Oxford Health NHS Trust

Patient Safety Lead

The closing date is 16 October 2025

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'll be supporting directorate and clinical teams, completing patient safety reviews to a high standard, delivering training on patient safety, and responsible for sharing learning across Oxford Health. The team works across all directorates in the Trust which include community, dental, mental health, forensic and learning disability service. This role provides the opportunity to gain knowledge of many different services, and different types of incidents (although due to nature of our service self harm/suspected suicide are the majority).

We are looking for an enthusiastic, organised, motivated person, with excellent communication skills. This is a challenging role within a busy team, but is highly rewarding to work collaboratively with clinical staff and patient/family to ultimately identify areas of learning and improvement. Our team currently works flexibly between the office and home and this role will require you to travel to different sites across our geographical area.

If you're a registered nurse, AHP, social worker, or have significant senior experience in health care service looking for a rewarding step in your career, we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

Leadership in patient safety team, directorate and clinical teams in all aspects of patient safety.
To be an expert in Patient Safety and reviews, techniques and practice, including Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS), Human Factors.
Monitor and interpret national guidance and policy in order to ensure that Trust procedures and practice comply or exceed best practice
To review patient safety incidents and/or complex complaints, acting as a role model and expert advisor for other staff involved in the reviews, ensuring that all reviews are carried out to the highest possible standards.
To produce high quality reports that identify the system and process factors that led to the incident/complaint occurring. Suggesting safety improvement areas for change in practice.
Analyse themes and patterns from incidents and complaints to support learning and changes. Presenting these in internal and external forums.
Share learning across trust, and deliver patient safety training.
To work flexibly as part of wider Patient Safety, undertaking duties and activities relevant to level of post to improve the experience of patients and staff.

Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties.

About us

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible.

Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent"

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

o Excellent opportunities for career progressiono Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and developmento 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous serviceo NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailerso Competitive pension schemeo Lease car schemeo Cycle to work schemeo Employee Assistance Programmeo Mental Health First Aiderso Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)o Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Date posted

18 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum | pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

267-CS7474042

Job locations

Littlemore Mental Health Centre

Oxford

OX4 4XN

Job description

Job responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should 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 and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

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.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Registered Health professional (e.g. Nurse, OT, SW)
Postgraduate qualification in nursing/health-related topic, or equivalent experience.

Desirable

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

Experience

Essential

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

Desirable

Experience of facilitating multidisciplinary team reviews following a suicide
Experience of facilitating local learning reviews
Experience of delivering Patient Safety training

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to convey, with high levels of sensitivity and understanding, 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.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Registered Health professional (e.g. Nurse, OT, SW)
Postgraduate qualification in nursing/health-related topic, or equivalent experience.

Desirable

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

Experience

Essential

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

Desirable

Experience of facilitating multidisciplinary team reviews following a suicide
Experience of facilitating local learning reviews
Experience of delivering Patient Safety training

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to convey, with high levels of sensitivity and understanding, 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.

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.