Quality Assurance Coordinator

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; Poole; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust seeks a Quality Assurance Coordinator to support robust governance and CQC compliance across the Trust. The role develops evidence systems, guides care groups, and prepares for inspections.

The post involves liaising with staff at all levels, translating regulations into practical procedures, and contributing to policy development and national standards adherence.

Qualifications

• Ability to interpret and analyse information and data to ensure effective reporting and progress of workstreams.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Excellent negotiation skills to ensure groups work together.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Head of Quality Assurance to meet external standards and CQC requirements.
• Link corporate QA with care groups to support CQC compliance.
• Support development and implementation of the quality governance toolkit and related procedures.
• Attend the Policies and Procedures Group monthly to provide QA guidance.
• Attend Specialty/Directorate Quality and Safety meetings as required.
• Investigate quality data issues (mortality, incidents, audits, LERNS) and escalate trends.
• Develop and maintain quality governance guidance and translate regulations for staff.
• Maintain evidence systems for CQC, HSE, and other national requirements.
• Advise staff on submission of evidence for compliance against CQC standards.
• Provide specialist QA toolkit implementation advice to Care Groups.
• Constructively challenge processes and escalate performance issues as needed.
• Maintain a central register for CQC enquiries and support timely responses.
• Support preparations for announced and unannounced CQC inspections.
• Engage staff to promote understanding of QA priorities via meetings or sessions.
• Develop systems to obtain, collate, and store evidence for compliance via in-house or external systems.
• Maintain CAS alerts database and log related compliance reports and action plans.
• Maintain NCEPOD recommendations database and bi-annual Clinical Governance reporting.

Skills

Info interpretation

Pressure handling

Negotiation skills

Education

Degree or NHS/clinical discipline

Job description

Go back University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Quality Assurance Coordinator

The closing date is 29 September 2026

The post holder will support the corporate Quality Assurance team in ensuring robustquality governance across the Trust, working closely with care groups to maintain CQC compliance and meet wider national standards.

The role involves developing and maintaining systems for evidence collation, CQC enquiries, external monitoring requirements, and national alerts, while providing specialist advice on the Quality Governance Toolkit and compliance processes. The post holder will liaise with staff at all levels, support preparations for CQC inspections, challenge quality-related issues constructively, and contribute to the ongoing development of policies, procedures, and governance improvements.

Interview: 6th October

Main duties of the job

Assist the Head of Quality Assurance in the safe and effective delivery of quality assurance and associated systems in order to meet the requirements of key external standards and assessments including those undertaken by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Act as a link between the corporate quality assurance function and the care groups supporting compliance with CQC standards.

Support the overall delivery of the quality governance toolkit through the development and implementation of procedures, policies, and processes across the Trust.

Attend the monthly Policies and Procedures Group to offer support and guidance on behalf of the Quality Assurance team.

Attend Specialty/Directorate Quality and Safety meetings as required.

Investigate and analyse issues arising from all types of Quality data including mortality, incidents, audits, LERNS and external reports and escalates any issues and trends to relevant stakeholders and forums.

Develop quality governance guidance, toolkits and other support materials and interpret and translate regulation into an understandable format for all Trust staff.

Develop and maintain effective systems to ensure appropriate evidence is available to support external monitoring such as CQC, HSE, Peer reviews, accreditations National Confidential enquiries (NCEPOD), and other national and local requirements.

About us

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

UHD has active networks including Women's, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.

Job responsibilities

To work as a key member of the corporate Quality Assurance team to ensure that robust quality governance arrangements are in place and good governance practice is embedded within the care groups.

To support the overall day-to-day delivery and strategic development of the quality governance agenda within the care groups (including CQC requirements and other national guidance relating to quality governance) and support with the development of plans for change in practice, policies, and procedures as necessary.

To support the Quality Assurance Facilitator to maintain and develop the Trusts CQC compliance and open enquiries database(s) ensuring that evidence is recorded systematically to inform regular reports on trust wide and care group/directorate level compliance.

To support the Quality Assurance Facilitator to develop and maintain an effective system of collating all evidence relating to external requirements including the CQC standards to ensure the trust can demonstrate levels of compliance when required.

Provide advice and guidance to staff at all levels to ensure appropriate submission of evidence for compliance against CQC standards.

To be responsible for providing specialist advice to the Care Group teams on the implementation of the quality governance toolkit and quality governance management.

To constructively challenge processes and behaviours in relation to quality of care, escalating to direct line managers any performance issues as required.

To develop and maintain a central register for capturing details of and tracking progress against CQC specific enquiries and support collation of information to provide a timely response.

To support trust preparations for announced and unannounced (focussed and thematic) CQC inspections.

To liaise with staff at all levels of the organisation in order to ensure trust wide understanding of key quality governance/assurance priorities and projects. This may be through 1-1 sessions with key staff, presentations or attending formal meetings.

To support the Quality Assurance Facilitator to develop an effective system of obtaining, collating, and storing evidence to support the Trust compliance against key external monitoring standards via in house databases or external systems.

To support maintenance of an up-to-date database of CAS alerts and ensure that all related compliance evidence reports are logged centrally, and action plans created and monitored for National Patient Safety Alerts.

To support the Quality Assurance Facilitator to develop and maintain an up-to-date database of NCEPOD recommendations and ensure that all actions are updated and provide a bi-annual report to Clinical Governance Group.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience in NHS or clinical healthcare discipline
• Knowledge of CQC inspection methodology and requirements

Experience

• Practical experience in at least one area of quality assurance and governance
• Experience of managing projects, deadlines, and fluctuating workloads
• Clinical or senior operational management background

Technical skills and competencies

• Ability to interpret and analyse information and data to ensure effective reporting and progress of workstreams.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Excellent negotiation skills to ensure groups work together.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of relevant governance structures, Trust policies, procedures guidelines and protocols
• Knowledge of legislation, guidance, and the regulatory framework relevant to CQC fundamental standards of care
• Knowledge of all current health service issues

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.

Employer name

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust