Health Innovation East
Head of Patient Safety
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Head of Patient Safety
Head of Patient Safety
Banding: £71,953 – £83,114
Hours: 37.5hrs/week (Full Time) Flexible working hours/options compatible with the role can be discussed – minimum of 0.8wte required.
Base: Magog Court, Shelford Bottom, Cambridge CB22 3AD
Hybrid working options available
Role: Accountable to: Director of Programmes & Quality Improvement
Contract Type: 12-month fixed term, with possible extension subject to funding
📅 Closing date for applications: 31 July 2026
📅 Interview process:
- Stage 1: Short presentation and discussion (online, week commencing 24 August 2026)
- Stage 2: In-person interviews (week commencing 7 September 2026)
About Health Innovation East
Our purpose at Health Innovation East is to turn great ideas into positive health impact. We were established by the NHS to convene all partners in the health sector, to develop and deliver innovative solutions in health and care. Our focus is the East of England, but we also contribute to a national network, aligning our consulting offer beyond this region—supporting national collaborations.
Citizens, academia, health services, and industry achieve more when working together than in isolation. We facilitate this by helping innovators navigate complexity, develop value propositions, and connect stakeholders to overcome challenges.
Role Purpose
The Patient Safety team leads Quality Improvement (QI) programmes according to NHS England’s National Patient Safety Strategy. The focus primarily involves supporting NHS organisations to deliver QI projects for better patient outcomes, families, and carers.
The programme delivers four key improvements:
- Maternity and neonatal safety
- Systems safety (Patient Safety Incident Response Framework)
- Martha’s Rule
- Managing deterioration and medicines safety
As Head of Patient Safety, you will:
- Oversee and provide expertise to across all patient safety programmes as required
- Lead a high-performing team comprising programme managers, clinicians, and others skilled in programme delivery
- Serve as the Patient Safety Lead, collaborating with peers and colleagues across all 15 Health Innovation Networks
- Play a key strategic role for the Director of Programmes and Quality Improvement (QI)
- Lead annual business planning and contract specification delivery
The role may evolve over time, with an emphasis on flexibility, responsiveness, and adaptability to accommodate change. Close collaboration required with other Heads of the business.
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Key Responsibilities
As Head of Patient Safety, the post-holder will:
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Support the Director of Programmes & QI in ensuring effective project management and end-to-end delivery:
- Provide leadership and oversight of all programme projects within the portfolio, ensuring successful outcomes.
- Maintain robust project management processes covering:
- Effective governance, evolving project scopes, initiation documents, milestones & deliverables, risk/issue logs, etc.
- Guarantee the effective management and delivery of the programme portfolio to agreed budgets, while complying with organisational/financial management protocols.
- Establish resource utilisation processes aligned with the Director’s direction.
- Lead communications and stakeholder engagement for all programmes, including:
- Liaison with national, regional, and local stakeholders and system partners
- Raising awareness and support for project delivery.
- Hold line-management responsibility over program managers, improvement leads, and clinical staff (as agreed with the Director).
Corporate and Personal Responsibilities
- (including but not limited to)
- Promote Health Innovation East’s equity, diversity, and inclusion policies.
- Support risk management and align all work with our organisational purpose.
- Ensure clinical advice is not provided.
- Adhere to all company policies, procedures, and applicable legislation.
Personal Specification
Qualifications & Training
Degree-level qualification in a relevant discipline OR equivalent senior-level experience in:
- Quality Improvement methodologies
- Evidence of continuous professional development (e.g. project/programme management)
Knowledge & Understanding
- Extensive understanding of Quality Improvement technologies and tools applicable to healthcare.
- In-depth knowledge of NHS operations, frameworks, and systems (political, regional & local).
- Awareness of strategic challenges facing the NHS and wider health system (Eastern region experience preferred).
- Proven track record of leading programmes and projects at scale.
- Experience in line-managing staff teams.
Skills
- Written Communication: Ability to craft clear, coherent reports and documents.
- Improvement Methodologies: Proficiency in explaining differences between performance and improvement data.
- Oral Communication/Presenting:
- Confidently present to large groups, handling constructive challenge from senior professionals.
- Time & Priority Management: Skill in setting, adhering to, and achieving deadlines under pressure.
- Project/Programme Delivery Experience: Demonstrated history of delivering both.
- Autonomy & Collaboration: Functioning independently and within collaborative environments. Technical: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Project, and Excel.
- Emotional Intelligence: Highly-developed capacity to engage with diverse partnerships.
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Attitude & Aptitude
- Organisational self-sufficiency: Ability to allocate workloads effectively.
- Autonomous vs. collaborative working: Skill in functioning alone and as part of a small team.
- Adaptability: Managing uncertainty, shifts in context.
- Travel readiness: Within region, with occasional travel for national events (e.g. London, Birmingham, Manchester).
Additional Requirement/Notice
- Appointment requires adherence with:
- Right-to-Work check in the UK
- Enhanced DBS check (dependent on potential frequent interaction with vulnerable adults.)
Desirable: Additional Skills/Experience
Experience with advanced data skills, such as measurement for improvement approaches and data interpretation.
How to Apply
Please submit:
- Your CV
- A cover letter outlining motivation + alignment with the role criteria
Due by 31 July 2026. Send to: recruitment@healthinnovationeast.co.uk
Note: CVs without a covering letter will not be considered.
📩 Queries? Amelda Samuels at amanda.newstead@healthinnovationeast.co.uk
[Equal Opportunity Statement]
Health Innovation East is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and will provide any necessary adjustments during recruitment as required.
Use of AI Notice Applicants are encouraged to prepare but must be honest about work produced. Presenting submissions as authored by AI without appropriate declaration will disqualify candidates.
(Note: Submission of application represents consent for media/public online presence checks.)
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