Regional Quality Support Manager

Macklin Care Homes; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Macklin Care Group is seeking a Regional Quality Support Manager to provide visible quality assurance across allocated Macklin Care Homes in Northern Ireland. You will work with Registered Managers and regional leaders to improve resident outcomes, strengthen clinical practice and deliver sustained improvements in safe, compassionate care.

The role requires extensive experience in nursing home management and clinical governance, with a proactive coaching style, strong auditing skills and the

Qualifications

• Significant experience in nursing home management and regional quality assurance.
• Strong knowledge of clinical governance and regulatory requirements.
• Proven auditing, reporting and improvement planning experience.
• Coaching and supporting care teams to improve practice.
• Willingness to travel between homes across Northern Ireland.

Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate quality visits, audits and improvement actions.
• Collaborate with Registered Managers, regional leaders and MD to drive improvements.
• Review and report on incidents, safeguarding, complaints and clinical indicators.
• Support inspections and commissioner reviews with timely actions and follow‑ups.
• Balance coaching with hands‑on leadership while maintaining accountability.

Skills

Nursing home management

Quality assurance

Clinical governance

Auditing & reporting

Coaching & training

Travel between homes

Digital care records

Education

Registered nurse with NMC registration

Job description

Regional Quality Support Manager

About Macklin Care Group

Macklin Care Group is one of Northern Ireland's leading independent care providers, delivering high-quality residential, nursing and specialist care services.

The Group currently operates multiple care services across Northern Ireland. It is committed to delivering exceptional outcomes for residents, families and employees through a culture built on Trust, Dedication, Treating People Really Well and Continuous Development.

As the organisation continues to evolve, Macklin Care Group is focused on strengthening operational performance, developing future leaders, enhancing resident outcomes and creating a scalable platform for future growth, acquisitions and service development.

• Reporting Line: Managing Director.

• Location: Regional role across allocated homes in Northern Ireland.

• Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with the expectation to be available out of working hours if required.

• Salary: Dependent on experience.

• Direct Reports: None.

About the role

Purpose of the Role

Provide visible, practical quality support and independent assurance across allocated Macklin Care Homes. Work alongside Registered Managers and regional leaders to improve resident outcomes, strengthen clinical practice, identify risks early and deliver sustained improvements in safe, effective and compassionate care.

Support the Macklin leadership lenses of care, compliance, culture and commercial responsibility to achieve continuity. Balance constructive challenge with hands‑on coaching, ensuring improvement is demonstrated in residents’ everyday experience.

Key Responsibilities:

Scope and Accountability

• Plan regular visits and targeted support according to each home’s risks, performance and improvement needs. Maintain an objective view of quality and elevate concerns promptly.

• Work with Registered Managers, Deputy Managers, regional management, the Managing Director, HR, learning and development teams, residents, families and external professionals.

• Support and challenge home leadership without replacing the Registered Manager’s accountability or the provider’s responsibilities. Exercise clinical duties only within current registration, competence and agreed authority.

• To cover Home Management vacancies until recruited into. Includes supporting the homes when the Home Manager is on leave.

• To support the Regional Managers with completion of Regulation 29 visits if required.

• To focus on quality improvement programmes and service improvement plans within each service as required and following discussion with the regional managers and managing director.

Care and Resident Experience

• Observe care, speak with residents and relatives, and use feedback to assess dignity, choice, consent, involvement, meaningful activity and end‑of‑life experience.

• Review care plans, risk assessments and delivery of care, including deterioration, falls, medicines, nutrition, swallowing, skin integrity, infection prevention, dementia care and restrictive practices. Prioritise concerns according to potential harm.

Compliance and Quality Assurance

• Deliver a consistent programme of announced and unannounced quality visits and audits. Triangulate records, direct observation, resident experience and staff knowledge rather than relying on completed checklists.

• Assess practice against applicable Northern Ireland care home regulations, minimum standards, RQIA requirements, registration conditions, the Statement of Purpose and Macklin policies.

• Produce clear visit reports that identify strengths, gaps, risk ratings and required action. Agree named owners and deadlines; verify completion and effectiveness through evidence and follow‑up visits.

• Support homes before, during and after inspections and commissioner reviews. Track inspection findings, requirements and recommendations through to evidenced closure.

• Review incidents, safeguarding concerns, complaints, near misses and clinical indicators to identify recurring themes, underlying causes and opportunities for shared learning.

