Patient Safety Lead

Overview

Patient Safety Lead opportunity within the Patient Safety Team at King''s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The role is key to understanding systematic patient safety challenges, engaging affected people, and delivering patient safety improvement interventions. The post supports the Trust''s strategic aims for patient safety and embeds systems thinking, human factors, and just culture in safety processes.The Trust provides local and specialist services across five sites. Our strategy, Strong Roots, Global Reach, aims to be bold with outstanding care, research, innovation, and inclusion. We are seeking individuals who can join a highly professional team and make a lasting difference to patients and staff.King’s is committed to sustainable healthcare and an NHS Greener agenda with net-zero carbon targets for 2040 (carbon footprint) and 2045 (carbon footprint plus). All staff contribute to reducing carbon emissions, waste, and pollution.Details

Date posted: 03 September 2025Pay scheme: Agenda for ChangeBand: Band 8aSalary: £64,156 to £71,148 per annum, inc HCASContract: PermanentWorking pattern: Full-timeLocation: Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RSReference: 213-CORP-7400972-AJob responsibilities

1. InsightIdentify and triangulate insight from internal and external sources to identify emerging or developing patient safety risks or opportunities to improve or learn. Internal sources include quality information and performance data; external sources include regional/national safety alerts, investigations, inspections, staff surveys, NICE publications, and academic research.Promote a proactive risk management approach to identify and escalate risks and lead mitigation where required.Gather insight regarding patient safety culture and support development across the organisation.Support the development and ongoing use of PSIRF; develop and implement the PSIRP and Plan; promote compassionate engagement of people affected by safety incidents.Promote just culture, system thinking, human factors, transparency; support increased incident reporting and Learn from patient safety events (LFPSE).Measure responses to incidents and ensure appropriate support and involvement of affected people; support multi-level learning and improvements.Develop processes to support proportionate and effective responses to incidents and act as learning response lead on complex investigations.Translate findings into local and Trust-wide safety actions and improvement plans.Promote appropriate use of patient safety insight at all levels and challenge inappropriate measures.Engage in Safety II activities and develop linked insight and improvement programmes.2. ImprovementLead priority Trust-wide Patient Safety Improvement Groups; apply system thinking and human factors; evaluate and communicate improvements; support adoption and spread of interventions; ensure robust understanding of contributory factors and system findings.Promote collaborative improvement across organisational boundaries, especially with South East London Integrated Care System partners.Promote Care Group and Divisional-level improvement plans; support National Patient Safety Improvement Programmes where relevant.Identify emerging safety issues and recommend local or Trust-wide improvement activities.Lead projects measuring and improving patient safety culture, compassionate engagement of affected people, and health inequalities.3. InvolvementCollaborate with Patient Safety Partners to promote involvement of patients in safety and use NHS Framework for involving patients in patient safety.Promote NHS Patient Safety Syllabus and support staff in completing relevant modules.Design and deliver in-house patient safety training on system safety, human factors, just culture, quality improvement, incident response, and compassionate engagement.Provide coaching to staff on applying patient safety principles and methodologies.Work with Patient Safety Specialists to develop and embed a safety culture and systems.Consider health inequalities and EDI principles in all patient safety work.Promote involvement of all staff and patients in safety, including risk identification and improvement activities; safety is everyone’s responsibility.Network across the organisation and region; participate in Trust-wide Safety Committees and governance as a subject matter expert.4. GeneralRole model best practice in patient safety, act as a subject matter expert, and be a visible leader.Engage in continuing professional development and stay up to date with patient safety developments.Maintain clinical credibility based on healthcare experience and safety knowledge.Lead or support departmental system and process improvements; utilise skills to advance insight, improvement, and involvement activities.Qualifications and experience

Education and qualification

Essential: Completed Levels 1 and 2 of the patient safety syllabus; working towards higher levels as applicable; degree or at least two years of relevant experience.Desirable: Healthcare professional with a relevant clinical qualification and registration; training in patient safety system investigation methodologies.Knowledge and experience

Essential: Understanding of patient safety principles (systems thinking, human factors, just and restorative practice, transparency, improvement); leading patient safety improvement projects; knowledge of NHS Patient Safety Strategy and PSIRF; clinically credible in healthcare.Desirable: Prior experience in a patient safety role; experience developing and delivering training; experience leading system-based responses to Patient Safety Incidents (e.g., after action reviews, observational studies, system investigations).Skills and competencies

Essential: Passion for improving patient safety; ability to apply quality improvement and project management to deliver sustainable change.Other information

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. A DBS check will be required.Certificate of Sponsorship: Applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker sponsorship will be considered. For information, see the UK Visas and Immigration website. Guidance on overseas criminal records checks is provided here.Employer details

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation TrustAddress: Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RSEmployer website: ..... full job details .....