Patient Safety

NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (HWICB) are looking for a Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional as a full time Patient Safety Lead, with a focus on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) who will oversee the development and implementation of the quality strategy, patient safety, clinical effectiveness, and patient experience.
The role requires specialist knowledge of IPC and national safety frameworks - NHS Patient Safety Strategy, the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), and Learning from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) - to foster a culture of patient safety and ensure safety systems align with national standards. The postholder will lead IPC processes, drive system-wide quality improvements, and collaborate with senior colleagues to influence strategic change across the ICB.
A qualification and experience in IPC is essential for this role.
This role will require you to collaboratively implement and continually improve the Quality Assurance Framework, ensuring providers meet NHSE quality standards. The role includes leading quality review visits to assess clinical care in contracted services, coordinating pre-visit intelligence with colleagues, and liaising with stakeholders.
With a strong focus on IPC, the postholder will handle sensitive performance information, discussing changes with stakeholders at all levels, ensuring compliance with new legislation and guidance. You will address service concerns and incidents, report on progress against quality metrics, and attend meetings, providing expert advice on care pathways and service transformation.
You will collaborate with system partners to coordinate themed visits to provider organisations, evaluating care quality standards while communicating sensitively with staff, patients, and families. The role ensures the accurate development of reports and effectively communicating findings to provider organisations, senior management, committees, and external bodies (e.g., CQC, UKHSA) in line with national and local guidelines. The role will require you to support IPC commissioning for infection prevention and surveillance, lead the IPC strategy, and contribute to the Antimicrobial Stewardship agenda. The role also includes escalating risks and deputising for the Head of Patient Safety as required.
HWICB and its partners work collaboratively to commission, plan, monitor, deliver and improve health and care services for over 806,000 people across two counties and surrounding boundaries. With a workforce of over 300 employees and a budget of £1.19 billion to commission hospital, community and mental health services, it is a dynamic, forward-looking and vibrant place to work, set within the backdrop of some of the country's most beautiful countryside.
We provide a supportive and collaborative environment, offering opportunities for our staff to reach their full potential and develop a rewarding career. We enable our employees to achieve a positive work-life balance through a blend of collaborative workplace attendance combined with regular home working. Joining our inclusive and innovative team comes with a range of attractive benefits including:
Employee Assistance Programmes and access to a wealth of on-line health and wellbeing support
Competitive NHS Pension Scheme
Comprehensive opportunities to learn new skills and to develop your career within a caring and inclusive environment.
Generous holiday entitlement, which increases in line with service, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
Flexible working patterns to support work-life balance.
- Lead and manage a programme of announced and unannounced quality review visits to assess clinical care delivery in contracted services, coordinating pre-visit intelligence and communicating arrangements with stakeholders.
- Support providers in developing and reviewing Patient Safety Incident response plans.
- Ensure providers develop and implement effective service improvement plans based on recommendations from quality reviews and assurance visits.
- Monitor and review provider progress on quality and patient safety improvement action plans, ensuring successful implementation of change.
- Critically appraise and report on information related to quality and patient safety standards in commissioned services.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of the Quality Strategy for HWICB, with a focus on IPC.
- Address issues identified through service concerns and incidents, seeking solutions to improve care.
- Report on progress and achievements against quality standards and metrics, supporting the maintenance of accurate quality and IPC dashboards.
- Represent the Quality Team at relevant meetings within HWICB and with external stakeholders.
- Provide professional and clinical advice to ensure quality is central to the development of care pathways, service redesign, and transformation.
- Participate in service reviews and