Patient Safety Learning and Improvement Lead

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Swindon; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Patient Safety Learning and Improvement Lead to oversee patient safety learning and improvement, translating insight into sustainable action. You will work across clinical teams to support high-quality, systems-based responses and foster a culture of safety and learning.

The role requires proven experience in patient safety within healthcare, strong systems thinking, and the ability to lead education and training across the Trust to

Qualifications

• Experience leading patient safety learning responses in a large/complex organisation using systems learning approaches.
• Ability to translate learning into measurable safety actions or improvement plans.
• Knowledge of quality governance, incident response, risk management and NHS national policies.

Responsibilities

• Lead Trust-wide leadership and oversight of patient safety learning, improvement and assurance.
• Oversee high-quality patient safety investigations and reviews focused on learning.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify factors and develop actionable improvements to reduce risk.

Education

Master’s level education or senior level equivalent

Post-graduate management/leadership qualification

Level 3 or 4 patient safety syllabus training

Quality improvement qualification or equivalent

Clinical registration (GMC/NMC/AHP etc)

NHS leadership qualification

Post-graduate patient safety or human factors qualification

Job description

Employer Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Great Western Hospital Town Swindon Salary £57,528 - £64,750 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 21/09/2026 23:59

Patient Safety Learning and Improvement Lead

Band 8a - subject to job evaluation

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Job overview

A fantastic and exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated, experienced and enthusiastic individual to join the Quality and Safety Team at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as our Patient Safety Learning and Improvement Lead.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in improving patient safety across the organisation by supporting the delivery of high-quality, systems-based learning responses and translating insight into sustainable improvement. The ideal candidate must have a flexible proactive attitude as they will work alongside clinical teams across organisational and professional boundaries to support the delivery of high-quality patient centered care.

The successful candidate will be an experienced patient safety professional with a strong understanding of systems thinking, human factors and quality improvement. You will be an excellent communicator, capable of building effective relationships across organisational and professional boundaries, and confident in working autonomously while supporting and developing others. Previous experience within a healthcare setting and experience of leading patient safety learning responses are essential.

Main duties of the job

The role will support the Associate Director of Quality and Safety in providing Trust-wide leadership and oversight of patient safety learning, improvement and assurance. You will lead high-quality patient safety investigations and reviews, ensuring they are compassionate, evidence-based, and focused on learning rather than blame. You will work collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to understand how care is delivered, identify contributory factors and support the development of meaningful, measurable actions that reduce risk and improve care.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will be designated Trust Patient Safety Specialist, sharing the responsibility with the other designated Patient Safety Specialists. You will be a highly visible and accessible leader, providing expert advice and guidance on patient safety, safety culture and improvement. You will support delivery of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy and help strengthen partnerships locally, regionally and nationally. A flexible approach is needed to manage the changing picture of healthcare patient safety in line with the national agenda.

The post holder will contribute to the development and delivery of patient safety education and training across the Trust, promoting systems thinking, human factors, psychological safety and just culture principles to help build organisational capability for learning and improvement.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to master’s level (in a relevant discipline) or equivalent level, or equivalent experience of working at a senior level.
• Post-graduate management, leadership or specialist qualification or previous experience.
• Level 3 or 4 patient safety syllabus training, or equivalent (or willingness to work towards)
• Quality improvement qualification or equivalent experience.
• Clinical experience and registration (GMC, NMC, AHP etc)
• Qualification in NHS leadership
• Post-graduate patient safety or human factors qualification, or willingness to work towards or previous experience

Experience

• Experience of leading patient safety learning responses in a large/complex organisation using systems learning approaches
• Experience of translating learning into measurable safety actions or improvement plans, working collaboratively with clinical, operational and improvement teams.
• Experience and knowledge of the components of quality governance, incident response, risk management and assurance function; current NHS national policies, standards, requirements and directions that relate to measuring and improving the quality and safety of patient care
• Experience in delivering improvement projects and change
• Experience of developing patient safety training

Certificate of Sponsorship - Sponsorship can only be offered where the role meets the relevant eligibility criteria, including minimum salary requirements. Please note that not all roles within the organisation are eligible for sponsorship. Eligibility for this role includes:

• Current right to work in the UK, subject to verification

Meeting the Skilled Worker visa criteria, where applicable

From 4 April 2024, UK immigration policy changes increased the minimum salary levels required for Skilled Worker visas. Further information is available on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Current employees should be aware that this position is advertised as a Great Western Hospitals position and appointment ends any TUPE protection.

Candidates are responsible for covering the cost of their own DBS check if required: £21.50 for a Standard DBS check, recoverable from the first pay, or £49.50 for an Enhanced DBS check, divided and recoverable over the initial two pay periods. Payment for DBS checks for bank posts must be settled prior to commencement. Apprentices are exempt from DBS payment.

We are committed to supporting our staff in achieving a healthy work-life balance through flexible work arrangements. Upon joining the Trust, you have the right to request flexible working, with an unlimited number of requests allowed.

Upon acceptance of a job offer, your information will be transferred to the national NHS Electronic Staff Records System. All communication regarding your application will be conducted via email; please ensure to check your junk/spam folders as emails may occasionally be filtered there.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

Name Kristina Clay Job title Associate Director of Quality and Safety Email address [emailprotected]