Quality Improvement and Audit Lead | The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in Manchester is seeking a Quality Improvement & Audit Lead to oversee quality improvement programs and clinical audits, ensuring exceptional patient outcomes. The ideal candidate will champion quality strategies, facilitate stakeholder engagement, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. They will also manage a dedicated team to enhance service delivery and patient experience. Strong project management skills and relevant experience in healthcare quality are essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in delivering Quality Improvement strategies.
• Background in project management and service transformation.
• Ability to engage stakeholders effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of the Quality Improvement Plan.
• Manage the Quality Improvement & Clinical Audit Team.
• Provide monthly QI and Audit performance reports.

Skills

Quality Improvement Methods

Project Management

Clinical Effectiveness

Communication

Negotiation

Education

Relevant degree or equivalent experience

Job description

We are seeking an experienced, knowledgeable, and driven leader for the role of Quality Improvement & Audit Lead at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The right person will have an ambitious approach to leading the quality improvement and audit programmes to drive the very best patient outcomes and experience. Supporting the Associate Director of Quality Governance, this role will play an important part in continuing to drive forward and provide leadership to the Trust’s Quality Improvement Strategy. The post holder will provide visible professional leadership which inspires, motivates, and engages teams across the organisation.

The right candidate will be able to demonstrate success in delivering Quality Improvement Methods and Strategies with a solid background in project management and transformation. They will act as a subject matter expert on quality improvement, clinical effectiveness and patient experience to build capacity across the organisation to improve systems and services. They will be a confident communicator who models civility and compassion and able to engage a wide range of stakeholders. The post holder should be resilient, self‑motivated, politically astute, and able to negotiate challenging situations and interactions.

JOB PURPOSE

The Quality Improvement & Clinical Audit Lead is responsible for delivering key components of The Christie’s Quality Plan 2026–2029, leading programmes of work across Quality Improvement (QI), Clinical Audit, and Patient Experience to ensure positive experience, safe, and effective care.

• Lead the design, delivery and evaluation of the Trust’s Quality Improvement Plan
• Lead on the Clinical Audit programme in alignment with local and national standards
• Support the Associate Chief Nurse for Quality & Standards to deliver the aims of the Christie Involvement & Engagement Plan
• Act as Lead officer, supporting the Chair(s), of Patient Experience Committee and Clinical Research & Effectiveness Committee
• Day to Day management of the Quality Improvement & Clinical Audit Team
• Strengthen organisational capability through the NHS Elect training framework (Levels 1–3)
• Ensure improvements align with Safe, Effective, Experience and PSIRF learning themes
• The role will champion a culture of system learning, psychological safety, co‑production, and continuous improvement across the Trust.
• To establish robust structures and processes to ensure the experience of patients, families and carers are central to improving quality and experience of services.
• Support the Associate Director of Quality Governance in delivering Trust-wide improvement plan
• Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of the Trust-wide Quality Improvement Programme.
• Ensure all QI and audit activity explicitly supports the Quality Strategy goals (Safe, Effective, Experience).
• Provide strategic leadership for the patient experience agenda, embedding co‑design and "You Said, We Did" processes.
• Work with senior leaders to embed QI across clinical, operational and corporate services.
• Drive alignment of QI, audit and patient experience within ICs and cancer alliance networks.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

• Lead the adoption and implementation of the NHS Model for Improvement across the Trust.
• Provide expert QI coaching using PDSA, driver diagrams, process mapping, measurement for improvement and SPC.
• Lead and expand the QI Faculty, building a strong internal coaching and improvement capability.
• Coordinate delivery of the NHS Elect training programme (Level 1 Intro, Level 2 Practitioner, Level 3 Coach).
• Lead the design and delivery of QI training, workshops and coaching programmes.
• Support PSIRF learning responses, ensuring improvement methodology underpins all action plans.
• Provide methodological oversight of complex Trust-wide improvement programmes (e.g. pathways, safety, governance).

CLINICAL AUDIT

• Lead and modernise the Clinical Audit Programme, ensuring compliance with:
• HQIP standards
• NICE
• NCAPOP
• National and local audit requirements
• Ensure every audit follows the full cycle with measurable action and re‑audit.
• Advise divisions on audit prioritisation, standards selection, methodology and data interpretation.
• Produce quarterly audit dashboards and exception reports for board assurance.
• Oversee the integration of audit outcomes into QI and service improvement cycles.

PATIENT EXPERIENCE

• Lead the Trust’s patient experience strategy, working with Associate Chief Nurse for Quality & Standards on:
• Patient and carer involvement
• Co‑design in QI projects
• Regular thematic analysis of patient feedback
• Delivery of FFT requirements
• Production of "You Said, We Did" improvement outputs
• Ensure inclusion, equity and diverse voices inform improvement activity.

GOVERNANCE & REPORTING

• Provide monthly and quarterly QI and Audit performance reports to Divisional and Trust‑wide assurance committees.
• Ensure robust registration, prioritisation and monitoring of QI and audit activity.
• Ensure audit and QI recommendations are tracked, completed and evidenced.
• Maintain the QI and Audit dashboard systems, working with CODU.
• Produce the Annual Quality Improvement & Clinical Audit Report.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

• Support organisational learning through mentoring, coaching and training.
• Lead the Trust‑wide improvement capability framework linked to the People Strategy.
• Develop the QI and audit team’s competencies and succession planning.

PERSONAL

• Participate in the performance review by indicating own learning goals, support needs and setting personal development objectives with feedback from others.
• Ensure own professional knowledge is regularly updated and keep abreast of relevant developments, making effective use of learning opportunities and actively promoting the workplace as a learning environment.
• Undertake theoretical education/academic courses as necessary to maintain specialist knowledge base relating to cancer care, general management, and human resources issues.
• Actively seek mentorship/supervision/coaching to enable reflection and own personal development within the role.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, psychological safety and learning.
• Facilitate improvement collaborations, workshops and communities of practice.
• Engage patients, carers, and staff in co‑production.
• Represent the Trust at ICs, GM Cancer Alliance or national QI forums.

SCOPE

• Expected to have freedom to make decisions that improve the service provision within the team, whilst working within the scope of the Trusts policies.
• Expected to deep dive into clinical service activities for the purpose of investigation and quality improvement in line with risk identification.
• Expected to escalate and act on information which may have an impact of the Trusts integrity and objectives.
• Patient safety and quality of care should be central to each active decision made about service review and improvement activity.

RISK MANAGEMENT

It is a standard element of the role and responsibility of all staff of the Trust that they fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards.

Contact: If you think you could be the person we are looking for and wish to arrange an informal discussion, please contact Laura O’Brien, PA to Vicky Sharples, Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Quality: [e-mail]

This advert closes on Tuesday 13 Jan 2026