Quality Lead

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will contribute to the implementation of robust assurance and oversight processes and improvement approached to ensure delivery of high quality care that is safe, effective and promotes a positive experience of care.

The post holder will contribute to the development and management of the Integrated Care Boards quality and safety agenda working to monitor high quality effective and efficient health and care services.

The post holder will initiate and support effective partnership working across the Integrated Care System, in partnership with other organisations across the health and care community to facilitate improvements in clinical quality and experience across pathways of care.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Communications & Relationship Skills

Provide support for current systems and processes to maintain robust quality oversight of patient safety and experience and response to quality concerns.

Investigate quality and safety concerns and facilitate partnership working to implement learning and recommendations.

Provide a flexible project management/service improvement resource to the wider nursing and quality team.

Regularly produce and co-ordinate the content to complete required Quality Reports, ensuring that all data and reports are accurate, written clearly and concisely and can be clearly understood by ICB Board members, staff and stakeholders, including patient and public representatives.

Present complex, information to a large group of staff or members of the public

which may include contentious or emotive content.

Act as a point of expertise and knowledge resource on specific aspects of quality surveillance, assurance and improvement.

Liaise with professionals and colleagues of all levels to identify quality improvement initiatives. Use quality improvement methodology to lead on continuous quality improvement projects, working with colleagues in clinical and non-clinical teams to facilitate implementation of action plans and improvements.

Develop effective relationships with programme leads, provider collaboratives, place quality leads, and partner organisations across the ICS. Work in collaboration to ensure a shared understanding of the quality of services, share intelligence, identify known quality risks, and agreed quality improvement activity.

Work in partnership with other members of the quality team to ensure support is provided from a quality perspective throughout all stages of the commissioning cycle and across all providers and partners.

Analytical & Judgmental Skills

Lead on gathering and analysing quality intelligence and metrics around the quality and safety of health and care services, including care homes, and ensure communication and escalation of concerns/risks and issues to the appropriate team.

Analyse quality data and triangulate information recognising early warning signs, risk and act to prevent harm to patients using escalation processes when relevant.

Provide responsive support to any emerging quality concerns and facilitate provider improvement and embedding of actions.

Analyse and report outcomes and quality data, interpreting national, regional and local policies in order to make recommendations regarding the quality and safety of health and care services and any necessary subsequent actions.

Planning & Organisational Skills

Support the development of strategies and plans in relation to quality assurance and improvement. Evaluate, interpret and locally implement best practice.

Contribute to ensuring appropriate service standards and quality markers are incorporated into ICB strategies, policies, service specifications, service level agreements and business plans.

Track progress against plans and transition milestones, ensuring appropriate processes are in place to flag issues, risks and concerns with the relevant stakeholders.

Support the implementation of national and locally driven quality improvement initiatives for the ICB, including quality measures, National Quality Board guidance, Quality Dashboard, and embed internal monitoring processes.

Ensure that evidence-based practice and outcome measures associated with service quality, experience of care and the wider patient safety agenda are applied in the ICBs commissioning process and in commissioned services.

Lead on specific work-related projects, as determined by needs, ensuring delivery within required timescales, within agreed budget and using strong evaluation skills to quantify the success of the project.

Deputise for colleagues, where appropriate, at an operational level.

Patient/Client Care

Coordinate and undertake quality assurance visits to assess care facilities, services and organisational arrangements to seek assurance that care minimises risk of harm and promotes safety and positive experience for patients and their carers.

Policy and Service Development

Coordinate implementation of directorate policies, procedures and tools pertaining to the quality and safety agenda.

Ensure that relevant policies and procedures relating to patient safety and experience of commissioned services are kept up to date and are reflective of national mandates and guidance.

Finance and Physical Resources

Participate in contract negotiations relating to quality with Quality Managers and a range of providers including CQUIN submissions to determine provider achievement and associated financial reward.

