Digital Clinical Safety Officer

The Digital Clinical Safety Officer (DCSO) will work as part of a Chief Clinical Information Officer / CMO team. The post holder will have an extensive understanding of clinical safety and will be responsible for efficient and effective management of the Digital Clinical Safety on behalf of the trust. The role is responsible for providing leadership, guidance, support, specialist knowledge and clinical safety review and approval for the implementation of new digital solutions and upgrades to existing digital solutions across the trust. This includes the assessment of clinical safety issues at all points in the procurement and implementation of IT software and hardware, including ongoing management once transferred to live service and ensuring all digital solutions conform to relevant national standards for clinical safety. The DCSO will be seen as a leading authority and primary point of contact for all matters relating to the clinical safety of digital systems. The post holder will be responsible for the identification, assessment, and mitigation of direct and indirect clinical hazards to patients.

Main duties of the job

• Provide a service which captures and learns from digital clinical safety incidents and supports the introduction of changes and improvements to clinical systems where necessary.
• To improve the safety of digital technologies within the Group.
• To identify, and support the promotion and use of, digital technologies as solutions to patient safety challenges.
• Ensure that the trust learns from best practice in digital transformation programmes to understand what works well and why in respect to digital clinical safety.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Owning clinical risk assessment activity for all products within the organisation as directed; this includes triaging safety incidents raised within a Safety Incident Management System.
• Acting as the lead for safety work in the trust and completing safety work as documented in the Clinical Safety Plan.
• Leading investigation, prioritisation and resolution of safety issues under the direction of the CCIO / CMO.
• Executing root cause analysis of safety incidents that have been raised in line with best guidance practice.
• Helping / advising the organisation when performing corrective actions arising from Safety Incident Reports.
• Managing safety incidents to minimise actual risk and commercial exposure.

Person specification

• Education/Qualification
• Must have a Clinical qualification and background within the NHS or private healthcare domain and be currently registered with a clinical professional body.
• Has attended an accredited CSO course or will be attending in the future.
• Good understanding and knowledge of mental health processes and law.
• Masters in Leadership, Change, Service Transformation or other relevant subject or equivalent experience.
• Project management qualification, such as PRINCE II or Agile.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Health Leadership (NHS Digital Leadership Academy).

Experience

• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Strong Project Management skills, principles and practices.
• Experience of System analysis, design, development, testing, release, support & maintenance.

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent management skills and excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experienced clinician with evidence of working effectively across a range of clinical settings within a MDT.
• Ability to translate complex technical or business information for end users.
• In-depth knowledge of Electronic Patient Record (EPR) Systems, human factors and their contribution and control in the context of patient harm.
• A thorough understanding of why and how errors occur in the development, deployment and subsequent use of EPR Systems and how these can result in patient harm.