The Children's Trust

Head of Clinical Governance

The closing date is 17 December 2025

Job summary

The Head of Clinical Governance will lead and enhance the organisations commitment to delivering high-quality, safe care for children. This role is pivotal in overseeing clinical governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, managing clinical risks, and implementing quality improvement initiatives. The postholder will work collaboratively across teams to promote a culture of safety and continuous improvement, aligning with The Childrens Trusts strategic objectives. Whilst the post directly reports to the Director of Nursing and Quality, the remit of the role spans the whole organisation and works across all clinical directorates.

Main duties of the job

  • Clinical Governance
  • Patient Safety
  • Clinical Risk Management
  • Quality Improvement
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Clinical Audit
  • Incident Management
  • Professional Standards
  • Policies and Procedures
  • Medical Records
  • Medicines Management
  • Complaints and Patient Experience

About us

About Us

The Childrens Trust is the UKs leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providing expert rehabilitation, education, therapy, and care at our national specialist centre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK, via our Brain Injury Community Service.

Boasting a beautiful 24-acre site in Surrey, we are located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction 8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of: Clapham Junction, Sutton, and Epsom.

Staff Benefits

The work we do is highly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuable range of benefits, including, adoption pay, time off for fertility treatment, enhanced paternity leave, paid carers leave, time out days for those experiencing menopause symptoms, time off for gender reassignment.

We also offer additional annual leave days for those with long service, with entitlements ranging from 35 to 41 days (including bank holidays) depending on your length of service.

Other benefits include free on-site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton train stations to Tadworth Court, subsidised cafeteria, on-site staff accommodation (subject to availability), the ability to retain your NHS pension (where applicable) or the opportunity to join an alternative scheme, and the opportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Details

Date posted

03 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year Plus £5941 Outer London Weighting

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

B0474-25-0144

Job locations

The Childrens Trust

Tadworth Court

Tadworth

Surrey

KT20 5RU


Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Governance

  • Develop and maintain an effective clinical governance framework that supports safe and high-quality care.
  • Facilitate regular clinical governance meetings to discuss performance, incidents, and quality improvement initiatives.
  • Ensure that clinical pathways and practices are aligned with best practice guidelines and evidence-based standards.

Patient Safety

  • Lead initiatives to enhance patient safety across all services, promoting a culture of transparency and reporting.
  • Implement and maintain the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), ensuring that learning from incidents is captured and shared.
  • Monitor and report on patient safety metrics, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring appropriate action plans are developed.

Clinical Risk Management

  • Identify, assess, and manage clinical risks within the organisation, ensuring effective risk mitigation strategies are in place.
  • Conduct regular reviews of incident reports and risk assessments to inform organisational learning and development.
  • Oversee the management of serious incidents, ensuring thorough investigations and appropriate follow-up actions are completed.

Quality Improvement

  • Develop and implement quality improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing patient outcomes and experiences.
  • Lead quality impact assessments for new initiatives or changes in practice, evaluating potential risks and benefits and manage the organisational governance in relation to these.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to promote a culture of continuous quality improvement.

Regulatory Compliance

  • Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, standards, and guidelines, including CQC regulations and national safety frameworks.
  • Maintain an up-to-date understanding of regulatory changes and ensure organisational policies and practices reflect these updates.
  • Coordinate and draft the annual organisation quality account.

Clinical Audit

  • Design and implement a comprehensive clinical audit program that evaluates the quality of care and compliance with clinical standards.
  • Analyse audit findings to identify trends and areas for improvement, facilitating the development of action plans.

Incident Management

  • Oversee the incident management process, ensuring that incidents are reported, investigated, and learned from effectively.
  • Develop strategies to communicate learning from incidents across the organisation to promote a culture of safety.

Professional Standards

  • Promote adherence to professional standards and best practices among clinical staff, ensuring high levels of accountability and professionalism.
  • Monitor compliance with organisational policies and procedures, implementing corrective actions as needed.

Policies and Procedures

  • Develop, review, and update clinical policies and procedures to ensure they align with current best practices and regulatory requirements.
  • Ensure all staff are trained and knowledgeable about relevant policies and procedures.

