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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties & Responsibilities
1. In partnership with the aligned Clinical Quality Director, lead the Trust approach to implementing the Patient Safety Specialist role and patient safety agenda, fulfilling the requirements of the role as per the national person specification.
2. Identify and respond to local and national patient safety priorities, taking a proactive approach in surveillance, early identification and organisational approaches for learning, quality improvement and change, leading and supporting activity and ensuring that systems thinking, human factors understanding and just culture principles are embedded in processes.
3. Lead on the implementation of mechanisms for meaningful dissemination of learning, including the production and distribution of information regarding patient safety practices.
4. Work closely with the Clinical Governance and Quality Director and aligned Clinical Quality Director to ensure the patient safety agenda is established across all Places and services.
5. In partnership with the aligned Clinical Quality Director, provide expert, specialist advice and support on matters relating to patient safety commensurate with knowledge and specialist training provided to Patient Safety Specialists by NHS England/Improvement.
6. Support best practice in communicating with patients and/or their relatives when things have gone wrong in line with the Duty of Candour. This can involve directly communicating complex and sensitive information that may not be received positively and which requires a high-level of interpersonal skills in order to achieve the right outcome.
7. To lead on the promotion of national patient and local safety initiatives throughout the Trust.
8. To undertake critical reviews of current patient safety risk issues, analyse and make recommendations to the Clinical Governance and Quality Director and aligned Clinical Quality Director for escalation to the executive team.
9. Support the ongoing compliance with CQC regulatory standards.
10. To analyse patient safety and compliance data and make recommendations to address identified deficits in safety and/or compliance and ensuring agreed actions are followed through.
11. Identify and share information obtained from staff reporting patient safety related incidents with Quality Matrons and Clinical Quality Directors to ensure that immediate actions are taken to minimise any risks to patients.
12. Develop, implement and monitor patient safety policies and procedures affecting all service lines, and support the development of the Trust’s patient safety culture and safety systems to enhance patient safety and experience.
13. Maintain an up-to-date and comprehensive knowledge of local and national patient safety issues, including the interpretation of national health policies to ensure that goals and standards are reflected in the trusts programme of work.
Patient Safety Incident Response Investigations
14. Undertake Patient Safety Incident Response investigations and reviews as per NHS Frameworks and regulations.
15. Lead and coordinate investigations and other types of incident response and provide high quality, comprehensive, concise, and unbiased reports within the allocated timescale.
16. Engage and collaborate with internal staff involved in the incident, staff who are experts in their field and with external staff from other agencies, using a wide range of investigative methodologies and approaches.
17. Ensure compassion, empathy and support are demonstrated throughout all investigations for patients, carers, staff, and colleagues.
18. Use relevant documentation to analyse findings e.g. policy, protocol, training records etc, to use the data collected to complete a comprehensive report, using a systems based approach
19. Ensure the findings and recommendations of the report are discussed and agreed with the responsible managers prior to submitting the report for approval.
20. Keep patients and carers engaged and up to date on the progress of the investigation and share the findings of the investigation. Support and enable co-production of outcome actions where appropriate.
21. Contribute to the management of the process for ensuring themes and trends from all Patient Safety Incidents and Complaints are identified and triangulated and occurrence and prevalence of incidents is monitored over time for evidence of change and improvement.
22. Share the findings of investigations and reviews with relevant parties and stakeholders.
General Responsibilities
23. To deputise for the aligned Clinical Quality Director. Clinical Governance and Quality Director in their absence and provide support the wider teams in this portfolio as necessary during these times.
24. Provide direction and leadership to ensure the implementation of proven patient safety approaches across the Trust.
25. Build and maintain good working relationships and collaborative partnerships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders on issues relating to patient safety.
26. Contribute to sharing learning to support the Patient Safety and Learning Group agenda.
27. Attend Quality and Governance meetings to share findings.
28. Analyse information from external sources to ensure the Trust learns from other reports and agencies.
Line Management & Financial Responsibilities
29. To undertake line management duties of identified posts ensuring management activities are completed in line with organisational policies and procedures.
30. The postholder will have authorised signatory under their associated budget for tasks as directed by the Clinical Quality Director and/ or Clinical Governance and Quality Director eg travel claim approval, PowerGate approval, P documents etc.
Key Relationships
This role requires considerable direct contact with the organisational Clinical Governance and Quality Director, Clinical Quality Directors, Quality Matrons as well as the Executive Directors and these are seen as key relationships in the successful operation of this role. The role also requires regular contact both verbal and in writing with patients/service users, staff (at all levels) both clinical and corporate, solicitors and other external agencies.