Divisional Clinical Governance Manager - WAC Division
ESHT
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Job summary
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust in Hastings is seeking a Divisional Clinical Governance Manager (NHS AfC Band 8a) on a permanent, full-time basis (37.5 hours) at Conquest Hospital. The role leads governance across Women and Children’s Services, promoting safety, quality, and effective risk management.
You will oversee incident management, audits, and regulatory readiness, driving improvement, assurance reporting, and staff development within the division.
Qualifications
- Professional Registration and Masters level qualification or relevant experience.
- Postgraduate qualification in healthcare governance/quality/risk or commitment to complete or Evidence of continuous professional development
- Clinical Education training/certification (NMC/HCPC/GMC)
- Significant experience in clinical governance within acute settings
- Leading incident/serious incident processes and risk registersDelivering CQC readiness
- Leading clinical audit / NICE projects / programmes
- Producing assurance reports for senior committees
- Line Management
- Working with external regulators e.g. CQC
- Managing claims/inquests learning
- NHS regulatory framework (CQC Fundamental Standards, PSIRF, Duty of Candour)
- Clinical audit cycle, NICE guidance processes
- nformation governance basics
- Human factors/ergonomics
- SPC tools / QI charts
- Safety-II
- Equality Impact Assessments
- Facilitation and investigation skills Influencing and negotiation Coaching and training skills
- Skilled in the use governance systems e.g. Datix, InPhase, Evotix
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to address complex and sensitive issues in an appropriate and confident manner
- Analytical, data and dashboard interpretation and report writing skills for succinct governance reports from ward to Board
- Ability to triangulate data & develop themes for divisional and cross organisational learning
- Flexible working to meet service needs
- Ability to travel to any one of the Trust sites or multiple sites in a timely and efficient manner
Responsibilities
- Lead governance, quality, safety, and risk management processes
- Provide strategic leadership for the Governance Team
- Ensure services are inspection-ready and compliant with regulatory bodies
- Lead patient safety, risk management, incident investigation, and learning activities
- Monitor governance performance and present assurance reports
- Provide expert advice on governance and quality improvement
- Collaborate with clinical leaders and multidisciplinary teams to improve outcomes
- Support litigation management, complaints, investigations, and Duty of Candour requirements
- Ensure governance-related learning, training, and quality improvement initiatives are identified, implemented, and evaluated
- Manage and develop staff through recruitment, appraisal, performance management
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
We do not charge fees for job applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements or employment offers. All current vacancies can be found below, with the published contact details being the only authorised routes for recruitment communications, applications and verification of job offers.
Main area Clinical Nursing and Midwifery Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 374-LL0330
Site Conquest Hospital Town Hastings Salary £57,528 - £64,750 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 04/11/2026 08:00
We are proud to provide ‘Outstanding’ care and be a great place to work.
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides safe, compassionate and high quality hospital and community care to the half a million people living in East Sussex and those who visit our local area.
We are one of the largest organisations in East Sussex with an annual income of £700 million and we are the only integrated provider of acute and community care in Sussex.
Our extensive health services are provided by over 8,000+ dedicated members of staff working from two acute hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, three community hospitals in Bexhill, Rye and Uckfield, over 100 community sites across East Sussex, and in people’s own homes.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated us as ‘Good’ overall, and ‘Outstanding’ for being Caring and Effective. The Conquest Hospital in Hastings and our Community Services were rated ‘Outstanding’ and Eastbourne DGH was rated ‘Good’ Our two acute hospitals have Emergency Departments and provide 24 hour a day care, offering a comprehensive range of surgical, medical, outpatient and maternity services, supported by a full range of diagnostic and therapy services.
The Divisional Clinical Governance Manager is a key role in the divisional leadership team and provides strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of clinical governance across the Division, ensuring safe, effective, and person‑centred care. The Divisional Clinical Governance Manager line manages the Divisional Clinical Governance Team.
The Divisional Clinical Governance Manager will promote the vision and values of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, leading by example and ensuring that they demonstrate those values in their leadership behaviours and how we support our teams and deliver our services.
The Divisional Clinical Governance Manager will lead the governance framework (patient safety, risk management, quality improvement, audit, NICE compliance, mortality review, patient experience, complaints and claims learning, and regulatory readiness).
The Divisional Clinical Governance Manager supports and challenges Divisional leadership to assure quality and reduce harm, providing high‑quality analysis, insight, and improvement methodology.
