Safety Investigator

Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB)

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) is an independent non-departmental public body, commonly known as an arm's length body (ALB), of the Department of Health and Social Care.

HSSIB operates within the Health & Care Act 2022. HSSIB's purpose is to improve patient safety across healthcare, by carrying out expert investigations to determine the causes of serious systemic patient safety. Our investigations don't apportion blame or liability and make safety recommendations, sharing safety learning, and improve patient safety.

Safety Investigators work as part of a dynamic team delivering an effective service and supporting Senior Safety Investigators, to deliver robust and timely investigations that drive improvements in patient safety across England. Our investigators have diverse experience of healthcare and other safety critical industries, bringing new perspectives and a unique mix of clinical and non-clinical input to every investigation.

As a safety investigator you would :

  • Conduct Investigations and produce reports that patients, families, carers and staff value, trust and respect
  • Generate investigation findings and recommendations which improve patient safety
  • Act as an exemplar for good quality investigation across healthcare provision in England.

HSSIB are looking for investigators with safety investigation experience. It would be advantageous to have a background in healthcare and an understanding of human factors principles.

Main duties of the job

Essential functions include:

  • Provide expertise to healthcare safety investigations to improve patient safety.
  • Work within a dynamic team with Senior Safety Investigators and other professionals to identify safety concerns, inform investigation topics and deliver investigations, learning and reports to improve patient safety.
  • Collect and analyse patient safety data obtained from a wide variety of sources, including research literature and integrate this with investigation findings.
  • Support the development of system level safety recommendations to relevant bodies in healthcare and wider safety learning.
  • Prepare accurate, thorough and clearly written reports with well-founded analysis and conclusions that explain the circumstances and factors of that event and be able to understand the relationship of these to systemic patient safety issues.
  • Engage with patients, families, carers, and staff in a professional, empathic and respectful way that develops confidence and trust.
  • Proactively identify safety issues and lessons learned to improve safety within healthcare.
  • Promote and represent HSSIB work externally, including delivering presentations on identified issues as required.
  • Attend events and venues across England for the purposes of HSSIB, this may require overnight stays.

About us

Our people

In order to be successful in our goal of providing professional, high quality healthcare safety investigations and education to the system we understand our people are at the heart of this. The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate, and inclusive - and we all have our part to play.

As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that's a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know that different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We strive to ensure our people feel trusted, valued and empowered. We're passionate about nurturing and developing people.

To ensure this we are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and welcome applications from all individuals regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Date posted

18 March 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£58,972 to £68,525 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Home or remote working

Reference number

065-HSSIB010

Job locations

Home based

Home based

BH16 6FA


Job description

Job responsibilities

Operational duties include:

Undertake and complete investigation projects as delegated by the Senior Safety Investigator from initiation of the investigation through to compilation and presentation of reports, findings, recommendations and observations. This will include, but is not limited to:

Conducting effective and efficient investigations to determine the factors of the safety incident being investigated

Producing draft safety reports and recommendations that are well researched and effective in reducing the likelihood of a reoccurrence of the event.

Preparing and presenting statements and evidence at legal hearings including coroners inquests.

Sharing knowledge and enhancing standards of incident investigation across healthcare.

Responsible for the day-to-day management of assigned investigations, ensuring that investigation guidance is followed consistently and that investigations are completed and published in a timely manner.

Responsible for embedding of consistent methodologies and approaches to conducting investigations.

Work with highly complex, sensitive and emotive information requiring analysis and interpretation to inform sound decision making.

Work with patients, carers and relatives who have been harmed or bereaved and with affected healthcare professionals in situations which are highly emotive, sensitive and which may also be contentious.

Contribute to the development of investigation processes that supports the principles of lifelong learning, ensuring lessons learned / debriefs are captured to enable continual improvements in the quality of investigation.

Demonstrate sensitivity and effective relationship building

Undertake secondary duties as required for the HSSIB to achieve its strategic aims.

Key Accountabilities

Financial and Physical Resources

Responsible for accounting for budget and resource usage for subject matter advisors.

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator with advising and preparing progress reports and briefings for managers and stakeholders.

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator with the provision of analysis, interpretation and production of complex and multiple reports

Demonstrate value for money and greater efficiency in the use of budgets / resources within their own role.

Act in a way that is compliant with Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions in the discharge of this responsibility.

Staff / HR Management

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigators with the management of third party expert staff contracted to work on specific investigations

Contributing to training staff in good investigation practice in healthcare organisations.

Information Management

Ensure that reports are factually and evidence based, accurate, comprehensive, focused and of a standard fit for publication.

Draft reports summarising status on issues, appraising outcomes, and providing progress reports for the Investigation manager

Highlight exceptions and manage actions to keep the investigation on track with pre-defined timelines.

Analyse, interpret and present highly complex and sensitive data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making.

Ensure data and information gathered in the process of investigation is managed, stored and disposed of in accordance with information governance requirements

Provide guidance to stakeholders to ensure information management requirements are met

Preserve the confidence in the HSSIBs investigatory and reporting process in accordance with its statutory obligations

Working Relationships

Display highest levels of professional credibility and integrity.

Forge positive working relationships, in order to support an effective approach to achieve HSSIB objectives.

Provide advice, support and constructive challenge to colleagues across HSSIB and the wider healthcare system.

Provide expert advice on complex and conflicting issues and generate solutions in situations that require changing mind sets.

Present complex sensitive or contentious information to different audiences.

