generation, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, disability or experience, you'll appreciate the opportunities we give you to work in an inclusive atmosphere. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to build on the progress we've achieved to make our Trust diverse and the best place to work. We celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that help us overcome challenges and embrace new possibilities. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant Pledge and have a commitment to the Armed Forces Community.
We are dedicated to using our Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) approach as our shared organisation model of change to enhance our services and ensure excellence in patient care.
If you are considering applying for a role, please be aware that as an NHS Employee you may have contact with vulnerable service users. We strongly encourage that all our staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 and are vaccinated annually against Flu, in order to protect the health and safety of our staff and patients. Your commitment will help us to put the safety and care of our patients first, as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Monitor incident reports on a daily basis from across the Trust.
Follow up on incidents reported and to determine levels of harm are correct, liaising with the Division and other staff.
Escalate patient safety concerns to the Lead Patient Safety Incident Investigator.
Produce reports summarising the findings, outcomes and recommendations from investigations into serious incidents and be responsible for the reporting of trends and themes for serious incidents.
Draft complex reports outlining the findings of these investigations and support Division governance leads as they compile action plans.
Conduct thorough investigations into serious incidents as necessary, using appropriate investigative methodologies, whilst ensuring that the principles of Being Open are applied.
Review and quality check investigation reports, as part of the quality check process.
Assist in the analysis and formulation of action plans that may arise from risks/trends in patient safety and serious incident investigations.
Work to the process outlined in Trust policy in incident management including serious clinical incidents.
Using appropriate investigative methodology identify and review all sources of information in relation to the incident under investigation.
Use analytical skills to work through the complexities of contributory factors, areas of proportionate practice and care and service delivery problems. This will require familiarity with paper and electronic records, witness statements, and internal and national data sources.
Liaise with patients, their families or carers, and other service users to ensure all stakeholders receive information and reports.
Use professional judgment, involving highly complex facts or situations which require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
Monitor the breach position on a weekly basis and maintain the zero breech position for all reportable cases.
Monitor quality performance management indicators and escalate red flags or areas of concern as appropriate.
Ensure that lessons are learnt from patient safety incidents, using reactive and proactive systems which support the Divisions to ensure that learning is translated into quality improvements and examples that can be shared more widely.
Monitor the implementation of action plans that result from patient safety incident investigations including provision of support to the Divisional leads in the implementation of change. This will include the provision of reports alerting them to outstanding actions.
Contribute to the production and dissemination of a Trust-wide Governance Newsletter and ensure that a patient safety update is provided for shared learning on a monthly basis.
Support the Patient Safety and Quality Team with all patient safety related activities as required.
Support the Trust strategies for improvement in relation to Patient Safety indicators.
Provide administrative support that ensures the effective functioning of the Serious Incident Declaration Group, Patient Safety Group and Trust Patient Safety Investigation Assurance Panel.
Attend and advise other key committees in regard to Patient Safety as requested Divisional or Speciality Governance, Patient Safety Group.
Please see attached job description for more information.
Person Specification
Education and Training
Essential
1. Educated to Degree level or with equivalent experience
2. Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable
3. Vocational qualification in health or management related subject
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
4. Knowledge of healthcare risk management in the NHS
5. Clinical background or evidence of a substantial understanding of clinical issues.
6. Knowledge of medical terminology
7. In depth knowledge of the web based and database system and processes. including web based database coding structures (Datix).
8. Comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Office in particular MS Excel and the use of PowerPoint, both of which to support the analysis of data, present information and develop training programmes.
9. Knowledge of current and future health priorities.
10. Awareness of the NHS Constitution and national Patient Safety Strategy.
11. Excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills. Demonstrable understanding of the NHS regulatory and compliance frameworks under which NHS Trusts operate.
Desirable
12. Awareness of diversity and human rights as appropriate to the role
13. Data analysis IT skills
Experience
Essential
14. Substantial experience in a clinical governance role.
15. Evidence of experience in serious incident management, including duty of candour.
16. Collaborating with subject specific experts to write root cause analysis or other investigatory reports.
17. Developing and providing high quality incident reports to managers and subject experts on a monthly basis
18. Dealing with patients and their families who may be upset, angry and/or distressed
19. Experience of delivering training to a variety of staff learners.
Desirable
20. Participation in clinical governance or safety committees.
Personal Attributes
Essential
21. Always puts patients' first.
22. Customer service focus.
23. Ability to work as part of a team
24. Able to maintain high standards of diplomacy and confidentiality
25. High level of own work organisation, drive for performance and improvement
26. High level of presentational skills
27. Willing and able to take personal responsibility.
28. Seeks out and takes opportunities for improving the service offered.
29. Takes pride in their work and their team
30. Flexible in their attitudes and behaviours to support team working and delivery of objectives
31. Respects, values and cares for others
32. Supports learning and development of self and others
Desirable
33. Ability to establish credibility and maintain effective working relationships with multidisciplinary colleagues