Associate Director of Quality; Patient Safety Band 8d

The Patient Safety Specialist will provide leadership, visibility, and expert support to strengthen patient safety culture, clinical risk management, and safety systems in line with NHS England PSIRF. The role depends on strong relationship‑building, influencing culture, and acting as a change agent across internal teams, system partners and external agencies. Representing the Trust at strategic forums, the post holder will help align work with wider NHS and integrated care priorities.

A core responsibility is developing and overseeing systems that collect, analyse and act on patient feedback, ensuring insights drive learning and improvement. The role will enhance safety mechanisms and work with divisional and corporate teams to embed best practice and compliance with governance and risk standards. Working with the Associate Director of Quality (Insight, Clinical Effectiveness & Regulation) the post holder will use technology and data‑driven approaches to improve reporting, analysis, risk identification and patient engagement, supporting the Trust's Quality Management System.

Given evolving NHS models and Group ambitions, the role requires adaptability, innovation and awareness of emerging trends in safety science, digital safety and patient and carer experience. The post holder will hold clinical registration and a safety‑related qualification, work autonomously, and deputise for the Group Director of Quality when needed. Please refer to the attached job description for full details of the main duties and responsibilities that the post holder is required to undertake.

• Staffing:
  Responsible for c. 42.0 WTE across the Group Quality patient safety and experience function.
• Budget:
  Direct budget responsibility for c. £2.5m, with wider influence over budgets linked to quality and governance programmes.
• Portfolio:
  Group‑wide delivery leadership responsibility for Patient Safety investigation, learning response & action oversight, training and education, Human Factors strategic development and delivery, Complaints & PALS services, Patient & Carer Experience strategic planning & delivery, Sustaining and leading the development of patient and carer partners, supporting Digital safety practice – working collaboratively with CCIO, CNIO and digital safety leads.
• Impact:
  Critical to achieving and sustaining “Good” and “Outstanding” CQC ratings, enabling corporate and clinical teams to gain quality insight for assurance and improvement to enhance care delivery.

• Internal:
  Group Executive Team, Group Directors, Divisional Directors, Clinical Directors, senior nursing and medical leaders, Clinical and corporate functions:
  Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Pharmacy Teams, Tissue Viability services, estates, risk, digital, data and analytics teams, Emergency Preparedness, Resilience & Response (EPRR), Patient and staff networks.
• External: NHS England, Care Quality Commission, Integrated Care Board, academic partners, Health Education England, professional regulators (NMC, GMC, HCPC), Health Innovation network and other specialist networks, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), patient partners (including patient safety partners), voluntary/community organisations, patients and carers.