Research and Development

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator to manage projects to comply with HSSIB key performance indicators.

Planning and Organization

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator and project manager in organising investigation planning e.g. liaising with organisations for scheduling etc. as part of the team.

Policy and Service Development

Proposing changes to directorate function.

Freedom to Act

Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary, working to tight and often changing deadlines

Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult and frequently sensitive issues

Ability to act independently and interpret and apply relevant policy to work area

Job description

Job responsibilities

Operational duties include:

Undertake and complete investigation projects as delegated by the Senior Safety Investigator from initiation of the investigation through to compilation and presentation of reports, findings, recommendations and observations. This will include, but is not limited to:

Conducting effective and efficient investigations to determine the factors of the safety incident being investigated

Producing draft safety reports and recommendations that are well researched and effective in reducing the likelihood of a reoccurrence of the event.

Preparing and presenting statements and evidence at legal hearings including coroners inquests.

Sharing knowledge and enhancing standards of incident investigation across healthcare.

Responsible for the day-to-day management of assigned investigations, ensuring that investigation guidance is followed consistently and that investigations are completed and published in a timely manner.

Responsible for embedding of consistent methodologies and approaches to conducting investigations.

Work with highly complex, sensitive and emotive information requiring analysis and interpretation to inform sound decision making.

Work with patients, carers and relatives who have been harmed or bereaved and with affected healthcare professionals in situations which are highly emotive, sensitive and which may also be contentious.

Contribute to the development of investigation processes that supports the principles of lifelong learning, ensuring lessons learned / debriefs are captured to enable continual improvements in the quality of investigation.

Demonstrate sensitivity and effective relationship building

Undertake secondary duties as required for the HSSIB to achieve its strategic aims.

Key Accountabilities

Financial and Physical Resources

Responsible for accounting for budget and resource usage for subject matter advisors.

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator with advising and preparing progress reports and briefings for managers and stakeholders.

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator with the provision of analysis, interpretation and production of complex and multiple reports

Demonstrate value for money and greater efficiency in the use of budgets / resources within their own role.

Act in a way that is compliant with Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions in the discharge of this responsibility.

Staff / HR Management

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigators with the management of third party expert staff contracted to work on specific investigations

Contributing to training staff in good investigation practice in healthcare organisations.

Information Management

Ensure that reports are factually and evidence based, accurate, comprehensive, focused and of a standard fit for publication.

Draft reports summarising status on issues, appraising outcomes, and providing progress reports for the Investigation manager

Highlight exceptions and manage actions to keep the investigation on track with pre-defined timelines.

Analyse, interpret and present highly complex and sensitive data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making.

Ensure data and information gathered in the process of investigation is managed, stored and disposed of in accordance with information governance requirements

Provide guidance to stakeholders to ensure information management requirements are met

Preserve the confidence in the HSSIBs investigatory and reporting process in accordance with its statutory obligations

Working Relationships

Display highest levels of professional credibility and integrity.

Forge positive working relationships, in order to support an effective approach to achieve HSSIB objectives.

Provide advice, support and constructive challenge to colleagues across HSSIB and the wider healthcare system.

Provide expert advice on complex and conflicting issues and generate solutions in situations that require changing mind sets.

Present complex sensitive or contentious information to different audiences.

Research and Development

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator to manage projects to comply with HSSIB key performance indicators.

Planning and Organization

Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator and project manager in organising investigation planning e.g. liaising with organisations for scheduling etc. as part of the team.

Policy and Service Development

Proposing changes to directorate function.

Freedom to Act

Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary, working to tight and often changing deadlines

Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult and frequently sensitive issues

Ability to act independently and interpret and apply relevant policy to work area

Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • oExtensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent
  • oDemonstrable postgraduate experience as a safety investigator, healthcare clinician or employment in a human factors related role
  • oClear understanding of human factors principles, from a causal and improvement science perspective
  • oExcellent planning and organisation skills with the ability to prioritise tasks for optimal personal and team performance
  • oAbility to translate patient safety information and investigation findings into informed intelligence, and present this transparently, accurately, and clearly
  • oValues diversity and difference, operating with integrity and openness
  • oAbility to produce well-written and concise reports in a clear and logical way with strong attention to detail
  • oAbility to provide and receive, convey and present highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to large groups, responding openly to questions to ensure full understanding and engagement
Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • oExtensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent
  • oDemonstrable postgraduate experience as a safety investigator, healthcare clinician or employment in a human factors related role
  • oClear understanding of human factors principles, from a causal and improvement science perspective
  • oExcellent planning and organisation skills with the ability to prioritise tasks for optimal personal and team performance
  • oAbility to translate patient safety information and investigation findings into informed intelligence, and present this transparently, accurately, and clearly
  • oValues diversity and difference, operating with integrity and openness
  • oAbility to produce well-written and concise reports in a clear and logical way with strong attention to detail
  • oAbility to provide and receive, convey and present highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to large groups, responding openly to questions to ensure full understanding and engagement

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB)

Address

Home based

Home based

BH16 6FA


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB)

Address

Home based

Home based

BH16 6FA


Employer's website

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

For questions about the job, contact:

HR Administrator

HR Department

hr@hssib.org.uk

Date posted

18 March 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£58,972 to £68,525 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Home or remote working

Reference number

065-HSSIB010

Job locations

Home based

Home based

BH16 6FA


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB)'s privacy notice (opens in a new tab)