• Support investigations and reviews when commissioned. Preserve records, maintain confidentiality and provide balanced findings with practical recommendations.

• Check that concerns requiring external referral or notification are recognised, escalated to the accountable person and tracked through the appropriate process.

Risk Management and Escalation

• Review home clinical risk registers with managers and deputies, checking that significant risks have effective controls, clear ownership and review dates.

• Escalate immediate or serious threats to resident safety without delay to the Registered Manager and the appropriate senior leader. Support immediate protective action and activate emergency or safeguarding pathways where required.

• Do not wait for a routine report or meeting to raise urgent concerns. Record the concern, action taken, person informed and follow‑up required; elevate further where the response does not adequately address the risk.

• Support homes with repeated incidents, overdue actions or deteriorating performance through focused improvement plans and increased oversight.

Culture and Workforce Development

• Coach Registered Managers, deputies, nurses and care teams through supportive challenge, reflective discussion and practical teaching.

• Identify gaps in induction, mandatory training and role‑specific competence. Work with managers and learning teams to agree development and ensure learning changes practice.

• Promote a respectful, inclusive and open culture in which staff raise concerns, learn from incidents and take responsibility for standards.

• Facilitate clinical and quality forums, share learning between homes and support consistent use of agreed tools and policies. Address poor practice promptly through the appropriate management process.

Commercial Responsibility and Continuity

• Identify the staffing, equipment and training resources needed for safe care. Present evidence‑based recommendations and elevate gaps that threaten quality or service continuity.

• Support efficient use of resources and reduce avoidable harm, waste and duplication while protecting resident outcomes.

• Help embed improvements so standards remain consistent through leadership changes, staffing pressures, admissions and service development.

Reporting and Measures of Success

• Provide a monthly regional quality report and prompt exception reports. Include significant risks, resident and staff feedback, audit findings, incident themes, inspection progress, overdue actions and the support required. Agree numerical targets and reporting arrangements with the Managing Director.

• Visits and reports completed within agreed timescales, with all serious concerns escalated promptly.

• Improvement actions completed on time and independently verified, with fewer recurring findings and repeat incidents.

• Improved resident experience, care outcomes, staff competence and sustained compliance with required standards.

Additional Information

Sponsorship for this role is not offered. Applications requiring sponsorship will not be considered.

Interviews may take place before the job advertisement closes. Submit your application promptly as the role may close early if a suitable candidate is appointed. In addition, we also reserve the right to enhance the criteria at the shortlisting stage.

An Enhanced Access NI Check will be required for this post. If successful, please be aware that we do have a policy on the recruitment of ex‑offenders. As per the Access NI Code of Practice, Macklin Care Homes also has a policy on the secure handling, use, storage, and retention of disclosure information. Copies of these documents, along with the Access NI Code of Practice, are available upon request by contacting the HR Department.

It is Macklin Care Homes' policy that the existence of a criminal conviction will not necessarily lead to the withdrawal of a job offer, but the failure to disclose all criminal convictions fully and accurately will lead to the withdrawal of a job offer.

Macklin Care Homes is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

About the company

Our Mission at Macklin Care Homes

At Macklin Care Homes, our mission is to be a forward‑thinking provider committed to looking after people exceptionally well. We offer more than just care—we bring genuine warmth, compassion, and dedication to everything we do.

Every day, we go above and beyond to create a supportive and caring environment where people feel truly valued. Above all, we are guided by a simple but powerful truth: We really do care.

Required Criteria

• Significant experience in nursing home management, regional quality assurance or a comparable senior clinical leadership role, with evidence of delivering sustained improvements.
• Sound working knowledge of Northern Ireland care home requirements, RQIA expectations, safeguarding, clinical governance and person‑centred care.
• Registered nurse with current NMC registration and experience appropriate to the services supported.
• Ability to audit practice, analyse information, recognise deterioration in service performance, investigate concerns and produce clear reports and measurable action plans.
• Strong coaching, communication and influencing skills; able to challenge respectfully, manage competing priorities and maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Able to travel regularly between homes and respond flexibly to service needs, with reasonable adjustments considered.
• Competent in digital care records and standard office systems.

Desired Criteria

• Relevant qualification in leadership, quality improvement, clinical education, dementia care or another relevant specialist area.
• Experience supporting inspections, commissioner reviews, service turnaround, new home commissioning or change across multiple services.

Skills you’ll need