Human Resources

Support with the coordination of the delivery of team objectives to ensure they meet the ICBs corporate objectives.

Information Resources

Compile and coordinate written reports for the ICB on matters of quality, safety and clinical governance through regular reporting to relevant Committees and established governance arrangements. Use data from a variety of sources to add to these.

Prepare regular reports using appropriate software packages and present complex quality information, set out within the domains of quality, within local governance structures and ensure actions are completed.

Implement information systems and processes in relation to assurance of quality, safety and experience of care of health and care services.

Maintain quality and content of data held within information systems, ensuring that records are kept in line with the NHS records management code of practice.

Support the provision of appropriate administration to meetings including preparation of agendas, papers, gathering information, reports and associated documentation as required.

Physical Effort

Accuracy and dexterity in the use of keyboards is a constant requirement.

Occasional lifting of computer equipment and presentational equipment e.g. LCD Projectors and projection screens.

Mental Effort

Frequent (or occasionally prolonged) periods of concentration are required for up to 3-4 hours at a time. This is required for conducting review meetings, preparing analysis and reports etc.

Emotional Effort

Occasional exposure to emotional circumstances when communicating contentious information to a range of stakeholders and organisations or dealing with employee relations' issue etc.

Working Conditions

Post-holder required to use computer / VDU for long periods of time.

Frequent travel is required to attend meetings across sites.

The post holder will:

Treat people with dignity and respect.

Maintain a high standard of professional and personal conduct.

Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity. The post holder must be aware of and committed to the equality and diversity policies of the organisation.

Ensure the principles of openness, transparency and candour are observed and upheld in all working practices.

Ensure compliance with all mandatory and statutory training relevant to the post.

Be familiar with and adhere to the safeguarding policies, procedures, and guidelines for both children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect. This must be in conjunction with the Multi-agency Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adults at risk of abuse or neglect Multi- Agency Policy, Protocols and guidelines.

Ensure that any infection prevention and control issues are reported appropriately.

Be aware of and adhere to the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work

Act and to ensure their own safety and the safety of others.

Maintain confidentiality and adhere to the principles of data security and data protection.

Follow a professional Code of Conduct, where relevant to the post.

Participate in the organisational appraisal process.

Be expected to undertake ongoing professional and personal development in line with the responsibilities of the post.

This job description is not meant to be exhaustive. It describes the main duties and responsibilities of the post. It may be subject to change in the light of developing organisational and service needs and wherever possible change will follow consultation with the post holder. The postholder may be directed to complete other tasks according to the skills and requirements for individual roles. These duties will always be reasonable and deemed within the expectations of your position.

The WYICB committed to supporting staff who are at risk of redundancy or are on pay protection. As such, we reserve the right to pause or withdraw this vacancy if an application is received from an individual in one of these categories, in line with our organisational policies.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Significant prior experience of working within a quality-related function.
• A proven track record of communicating and engaging effectively with a wide range of external agencies at all levels.
• Experience of working to achieve deadlines.
• Knowledge of the components of clinical governance, patient safety, quality assurance, clinical effectiveness and patient experience.

Desirable

• Experience of using quality performance management/improvement systems and processes.

Skill sand Behaviours

Essential

• Able to think analytically; anticipating obstacles and thinking ahead; using analytical techniques to identify logical solutions.
• Planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to adjust their communication style and content to suit the audience.
• Able to build and sustain productive working relationships, actively involving stakeholders where appropriate. Able to work both independently where required and as a team player.
• Able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service and ensure a customer focused response.
• Good attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily.
• Is resilient, able to deal with pressures inherent in senior management posts.

Other Criteria

Essential

• Independently mobile to be able to work across a number of sites in West Yorkshire and travel to attend meetings and quality visits.

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level qualification or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area.
• Professionally qualified or undertaking professional development.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

Address

2nd Floor Norwich Union House

Market Street

Huddersfield

HD1 2LR

Employer's website

http://www.westyorkshire.icb.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)