Governance Manager (Primary Care)

Northumbria Group.; Cramlington; Remote; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Northumbria Primary Care Ltd (NPC) is seeking an experienced Governance Manager to lead governance, quality assurance, patient safety, risk management and compliance across the organisation. The role involves collaborating with senior leaders, practice teams and external partners to maintain high standards and drive continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will influence strategic governance, support high-quality patient care, and foster a culture of learning.

Qualifications

• Degree level qualification or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Qualification or significant training in governance, quality improvement, project management, healthcare management or risk management.
• Master's degree or postgraduate qualification.
• Quality improvement qualification e.g. PRINCE2, Lean or Six Sigma.

Responsibilities

• Leading governance, quality, patient safety and compliance programmes across NPC.
• Managing the organisational risk register and governance work programme.
• Supporting CQC assessments, inspections and ongoing regulatory compliance.
• Overseeing incident, complaint, audit and assurance processes.
• Producing high-quality reports and assurance information for senior management and Board-level meetings.
• Leading quality improvement initiatives and embedding learning from incidents, complaints and patient feedback.
• Providing expert advice on governance, risk management and patient safety.
• Coaching and developing a positive culture of continuous improvement through training and leadership.

Skills

Governance

Quality improvement

Project management

Risk management

Patient safety

Board reporting

Coaching and mentoring

Organisational change

Education

Degree level qualification

Master's degree or postgraduate qualification

Quality improvement qualification (PRINCE2, Lean, Six Sigma)

Continuing professional development (CPD)

Job description

Please note that NPC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The successful applicant will be an employee of the subsidiary and not Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Whilst appointees will have a base practice within NPC, they may be asked to work at other practices across our group. We do however limit this as much as possible as we appreciate continuity is vital to effective primary care.

Flexible working offers choice in where, when, and how we work, ensuring patients remain at the heart of all we do. It’s open to everyone, and we aim to find solutions that work for both you and the organisation. All arrangements must be reasonable and balanced to maintain safe and effective patient care.

Whilst NPC are a highly innovative organisation, the use of Third Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Job overview

Are you an experienced governance professional passionate about quality, patient safety and continuous improvement?

Northumbria Primary Care is seeking an exceptional Governance Manager to lead and strengthen our governance, quality assurance, patient safety, risk management and compliance arrangements across our growing organisation. This is an exciting opportunity to influence strategic and operational governance, support high-quality patient care, and drive a culture of learning and improvement.

Main duties of the job

As Governance Manager, you will play a key leadership role in ensuring Northumbria Primary Care maintains the highest standards of governance and regulatory compliance. Working closely with senior leaders, practice teams and external partners, you will lead on governance systems, risk management, quality improvement programmes and Care Quality Commission (CQC) readiness activities.

Working for our organisation

Northumbria Primary Care Ltd (NPC) is a pioneering partnership with local GPs and now manages several GP practices with around 120,000 registered patients in Northumberland and North Tyneside.

Whilst appointees will have a base practice within NPC,they may be asked to work at other practices across our group. We do however limit this as much as possible as we appreciate continuity is vital to effective primary care.

At Northumbria Primary Care, we are committed to delivering outstanding patient care through strong leadership, innovation and continuous improvement. We offer the opportunity to make a real difference across our practices and services while working alongside passionate and dedicated colleagues.

This role offers:

• A varied and influential management position.
• Opportunities to shape organisational governance and quality strategy.
• Professional development and career progression.
• A supportive and values-driven working environment.
• The opportunity to improve patient outcomes and organisational performance across primary care services

Please note that NPC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We are looking for a highly motivated individual with significant governance experience and a strong understanding of NHS quality and risk management frameworks.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading governance, quality, patient safety and compliance programmes across NPC.
• Managing the organisational risk register and governance work programme.
• Supporting CQC assessments, inspections and ongoing regulatory compliance.
• Overseeing incident, complaint, audit and assurance processes.
• Producing high-quality reports and assurance information for senior management and Board-level meetings.
• Leading quality improvement initiatives and embedding learning from incidents, complaints and patient feedback.
• Providing expert advice on governance, risk management and patient safety.
• Supporting and developing a positive culture of continuous improvement through training, coaching and leadershi

Person specification

Qualifications / Professional Registration

• Degree level qualification or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Qualification or significant training in governance, quality improvement, project management, healthcare management or risk management.Qualification or significant training in governance, quality improvement, project management, healthcare management or risk management.
• Master's degree or postgraduate qualification.
• Quality improvement qualification e.g. PRINCE2, Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent

Experience and knowledge

• Significant experience within NHS governance, quality or risk management.
• Experience within Primary Care, Community Services, NHS Provider or ICB environments.
• Experience supporting regulatory inspections and compliance.
• Experience managing incidents, complaints, audits and risk registers.
• Experience leading quality improvement initiatives.
• Experience producing Board and Committee reports.
• Experience supporting CQC inspections.
• Experience working within Primary Care Networks.
• Experience implementing PSIRF.
• Experience of committee management.
• Experience of coaching and mentoring others.
• Experience leading organisational cultural change.

Other Requirements

• It is an essential requirement of the role that the post holder has a valid driving licence and is either a car owner and able to use the car for work purposes, or has a Trust personal lease vehicle which may be used for the role. However, the organisation would consider making reasonable adjustments to the role, if necessary, to enable a disabled person to undertake the role.

Applicants who are members of the Armed Forces, those who have a disability that requires support in the work place (two ticks pledge) and those who have been looked after by the care system as a child or young person (for example, in foster care, children's homes, kinship or local authority care) who meet the essential criteria will be interviewed under the Trust's interview guarantee scheme.

We recognise the positive value of diversity and inclusion and are committed to a workforce that is diverse, equal and inclusive. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME people are currently under-represented in our workforce as well as other under-represented groups such as LGBT+ and disabled candidates. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, we have a Gold award from the Defense Recognition Scheme, and we are delighted to support Apprenticeships, Age Posi+ive and are a mindful employer.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to attend interview please make the recruitment team aware as soon as possible by calling our HR Recruitment Team on 0191 203 1415 option 2.

Applicants who meet the Fit and Proper Person Requirements (FPPR) will require additional pre-employment checks in line with CQC and NHS England statutory guidance.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust proudly hold a sponsor licence. In order to provide sponsorship you and the role you are applying for must meet UKVI eligibility requirements. Please check your eligibility prior to submitting an application. Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note that it is a requirement of this Trust that all successful applicants pay for their own DBS certification if a DBS check is required for the post. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first monthly pay.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Name Stephanie Wardle Job title Deputy Director Email address [e-mail] Additional information

Sam Davidson, Group Manager (Head of Governance)

[e-mail]