Head of Clinical Governance

The Children's Trust; Tadworth; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity for children's health is seeking a Head of Clinical Governance to oversee and enhance the organization's commitment to delivering high-quality care for children. The role focuses on clinical governance frameworks, compliance with regulatory standards, and driving quality improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate will need strong leadership, clinical governance experience, and a commitment to safeguarding and improving children's health. This position offers a supportive environment to flourish.

Benefits

Adoption pay

Enhanced paternity leave

Time off for gender reassignment

Additional annual leave for long service

Free on-site parking

Subsidised cafeteria

Staff accommodation options

Qualifications

• Active NMC membership is required.
• Significant operational leadership experience at AfC band 8a equivalent or above.
• Experience working with children with learning disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and enhance clinical governance frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
• Develop and implement quality improvement initiatives.

Skills

Strong understanding of clinical governance

Leadership

Patient safety

Quality improvement methodologies

Effective communication

Education

Masters degree or relevant postgraduate qualifications

Job description

Job Summary

The Head of Clinical Governance will lead and enhance the organisation’s commitment to delivering high‑quality, safe care for children. This role is pivotal in overseeing clinical governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, managing clinical risks, and implementing quality improvement initiatives. The postholder will work collaboratively across teams to promote a culture of safety and continuous improvement, aligning with The Children’s Trust’s strategic objectives. Whilst the post directly reports to the Director of Nursing and Quality, the remit of the role spans the whole organisation and works across all clinical directorates.

Main Duties

• Clinical Governance
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Risk Management
• Quality Improvement
• Regulatory Compliance
• Clinical Audit
• Incident Management
• Professional Standards
• Policies and Procedures
• Medical Records
• Medicines Management
• Complaints and Patient Experience

About Us

The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providing expert rehabilitation, education, therapy and care at our national specialist centre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK via our Brain Injury Community Service.

Boasting a beautiful 24‑acre site in Surrey, we are located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction 8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of Clapham Junction, Sutton and Epsom.

Staff Benefits

The work we do is highly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuable range of benefits, including adoption pay, time off for fertility treatment, enhanced paternity leave, paid carers leave, time off days for those experiencing menopause symptoms, time off for gender reassignment, and additional annual leave days for long service (35‑41 days including bank holidays). Other benefits include free on‑site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton train stations to Tadworth Court; subsidised cafeteria; on‑site staff accommodation (subject to availability); the ability to retain your NHS pension (where applicable) or join an alternative scheme; and the opportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Job Responsibilities

Clinical Governance

• Develop and maintain an effective clinical governance framework that supports safe and high‑quality care.
• Facilitate regular clinical governance meetings to discuss performance, incidents and quality improvement initiatives.
• Ensure that clinical pathways and practices are aligned with best‑practice guidelines and evidence‑based standards.

Patient Safety

• Lead initiatives to enhance patient safety across all services, promoting a culture of transparency and reporting.
• Implement and maintain the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), ensuring learning from incidents is captured and shared.
• Monitor and report on patient safety metrics, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring appropriate action plans are developed.

Clinical Risk Management

• Identify, assess and manage clinical risks within the organisation, ensuring effective risk mitigation strategies are in place.
• Conduct regular reviews of incident reports and risk assessments to inform organisational learning and development.
• Oversee the management of serious incidents, ensuring thorough investigations and appropriate follow‑up actions are completed.

Quality Improvement

• Develop and implement quality improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing patient outcomes and experiences.
• Lead quality impact assessments for new initiatives or changes in practice, evaluating potential risks and benefits and manage the organisational governance in relation to these.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to promote a culture of continuous quality improvement.

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, standards and guidelines, including CQC regulations and national safety frameworks.
• Maintain an up‑to‑date understanding of regulatory changes and ensure organisational policies and practices reflect these updates.
• Coordinate and draft the annual organisation quality account.

Clinical Audit

• Design and implement a comprehensive clinical audit programme that evaluates the quality of care and compliance with clinical standards.
• Analyse audit findings to identify trends and areas for improvement, facilitating the development of action plans.

Incident Management

• Oversee the incident management process, ensuring that incidents are reported, investigated and learned from effectively.
• Develop strategies to communicate learning from incidents across the organisation to promote a culture of safety.

Professional Standards

• Promote adherence to professional standards and best practices among clinical staff, ensuring high levels of accountability and professionalism.
• Monitor compliance with organisational policies and procedures, implementing corrective actions as needed.

Policies and Procedures

• Develop, review and update clinical policies and procedures to ensure they align with current best practices and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure all staff are trained and knowledgeable about relevant policies and procedures.

Medical Records

Ensure that medical records are maintained accurately and confidentially, supporting patient safety and care continuity.

Medicines Management

• Line‑manage the lead pharmacist and wider pharmacy team.
• Oversee medicines management processes, ensuring compliance with best practices and safe medication administration.

Complaints and Patient Experience

• Manage the complaints process, ensuring that concerns are addressed promptly and appropriately, and lessons learned are disseminated.
• Work to enhance patient experience through feedback mechanisms, ensuring that patient voices are heard and acted upon.

General

• Undertake other or additional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as the organisation may reasonably require from time to time.
• Act as a critical member of the Nursing and Care senior leadership team.

Health and Safety

Adhere to all Health and Safety guidelines, principles and regulations required to perform your role and comply with The Children’s Trust policies and procedures.

Wellbeing and Emotional Resilience

• Maintain a positive approach and outlook when dealing with change and overcoming challenges and problems.
• Recognise own limitations, develop realistic goals and use support network resources when or if necessary.
• Treat challenges and problems as a learning experience.
• Remain organised and focused when under pressure.
• Respond appropriately and effectively to all constructive feedback.
• Motivate self and others.

Person Specification

Knowledge – Essential

• Strong understanding of health care educational framework and of developing training strategies.
• Strong understanding of clinical and operational audit data and analysis/presentation methodology.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary team working.
• Strong understanding of care of children with learning disabilities.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding.
• Strong understanding of quality improvement programmes and methodologies.

Qualifications – Essential

• Active NMC membership.
• Educated to Masters degree level in a relevant area (or relevant experience), and / or with relevant postgraduate teaching or leadership qualifications.

Personal Qualities – Essential

• Commitment to the vision and values of The Children’s Trust.
• Flexible and can‑do attitude to competing commitments in workload.
• Highly motivated and reliable.
• Ability to cope working in a demanding environment.
• Commitment to maintaining personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of colleagues.

Skills and Abilities – Essential

• Dynamic, passionate, open, participative, and supportive leadership style.
• Strong influencing skills.
• Ability to develop and deliver innovative training programmes.
• Clinically credible in own area of practice.
• Able to deliver a multi‑faced service balancing the capacity of each area to meet service needs and priorities.
• Effective communicator.

Experience – Essential

• Evidence of significant operational leadership experience at AfC band 8a equivalent or above.
• Experience working with children with learning disabilities.
• Experience of working within quality and clinical governance dedicated roles.
• Experience within training/education/practice‑based education and presenting effectively to a variety of audiences.
• Experience managing significant budgets.
• Experience writing business cases for service proposals.
• Experience of effective partnership working with internal and external stakeholders.
• Management of change.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see the relevant professional bodies.