Medical Records

Ensure that medical records are maintained accurately and confidentially, supporting patient safety and care continuity.

Medicines Management

  • Line manage the lead pharmacist and wider pharmacy team
  • Oversee medicines management processes, ensuring compliance with best practices and safe medication administration.

Complaints and Patient Experience

  • Manage the complaints process, ensuring that concerns are addressed promptly and appropriately, and lessons learned are disseminated.
  • Work to enhance patient experience through feedback mechanisms, ensuring that patient voices are heard and acted upon.

General

  • Undertake other or additional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as the organisation may reasonably require from time to time.
  • Act as a critical member of the Nursing and Care senior leadership team.

Health and Safety

Adhere to all Health and Safety guidelines, principles and regulations required to perform your role and comply with The Childrens Trust policies and procedures.

Wellbeing and Emotional Resilience

  • Maintains a positive approach and outlook when dealing with change and overcoming challenges and problems.
  • Recognises own limitations, develops realistic goals, and uses support network resource when or if necessary.
  • Treats challenges and problems as a learning experience.
  • Remains organised and focused when under pressure.
  • Responds appropriately and effectively to all constructive feedback.
  • Motivates self and other.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Governance

  • Develop and maintain an effective clinical governance framework that supports safe and high-quality care.
  • Facilitate regular clinical governance meetings to discuss performance, incidents, and quality improvement initiatives.
  • Ensure that clinical pathways and practices are aligned with best practice guidelines and evidence-based standards.

Patient Safety

  • Lead initiatives to enhance patient safety across all services, promoting a culture of transparency and reporting.
  • Implement and maintain the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), ensuring that learning from incidents is captured and shared.
  • Monitor and report on patient safety metrics, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring appropriate action plans are developed.

Clinical Risk Management

  • Identify, assess, and manage clinical risks within the organisation, ensuring effective risk mitigation strategies are in place.
  • Conduct regular reviews of incident reports and risk assessments to inform organisational learning and development.
  • Oversee the management of serious incidents, ensuring thorough investigations and appropriate follow-up actions are completed.

Quality Improvement

  • Develop and implement quality improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing patient outcomes and experiences.
  • Lead quality impact assessments for new initiatives or changes in practice, evaluating potential risks and benefits and manage the organisational governance in relation to these.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to promote a culture of continuous quality improvement.

Regulatory Compliance

  • Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, standards, and guidelines, including CQC regulations and national safety frameworks.
  • Maintain an up-to-date understanding of regulatory changes and ensure organisational policies and practices reflect these updates.
  • Coordinate and draft the annual organisation quality account.

Clinical Audit

  • Design and implement a comprehensive clinical audit program that evaluates the quality of care and compliance with clinical standards.
  • Analyse audit findings to identify trends and areas for improvement, facilitating the development of action plans.

Incident Management

  • Oversee the incident management process, ensuring that incidents are reported, investigated, and learned from effectively.
  • Develop strategies to communicate learning from incidents across the organisation to promote a culture of safety.

Professional Standards

  • Promote adherence to professional standards and best practices among clinical staff, ensuring high levels of accountability and professionalism.
  • Monitor compliance with organisational policies and procedures, implementing corrective actions as needed.

Policies and Procedures

  • Develop, review, and update clinical policies and procedures to ensure they align with current best practices and regulatory requirements.
  • Ensure all staff are trained and knowledgeable about relevant policies and procedures.

Medical Records

Ensure that medical records are maintained accurately and confidentially, supporting patient safety and care continuity.

Medicines Management

  • Line manage the lead pharmacist and wider pharmacy team
  • Oversee medicines management processes, ensuring compliance with best practices and safe medication administration.

Complaints and Patient Experience

  • Manage the complaints process, ensuring that concerns are addressed promptly and appropriately, and lessons learned are disseminated.
  • Work to enhance patient experience through feedback mechanisms, ensuring that patient voices are heard and acted upon.

General

  • Undertake other or additional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as the organisation may reasonably require from time to time.
  • Act as a critical member of the Nursing and Care senior leadership team.

