Head of Patient Safety, Governance & RiskNHS

Job summary

We are looking for an exceptional Head of Patient Safety, Governance & Risk to provide senior operational leadership across patient safety, clinical governance, quality improvement, risk management, information governance and health & safety across our Hospital and Hospice.

Main duties of the job

Reporting directly to the Chief Nursing Officer, you will be the organisational lead and operational expert for these critical functions, ensuring robust systems, effective assurance and a strong culture of safety, learning and continuous improvement.

This is a high-profile leadership role, working closely with the Chief Nursing Officer, Medical Director, Medical Governance Lead and Heads of Departments. You will provide the expertise, insight, data and assurance needed to support executive and Board-level decision-making and the organisation's regulatory responsibilities.

Job description

• Lead the Charity's patient safety, quality improvement, clinical governance, risk, information governance and health & safety functions.
• Lead the full implementation and ongoing operation of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), ensuring patient-centred investigations and meaningful organisational learning.
• Drive a programme of quality improvement initiatives that deliver measurable improvements in patient safety and quality of care.
• Provide operational accountability for the organisational risk register and clinical risk management.
• Lead and develop a high-performing governance and patient safety team, including oversight of information governance, medical records and health & safety functions.
• Provide high-quality data, analysis, dashboards, governance reports and assurance papers for the Executive Management Board, Quality & Governance Committee, Board of Trustees and other senior forums.
• Support the Chief Nursing Officer in their role as Registered Manager and the Chief Executive Officer as Nominated Individual in relation to CQC registration and regulatory obligations.
• Oversee clinical audit, governance systems, incident reporting and regulatory compliance.
• Ensure safety alerts, national guidance and regulatory requirements are implemented effectively.
• Maintain robust information governance arrangements, including compliance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and relevant information governance standards.
• Build strong relationships with clinical leaders, consultants, operational teams and external stakeholders.
• Champion an open, transparent and supportive safety culture where reporting, learning and continuous improvement are actively encouraged.

About us

St John & St Elizabeth Hospital is a leading private hospital in London, offering a comprehensive range of specialist medical treatments, clinics and diagnostic services from a team of world-class consultants, supported by a dedicated team of clinical and non-clinical staff.

We are known for our exceptional standards of care, excellent nursing standards, and cutting-edge medical treatments.

We have 170 years of history and are looking for people to join us for the next chapter. We are very unique as the only truly charitable private hospital in London and as a charity, every private patient treated helps support our on-site community hospice