Patient Safety Lead

Job summary

We are recruiting for a full‑time Patient Safety Lead to join our team and provide leadership within patient safety across the Trust. You will support directorates and clinical teams, complete high‑standard patient safety reviews, deliver training on patient safety, and share learning across Oxford Health. The team works across all directorates in the Trust, including community, dental, mental health, forensic, and learning disability service.

This role offers exposure to a wide range of services and incidents, most of which relate to self‑harm/suspected suicide.

• Lead the patient safety team, directorate and clinical teams in all aspects of patient safety.
• Serve as an expert in patient safety reviews, techniques and practice, including SEIPS and Human Factors.
• Monitor and interpret national guidance and policy to ensure that Trust procedures and practice comply with or exceed best practice.
• Review patient safety incidents and/or complex complaints, acting as a role model and expert advisor for other staff, ensuring all reviews are carried out to the highest standards.
• Produce high‑quality reports identifying system and process factors that led to incidents/complaints, and suggest safety improvement areas.
• Analyse themes and patterns from incidents and complaints to support learning and changes, presenting these in internal and external forums.
• Share learning across the Trust and deliver patient safety training.
• Work flexibly as part of the wider Patient Safety team, undertaking duties relevant to the level of post to improve the experience of patients and staff.

• Registered health professional (e.g. Nurse, AHP, Social Worker).
• Postgraduate qualification in nursing/health‑related topic, or equivalent experience.

• Broad knowledge of clinical and managerial systems and processes across disciplines and service areas.
• Evidence of having undertaken patient safety training and ability to apply methodology to a wide range of incident types and service areas.
• Experience of investigating significant incidents.
• Evidence of ability and experience in public speaking.

• Experience of facilitating multidisciplinary team reviews following a suicide.
• Experience of facilitating local learning reviews.
• Experience of delivering patient safety training.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to convey, with high sensitivity, extremely distressing information to patients and carers.
• Knowledge and understanding of professional and contemporary issues in mental health practice and the NHS.
• Facilitation, negotiation and influencing skills.

• Good knowledge of statutory and civil law as it applies to services provided by the Trust.

• Excellent opportunities for career progression.
• Access to tailored individual and Trust‑wide learning and development.
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service.
• NHS discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers.
• Competitive pension scheme.
• Lease car scheme.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Mental Health First Aiders.
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply).
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team.

Date posted: 27 February 2026

Pay scheme:
Agenda for change

Band: 8a

Salary: £55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum

Contract:

Permanent

Working pattern:
Full‑time

Reference number: 267‑CS7809493

Job location:

Littlemore Mental Health Centre, Oxford, OX4 4XN

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity  the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview; ensure you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Oxford Health NHS Trust

Littlemore Mental Health Centre, Oxford, OX4 4XN

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