The Divisional Clinical Governance Manager ensures the Trust clinical governance processes are effectively implemented within the Division, including, incident management, duty of candour compliance, inquests, management of risk registers, CQC preparedness, clinical audit and effectiveness, patient experience and feedback, policy management, and timely implementation and closure of all related action.
- Lead and develop governance, quality, safety, and risk management processes across all of Women and Children’s Services, ensuring compliance with national guidance, regulatory standards, and best practice.
- Provide strategic leadership for the Governance Team, fostering a just culture and continuous quality improvement.
- Ensure services are inspection‑ready and compliant with requirements from CQC, CNST, NHSE, NICE, MBRRACE-UK, RCOG, HSE and other regulatory bodies.
- Lead patient safety, risk management, incident investigation, and learning activities, including PSIRF processes, AARs, MDT reviews, PSIIs, and Perinatal Mortality Reviews.
- Monitor all governance performance using qualitative and quantitative data, manage risk registers, oversee action plans, and present assurance reports to Directorate, Trust, and external committees.
- Provide expert advice on governance, patient safety, clinical effectiveness, quality improvement, and risk management.
- Work collaboratively with clinical leaders, PMAs, PNAs, patient advocacy groups and multidisciplinary teams to improve patient experience and outcomes.
- Support litigation management, complaints, investigations, and Duty of Candour requirements
- Ensure governance‑related learning, training, and quality improvement initiatives are identified, implemented, and evaluated.
- Manage and develop staff through recruitment, appraisal, performance management, attendance monitoring, and professional development
A wide range of staff benefits are available to our staff including staff development, enrolment in the NHS pension scheme, auto‑enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service, access to onsite nurseries. staff restaurants and accommodation.
In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year.
We value the individuality that each candidate brings to the application process. While we understand that AI tools are widely available, we strongly discourage applicants from using AI-generated content when applying for jobs with us. We believe that your application should reflect your true skills, experiences, and motivations, which are best conveyed through your own words and unique perspective.
Using AI for your application may not accurately represent your knowledge, skills, and experience and may result in a disconnect between your qualifications and our assessment of your application.
We encourage applicants to take the time to thoughtfully complete their applications; by doing so, you allow us to better understand your true potential and ensure a fair and transparent evaluation of your application. Over reliance on AI-generated content may diminish your chance of success.
If you have any questions about this position please do not hesitate to contact us.
- Professional Registration and Masters level qualification or relevant experience
- Postgraduate qualification in healthcare governance/quality/risk or commitment to complete or Evidence of continuous professional development
- Clinical Education training/certification (NMC/HCPC/GMC)
- Significant experience in clinical governance within acute settings
- Leading incident/serious incident processes and risk registersDelivering CQC readiness
- Leading clinical audit / NICE projects / programmes
- Producing assurance reports for senior committees
- Line Management
- Working with external regulators e.g. CQC
- Managing claims/inquests learning
- NHS regulatory framework (CQC Fundamental Standards, PSIRF, Duty of Candour)
- Clinical audit cycle, NICE guidance processes
- nformation governance basics
- Human factors/ergonomics
- SPC tools / QI charts
- Safety-II
- Equality Impact Assessments
- Facilitation and investigation skills Influencing and negotiation Coaching and training skills
- Skilled in the use of governance systems e.g. Datix, InPhase, Evotix, etc.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to address complex and sensitive issues in an appropriate and confident manner.
- Analytical, data and dashboard interpretation and report writing skills for succinct governance reports from ward to Board
- Ability to triangulate data & develop themes for divisional and cross organisational learning
- Flexible working to meet service needs
- Ability to travel to any one of the Trust sites or multiple sites in a timely and efficient manner
Patients come first at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.
Our vision is to be:
- The healthcare provider of first choice for the people of East Sussex.
Our mission is to:
- Deliver better health outcomes and an excellent experience for everyone we provide with healthcare services.
Our strategic objectives are to:
- Improve quality and clinical outcomes by ensuring that safe patient care is our highest priority.
- Play a leading role in local partnerships to meet the needs of our local population and improve and enhance patients’ experiences.
- Use our resources efficiently and effectively for the benefit of our patients and their care to ensure our services are clinically, operationally and financially sustainable.
Our aims are that all services delivered by the Trust are:
- Safe
- Effective
- Caring
- Responsive and
- Well led
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name Hannah Horne Job title Director of Midwifery Email address hannah.horne@nhs.net Additional information
Please contact either - Hannah Horne, Director of Midwifery
Or:
Mark Standen,
Divisional Director of Nursing, Women and Children’s Division,
mark.standen@nhs.net
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