West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

Human Factors & Ergonomics Specialist Lead - Band 8a - Patient Safety

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Job summary

We are looking for a dynamic and innovative individual to work in an exciting permanent position. The role will ensure that a Human Factors and ergonomics lens is an integral consideration in improving patient safety, quality of care and change management for our patients and staff.

Our safety and quality team is a growing and empowered team with the ambition to improve safety for our patients across our integrated organisation. As an early adopter of the patient safety incident response framework (PSIRF) with are using systems thinking to ensure we learn and shape improvement. Our organisation is ready to embrace your expertise in further developing human factors/ergonomics skills throughout the trust.

You will work closely with the Clinical Lead for Human Factors/ergonomics to provide senior leadership to improvement projects and the continued development of the Human factors/ergonomics faculty who provide multidisciplinary training to all of staff.

You will be committed to professional development and be willing to work towards postgraduate level study and chartership. You will have recent and relevant experience of applying and implementing Human factors/ergonomics methodologies.

This is a new position for our Trust, and we are keen to welcome your invaluable expertise to develop this role and further develop our human factors/ergonomics capacity to continuously support our staff in delivering the best care possible.

Main duties of the job

You will contribute to and develop our HFE strategy, as well as acting as an ambassador and representative of the Trust, developing, and strengthening our internal and external networks and partnerships in healthcare.

You would be part of the patient safety team working closely with our quality improvement team and the wider trust using your skills to use insight into work as done to optimise environment, IT, equipment, leadership, processes, and guidelines in projects that lend themselves to a human factors/ergonomics/systems thinking approach to make measurable safety improvements.

You will have high level presentation skills and be able to use your experience to support delivery of our patient safety and human factors training programmes, working closely with team and faculty colleagues.

You will have had recent experience of leading and implementing change and have excellent communication skills to establish effective relationships with colleagues at all levels. You will be a problem solver and able to use your own initiative, also a team player who can initiate, delegate and complete improvement projects. Self-motivated and with excellent organisational skills you will be able to produce management reports as well as present work internally and externally to the organisation.

If you are interested and have a vision to develop this role, we would love to hear from you!

About us

#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

Were a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and childrens ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

Date posted

06 April 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£48,526 to £54,619 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9179-23-0000-P

Job locations

West Suffolk Hospitals Nhs Trust

Hardwick Lane

Bury St. Edmunds

Suffolk

IP332QZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see job description for full details.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Human Factors Ergonomics Specialist Lead will advise the Trust and healthcare partners on Human Factors and Ergonomics as a specialist lead. The post holder will assist healthcare professionals across the Trust to deliver safer care through an understanding of the effects of teamwork, tasks, equipment, workspace, culture and organisation on human behaviour and abilities, and the application of that knowledge in clinical and non-clinical settings. The post holder will play a key role in ensuring that the strategies, systems and processes of the Trust are designed and managed to take account of human behaviour and performance.

This is a key corporate role, based in the Patient Safety & Quality team, with close links to the clinical lead for Human Factors and the Human Factors faculty. The post holder will support awareness building, capability and effective use of ergonomics and human factors to improve patient safety across the Trust.

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust operate under PSIRF (Patient Safety Incident Response Framework) and based in the central patient safety and quality team this role will contribute to the patient safety and incident management process in accordance with our PSRIP (Patient Safety Incident Response Plan); they will also work across a variety of departments within our integrated organisation to provide human factors advice, education and training at all levels. They will lead on safety improvements across the Trust and the delivery of the quality strategy by supporting clinical staff in learning and implementing change by developing human factors knowledge and skills.

KEY TASKS:

The post holder will provide specialist Human Factors and Ergonomics advice on the strategic planning of Human Factors programmes, and their implementation

Deliver Human Factors and Ergonomics advice at an operational level across the Trust.

To work collaboratively with the clinical lead for Human Factors to develop the Human Factors service

Assist partners with the development of proactive strategies to reduce patient safety risks through provision of specialist advice. This will include working closely with healthcare professionals and managers across the Trust to review work systems, processes and physical layouts, examining trends in safety insight and making recommendations to managers at all levels to reduce risk

Provide expert advice, guidance and support to all staff on matters related to Human Factors and Ergonomics

To have direct oversight of the Human Factors faculty to ensure training and opportunities for shared learning are relevant and updated

To have budgetary responsibility for Human Factors

Lead the safety improvement programme for the organisation

To ensure safety improvement initiatives; local and national are fulfilled at Trust level

Work collaboratively with the quality improvement team and other change management teams to ensure safety initiative projects are prioritised using quality improvement methodology with an added human factors methodology when appropriate

Further develop and lead a programme of human factors education and awareness building utilising networks of influence for both clinical and non-clinical staff across the Trust

To contribute to the planning and delivery of patient safety education programme

Support the delivery and implementation of the patient safety strategy

Support the development of safety improvement champions across the Trust

If required, have the ability to work autonomously to investigate safety incidents using a variety of systems-based approaches and in conjunction with subject matter experts and clinical colleagues, escalating any identified risks to the Head of Patient Safety.

To signpost staff involved in incidents to the supporting better working lives programme and other systems of support when required.

Develop and maintain effective relationships and operational links with staff at all levels and disciplines, persuading and influencing engagement in safety and quality

Able to present and receive highly complex information to a multi-professional audience

To be able to prepare high quality reports for multiple audiences

Highly accurate and in-depth record keeping in line with good governance processes

Ability to chair relevant committee meetings

Maintain links with professional bodies and stakeholders such as Chartered Institute of

Ergonomics and Human Factors, Health Education England, Human Factors

Exchange, NHS England and Improvement Regional Team, the Clinical Human Factors Group

Encourage staff to participate in a shared governance approach to decision making

Apply the principles and practice of a just and learning culture across a diverse range of clinical services

TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Further develop and lead a programme of human factors education and awareness building utilising networks of influence for both clinical and non-clinical staff across the Trust

To contribute to the planning and delivery of patient safety education programme

Contribute directly to building incident investigation capacity and capability across the organisation, by delivering systems based training programmes, teaching and supporting individuals development of systems knowledge either as a whole or on an ad hoc basis.

Participate as necessary in the delivery of the Trust wide induction programmes regarding patient safety

Support divisional and organisational shared learning

MANAGEMENT

Provide Human Factors faculty leadership

To have direct oversight of the Human Factors faculty to ensure training and opportunities for shared learning are relevant and updated

To have budgetary responsibility for the Human Factors service

Be a senior member of the patient safety team, sharing knowledge and expertise in relation to Human Factors and Ergonomics

Support divisional and organisational shared learning

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Manage, develop and maintain effective systems for the collection and evaluation of information to support robust governance processes.

Have sound knowledge of the digital systems used within the Trust to be able to ensure accurate record keeping

In-depth knowledge of risk management systems used in healthcare such as Datix

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Ensure the production of comprehensive high-quality reports of service delivery for multiple audiences

Ability to undertake thematic analysis for improvement opportunities and review by different audiences

Liaise with external colleagues and appraise them of quality assurance in relation Human Factors and Ergonomics

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL

Promote and maintain communication that will often be complex and sensitive in nature to enable achievement of agreed objectives and standards.

Maintain professional requirements for registration (where appropriate), abiding by professional codes of conduct and ensuring ongoing continuous professional development.

Support and influence senior colleagues in implementing clinical and operational decisions relating to safety improvement strategies.

Explore and support new ways of working, transformation and other initiatives.

Develop own and others knowledge and practice across professional and organisational boundaries.