Divisional Governance Lead - Medicine

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is seeking a Divisional Governance Lead to drive patient safety, quality improvement, and regulatory compliance across the division. You will provide strategic governance leadership, oversee incident management, and embed a culture of safety and learning.

Working with senior clinical leaders, you will lead a governance team, ensure timely escalation of incidents, and embed PSIRF responses and continuous improvement into everyday practice to enhance patient care

Qualifications

• Substantial NHS governance experience and understanding of safety/risk frameworks.
• Experience leading patient safety investigations and PSIRF principles.
• Experience using governance information systems and triangulating safety data.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership of divisional governance agenda.
• Lead and develop the governance team and manage recruitment/performance.
• Drive safety culture, learning, and continuous improvement; oversee incident management and thematic reviews.
• Lead PSIRF investigations and ensure robust outcomes.
• Maintain divisional risk register and escalate significant risks.
• Coordinate regulatory readiness and responses (CQC) and NICE guidance tracking.
• Oversee audits, safety actions, and dissemination of learning to improve care.

Skills

NHS governance

PSIRF

Incident management

DATIX

Leadership

Risk management

Education

Degree in health subject

Leadership/Management qualification

Post-registration qualifications

Professional registration

Tools

DATIX Risk Management Software

Job description

Job overview

Join us as a Divisional Governance Lead and play a pivotal role in shaping patient safety and quality across our Division. This highly influential leadership position provides strategic oversight of governance systems, ensuring compliance with national standards and Trust policies. You’ll lead a dedicated governance team, drive continuous improvement, and embed a culture of safety and learning. Working closely with senior clinical leaders, you’ll oversee incident management, lead responses under PSIRF, and ensure lessons learned translate into better care for our patients.

Main duties of the job

The Divisional Governance Lead is a pivotal leadership position responsible for driving patient safety, quality improvement, and regulatory compliance across the Division. This highly visible role provides strategic and operational governance support, ensuring systems are robust, responsive, and aligned with national standards and Trust policies.

Key Purpose:

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the divisional governance agenda.
• Ensure compliance with Trust policies, NHS frameworks, and national standards.
• Manage the divisional governance team and embed a culture of safety, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee incident profiles and serious incidents, ensuring timely escalation and thematic reviews.
• Lead divisional learning responses under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF).
• Drive improvement actions and monitor assurance through audit processes.
• Enable high-quality care through effective risk management, incident response, and compliance.
• Collaborate with senior nursing and medical leaders, clinical teams, and corporate colleagues to embed governance principles.

The postholder acts as a key driver for patient safety and quality, ensuring lessons learned are embedded into practice and that governance systems support safe, effective, and compassionate care delivery.

Working for our organisation

As part of this role, you will work directly with a team of Governance Managers and Governance Facilitators, all committed to improving standards and closely linking with our clinical teams to ensure governance excellence. Together, this team will champion continuous improvement, robust incident management under PSIRF, risk oversight, and regulatory compliance, including CQC readiness.

If you are passionate about influencing care delivery and shaping governance at the highest level, we would love to hear from you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Provide oversight of the divisional governance agenda, ensuring compliance with Trust policies, NHS frameworks, and national standards.
• Governance Team Management: Lead and develop the divisional governance team, including recruitment, onboarding, appraisals, and performance management.
• Patient Safety & Quality: Drive a culture of safety, learning, and continuous improvement; oversee incident management and thematic reviews.
• PSIRF Investigations: Lead divisional learning responses under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, ensuring robust investigations and shared outcomes.
• Risk Management: Maintain and scrutinise the divisional risk register, validate new risks, and escalat significant risks to senior leadership.
• Regulatory Compliance: Act as divisional lead for CQC requirements, maintain inspection readiness, and coordinate responses to regulatory enquiries.
• Audit & Clinical Effectiveness: Oversee audit processes, track NICE guidance responses, and ensure findings are reported through governance structures.
• Safeguarding Oversight: Monitor safeguarding incidents, collaborate with the Safeguarding Team, and participate in Section 42 reviews.
• Claims & Safety Alerts: Coordinate responses to clinical claims, disseminate learning, and manage safety alerts for timely action.
• Collaboration: Work closely with senior nursing and medical leaders, clinical teams, and corporate colleagues to embed governance principles.

Person specification

Qualifications & Education

Essential criteria

• Degree in health related subject or equivalent
• Evidence of undertaking or completing a Management or Leadership/Development Programme/Qualification (equivalent to the Band 6 programme or Level 4 ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) or equivalent
• Post Registration Qualifications relevant to the role
• Registered with appropriate professional body if registered professional

Desirable criteria

• Teaching/Assessing Qualification
• Training in Incident management Systems or similar management systems

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Substantial experience of working in the NHS and understanding of governance, patient safety, risk management, and regulatory frameworks
• Experience leading or supporting patient safety investigations and applying PSIRF principles
• Experience of using governance information systems (e.g., DATIX Risk Management Software or equivalent)
• Experience of analysing safety data and triangulating with other sources (e.g., complaints, claims, mortality reviews) and reporting this both written and verbally
• Experience of developing and implementing policies and procedural documents
• Substantial experience of communicating effectively internally and externally (e.g., patients, clients, public, partners, key stakeholders)
• Experience of audit activity or validation of safety actions
• Experience of staff management and team development
• Experience of developing and delivering training and facilitating learning
• Experience of leading improvement initiatives in clinical outcomes or equivalent (e.g. experience of change/ project management)

Desirable criteria

• Experience of preparing reports for Board, Executive and Senior Managers and Regulators
• Experience of supporting the development of dashboards and visual tools for safety insights