Director of governance, assurance & quality in Surrey

Detailed responsibilities covering quality governance, risk, and strategic leadership.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing and maintaining a clear ward-to-board line of sight for all Divisional quality governance, assurance and risk structures, ensuring standardisation of systems and processes across a multi-site organisation.
• Championing and promoting a culture of openness, transparency, psychological safety, and continuous improvement to drive excellence in clinical care.
• Overseeing production of the annual Quality Account and ensuring alignment with the development of the Trust's Quality Strategy and adherence with national priorities.
• Being responsible for the clinical audit and effectiveness assurance framework and ensuring compliance with national audit programmes, delivering the Trust clinical effectiveness and audit programme, and associated quality improvement projects, in line with NHS best practice.
• Leading on the delivery of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), including the development of approaches for identifying and sharing learning.
• Coordinating and delivering a robust and consistent approach to investigations and learning from serious incidents/adverse events.
• Liaising with external bodies regarding incidents as appropriate.
• Developing integrated reporting to ensure understanding of the patient safety profile through analysis and triangulation of data, including but not limited to: clinical informatics; incident reporting; complaints and PALS; mortality; excellence reporting; Freedom to Speak Up; whistleblowing; external reviews; inspections; and other sources working with relevant Trust leads.
• In collaboration with the Chief of Nursing and Midwifery and Chief Medical Director, leading the planning and servicing of the Trust's Quality Assurance Committee, a subcommittee of the Trust Board.
• Providing written reports and attending relevant 'Ward to Board' meetings as required.
• Leading the development of training programmes in quality governance, risk and assurance, ensuring all staff are equipped to meet good governance standards.
• Ensuring quality governance, risk and assurance structures support effective decision-making, accountability, and optimal use of resources to respond to national directives and patient needs.
• Working in collaboration with the Chief of Nursing and Midwifery and Chief Medical Officer to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes for local communities.
• Leading and continually monitoring the delivery of the Risk Strategy to uphold the Board Assurance Framework and ensure alignment of the Trust Strategy.
• Working closely with the Director of Corporate Affairs to ensure Trust quality, clinical and other risks are identified, understood at all levels, mitigated and managed through standardised Divisional and Corporate risk processes and registers.
• Providing expertise and assurance to the Trust Board regarding the management of risks and clinical regulatory compliance.
• Highlighting any gaps for quality and risk within the programme of external visits, accreditations and inspections.
• Providing written reports and attending relevant Board subcommittees and Board meetings as required.
• Having responsibility for the leadership and development of improvement strategies in the areas of quality governance, risk and assurance, including compliance with Care Quality Commission fundamental standards and legal regulations.
• Providing specialist advice to the Board and organisation to develop and improve the safety culture of the organisation.
• Overseeing implementation of the patient safety policy and plan in line with the National Patient Safety Strategy and PSIRF principles.
• Developing effective relationships working with clinical teams and divisional leadership teams to improve patient care and contribute to the delivery of the Trust strategy.

Qualifications

Essential criteria:

• Expert knowledge of quality governance, risk and assurance frameworks.
• Master’s degree level or equivalent, highly experienced as a senior manager/clinician within the NHS.
• Development and implementation of quality governance, risk and assurance frameworks.
• Experience collaborating and working with senior stakeholders, including Board, presenting, reporting and influencing planning and decision making.
• Experience as a senior professional manager/clinician in the NHS.
• Experience of the delivery of quality governance, risk and assurance functions within a complex organisation.
• Ability to author complex reports for internal and external assurance forums, including the presentation and interpretation of data sets to inform and influence the improvement of patient care.
• Demonstrate mature levels of political and organisational awareness.

Desirable criteria:

• Registered healthcare professional, e.g. Medical, registered nurse, midwife or allied health professional.
• Demonstrable experience of supporting an open learning culture with psychological safety.
• You must have appropriate UK professional registration.