Patient Safety Partner

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

At any one time, around 23,000 people in Norfolk and Suffolk are receiving care and attention from the Trust. We believe in whole life care - seeing people in the context of their whole lives, understanding the importance of good physical health, friends, family, spirituality, culture, home, work, education and a sense of purpose and achievement to experience good mental health.

Nearly 3,200 full and part-time practitioners care for our service users in hospitals, in the community and in their own homes, whilst an additional 900+ staff provide non-clinical support, including cleaning, delivering supplies, ward administration, information technology, human resources and financial services.

We are committed to delivering quality driven mental health services. Every individual makes a valuable contribution. We are proud of our staff who have been commended for the care they provide. Do you value working positively, respectfully and together? If so, we’d love you to join us

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JOB DESCRIPTION/PERSON SPECIFICATION

YOUR APPLICATION

**Job overview**:
This role is part of the renewed national approach to improving patient safety as outlined in the NHSEI Patient Safety Strategy. Namely involving patients and the public is all things patient safety including; reviewing and devising policy, providing experience and objectivity to reviews and improvement plans, being an advocate for patients to ensure their voice is heard at strategic and operational levels across healthcare.

The person does not need to have been or be a patient or a carer, a basic understanding of how health systems work in practice would aid the role as would an understanding of policy design and review methodology, but it is not essential. However either direct experience, special interest or professional expertise in mental health care would be hugely beneficial.

The role is unaffiliated in that the role does not come with a salary, or a line manager - this is to ensure objectivity. The role will be supported with induction, training if needed and a mentor or buddy to provide supervision and support. Expenses will be paid and where a prolonged piece of work is undertaken a fee will be offered for time spent.

**Main duties of the job**:
Ad hoc duties will include; being part of a working group to revise policy, sitting on incident reviews and investigation panels, assisting with safety summits and learning events, supporting the trust and stakeholders with the implementation of the Suicide and Self-Harm Reduction Strategy, supporting staff in ensuring the trusts duties in delivering duty of candour and implementing safety actions are open, transparent and fair.

**Working for our organisation**:
The trust is fully embracing the principles of the patient safety strategy, this includes ensuring that patients, families, significant others are integral to all that we do in response to safety incidents, reviewing findings and implementing actions.

We are also keen to ensure that staff are treated fairly under the Just Culture Framework and feel confident to raise concerns to avoid a safety incident or to be open in their account and reflections on why an incident occurred.

**Detailed job description and main responsibilities**:
To be part of the Patient Safety Team, using experience to support and advise the Patient Safety Team and Patient Safety Incident Review Group (PSIRG) on activities, policies and procedures that improve patient safety and deliver high-quality care.

As a Patient Safety Partner, you will ensure that any committees or groups of which you are a member considers and prioritises the service user, patient, carer and family perspective and champions a diversity of views. This will include representation on panels as required as part of the Trust Patient Safety Incident Review Framework/Plan.

The PSP will act as an adviser/critical friend to the Patient Safety Team in the delivery of the Patient Safety Strategy and Patient Safety Incident Review Plan.

The PSP will play a key role in patient safety improvement projects, support the development of relevant patient safety training and talk with staff and patients about patient safety.

The PSP will need to comply with relevant policies and maintain strict confidentiality in respect to discussions and information when required.

**Person specification**:
**Experience**:
**Essential criteria**:

- Broad understanding of patient safety or experience in this field.

**Skills**:
**Essential criteria**:

- Ability to understand and evaluate a range of information and evidence.
- EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES_
- Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees wi