Health and Safety

Adhere to all Health and Safety guidelines, principles and regulations required to perform your role and comply with The Childrens Trust policies and procedures.

Wellbeing and Emotional Resilience

  • Maintains a positive approach and outlook when dealing with change and overcoming challenges and problems.
  • Recognises own limitations, develops realistic goals, and uses support network resource when or if necessary.
  • Treats challenges and problems as a learning experience.
  • Remains organised and focused when under pressure.
  • Responds appropriately and effectively to all constructive feedback.
  • Motivates self and other.

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

  • Strong understanding of:
  • *Health care educational framework and of developing training strategies
  • *Clinical and operational audit data and analysis/presentation methodology
  • *Multidisciplinary team working
  • *Care of children with learning disabilities
  • *Safeguarding
  • *Quality improvement programmes and methodologies

Qualifications

Essential

  • Active NMC membership
  • Educated to Masters degree level in a relevant area (or relevant experience), and / or with relevant post graduate teaching or leadership qualifications.

Personal Qualities

Essential

  • Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust.
  • Flexible and can do attitude to competing commitments in workload.
  • Highly motivated and reliable.
  • Ability to cope working in a demanding environment.
  • Commitment to maintaining personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of colleagues.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Dynamic, passionate, open, participative, and supportive leadership style
  • Strong influencing skills
  • Ability to develop and deliver innovative training programmes
  • Clinically credible in own area of practice
  • Able to deliver a multi-faceted service balancing the capacity of each area to meet service needs and priorities.
  • Effective communicator

Experience

Essential

  • Evidence of significant operational leadership experience at AfC band 8a equivalent or above
  • Experience working with children with learning disability
  • Experience of working within quality and clinical governance dedicated roles
  • Experience within training/education/practice-based education and presenting effectively to a variety of audiences
  • Experience managing significant budgets
  • Experience writing business cases for service proposals
  • Experience of effective partnership working with internal and external stakeholders
  • Management of change
Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

  • Strong understanding of:
  • *Health care educational framework and of developing training strategies
  • *Clinical and operational audit data and analysis/presentation methodology
  • *Multidisciplinary team working
  • *Care of children with learning disabilities
  • *Safeguarding
  • *Quality improvement programmes and methodologies

Qualifications

Essential

  • Active NMC membership
  • Educated to Masters degree level in a relevant area (or relevant experience), and / or with relevant post graduate teaching or leadership qualifications.

Personal Qualities

Essential

  • Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust.
  • Flexible and can do attitude to competing commitments in workload.
  • Highly motivated and reliable.
  • Ability to cope working in a demanding environment.
  • Commitment to maintaining personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of colleagues.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Dynamic, passionate, open, participative, and supportive leadership style
  • Strong influencing skills
  • Ability to develop and deliver innovative training programmes
  • Clinically credible in own area of practice
  • Able to deliver a multi-faceted service balancing the capacity of each area to meet service needs and priorities.
  • Effective communicator

Experience

Essential

  • Evidence of significant operational leadership experience at AfC band 8a equivalent or above
  • Experience working with children with learning disability
  • Experience of working within quality and clinical governance dedicated roles
  • Experience within training/education/practice-based education and presenting effectively to a variety of audiences
  • Experience managing significant budgets
  • Experience writing business cases for service proposals
  • Experience of effective partnership working with internal and external stakeholders
  • Management of change

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

The Children's Trust

Address

The Childrens Trust

Tadworth Court

Tadworth

Surrey

KT20 5RU


Employer's website

https://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/jobs (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

The Children's Trust

Address

The Childrens Trust

Tadworth Court

Tadworth

Surrey

KT20 5RU


Employer's website

https://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/jobs (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Recruitment & Compliance Officer

Adela Cross

adelacross@thechildrenstrust.org.uk

01737365880

Details

Date posted

03 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year Plus £5941 Outer London Weighting

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

B0474-25-0144

Job locations

The Childrens Trust

Tadworth Court

Tadworth

Surrey

KT20 5RU


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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