Information Governance Officer

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others. There’s a place for you at CNWL. We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you’re at, there’s always a place for you at CNWL.

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run. Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference.

We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff. We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Job overview

The post holder will be a member of the Information Governance (IG) team within Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL). The team supports approximately over 8000 CNWL staff to deliver high quality care whilst meeting legal requirements and best practice Information Governance standards. The Information Governance Officer will play a key part in raising awareness of Information Governance and ensuring that CNWL meets national and legal requirements throughout the organisation.

The post holder will have a keen interest in data protection and information governance, an understanding of the relevant legislation and its implications, and ideally have relevant experience. The role is part of the team that oversees all of the IG framework for the Trust, including all information requests, data protection compliance, IG training, and IG incident management.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will support the IG Team in ensuring that the Trust has a managed and coordinated approach to compliance with data protection legislation.
• You will manage the Trust’s case management system for information requests, including Freedom of Information requests (FOIs), Subject Access Requests (SARs), and data subject rights requests.
• You will also manage the team’s generic email inboxes, triaging and responding to basic queries and escalating as appropriate.
• Additionally, you will assist in the production of the team’s monthly board report, and to ensure that the Trust’s intranet and public-facing website pages relating to IG are kept up to date, and you will also help to produce other communications pieces as necessary.
• You will also provide administrative support to team meetings.

CNWL is a large and geographically dispersed Trust offering a wide range of community, mental health and sexual health services which brings a particular set of challenges in relation to data protection and information sharing. So the person we are looking for needs great communication skills and commitment to partnership working in addition to their advanced subject matter expertise.

Specific Responsibilities

• The Information Governance Officer is an essential part of the Information Governance Department and supports the Deputy Head of Information Governance in delivering a high-quality service to all customers and stakeholders.
• Act as a point of contact within the Trust for Information Governance services.
• Work within and review internal procedures and Trust-wide policies as required.
• Contribute to the monitoring and maintenance of the Information Governance standards and legislative obligations.
• Access to care records.

Person specification

Education and qualifications

• Data protection/information governance qualification or experience.
• Evidence of extensive experience in an administrative or management role.
• Diploma in data business/management related subject or equivalent experience.

Skills and experience

• A comprehensive working knowledge of the use of Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) with ability to create/manage Excel spreadsheets.
• A comprehensive working knowledge of financial procurement systems (such as SBS).
• Demonstrate effective organisational ability over a wide range of administrative and data management tasks.
• Experience of working in a busy team/environment.
• Ability to manage difficult/demanding emails.
• Able to manage emails and phone calls which may be difficult or demanding.
• Able to manage relations with internal and external providers of services to the team.

Knowledge and abilities

• Ability to work in a flexible and organised manner, to prioritise and work to deadlines.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Confidence to work on own initiative and to consult as needed.
• Ability to work positively in a team.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality appropriately.
• Ability to treat colleagues, staff, patients and carers with respect and dignity at all times, upholding and promoting our Equality Act duties.
• An interest in information governance - transparency, accountability, freedom of information, data protection, and/or privacy.

Attitudes, Aptitudes and Personal Characteristics

• An enthusiastic, flexible and confident approach to working against rapidly changing priorities.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.

If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.