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Head of Health and Safety

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Job overview

The primary function of the Head of Health and Safety will be to act as the Board's principal health & safety (H&S) specialist adviser employed as the "appointed competent person" under statutory legislation and ensuring that legislative requirements are anticipated and met.

To provide professional leadership and management to the H&S team to ensure the delivery of improved Health & Safety Services across the Trust, to ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly understood and demonstrate compliance with Health and Safety legislation and other regulatory requirements.

The post holder will be responsible for developing, managing and monitoring a H&S strategy and the systematic identification, recording, evaluation and mitigation of risks arising from non-compliance relating to the management of Health and Safety within the Trust.

Main duties of the job

Using expert knowledge the post holder will be responsible for advising managers, representatives and colleagues on all issues relating to Health and Safety at work and for the development, delivery and coordination of Health and Safety training for colleagues.

The post holder will need to work closely with staff at all levels to ensure confidence in health and safety of users of our services, and our staff.

You will need to be resilient and able to address a complex agenda with energy and passion for the work, recognising that staff will have other priorities they are also working towards.

You will possess excellent leadership skills to support both the Trust and the Health and Safety team in achieving their objectives.

Working for our organisation

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).

We have four primary goals:

  • high-quality care for all,
  • being a great place to work,
  • partnerships for impact, and
  • research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

  • we are compassionate,
  • we are proud,
  • we are inclusive, and
  • we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:

http://www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/aboutus/work-for-us/current-vacanc...

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Provide management support, leadership and direct line management to the Health and Safety team, ensuring that there are clear lines of accountability and that the structure, roles, and responsibilities of the team support the delivery of Health and Safety services to the Trust.

Ensure any work undertaken on behalf of the Health & Safety team reflects the Trust policies on Equality and Diversity.

Responsible for the development and implementation of the UHL Health and Safety Policy, and all associated Policies governed by legislative requirement

To have Trust wide responsibility and accountability for the development and implementation of the H&S strategy, ensuring delivery of professional standards and performance management across all aspects of health & safety with a continuous improvement and quality management approach.

To ensure that there are robust arrangements in place for the monitoring and audit of Health and Safety policies within the Trust and mechanisms in place for addressing policy / procedure non-compliance and reporting internally and externally where appropriate.

Contribute to the management of governance issues and development and maintenance of robust risk identification processes at a local and Trust level

Successful candidates for this job require the following

Person specification

Training & Quals

Essential criteria

  • Educated to Master's degree level (relevant to role) or equivalent experience
  • CMIOSH (or equivalent)

Desirable criteria

  • Leadership Qualification

Experience

Essential criteria

  • Delivery of health and safety provision in a large complex, multisite organisation.
  • Implementation and Maintenance of Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) in a large and complex organisation
  • Effective leadership and management of teams
  • Innovation to improve the effectiveness of the Health and Safety delivery
  • Practical Application of HS Qualification(s)

Desirable criteria

  • Provision of health and safety services in the NHS or healthcare sector
  • Strategic Planning

Communicaion & Relationship Skills

Essential criteria

  • Ability to establish credibility with a range of internal stakeholders and external bodies, commissioners and regulators
  • Must be able to communicate effectively at all levels, including high level negotiations with contractors and staff
  • Negotiation and influencing skills

Analytical & Judgement

Essential criteria

  • Analyse and interpret complex information from multiple sources
  • Measuring performance targets and strategic objectives
  • Root Cause analysis

Planning & Organisation

Essential criteria

  • Flexibly to meet the needs of the service and work effectively as a team player, always demonstrating self-motivation and initiative.
  • Development and Implementation of long-term strategic financial/business planning
  • Long term strategic and operational planning for HS activities.

Desirable criteria

  • Project Management Experience

Equality,Diversity&Inclusion

Essential criteria

  • Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs.

Management Skills

Essential criteria

  • People Management
  • Effective decision making and an ability to analyse, interpret and resolve complex issues
  • IT literate with strong presenting skills
  • Defining and monitoring KPIs

Additional Information

Please submit your application form without delay to avoid disappointment; we will close vacancies prior to the publishing closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

Please check the email account (including your junk mail) that you supplied as part of your application on a regular basis following the closing date and throughout the recruitment process, as this is how we will communicate with you.

UHL is an equal opportunities employer. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds who match our job criteria.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.

UHL is committed to helping colleagues balance the demands of both their work and personal needs through flexible working arrangements wherever reasonably practicable and subject to service needs.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Please note if you are successful in obtaining this position and the post involves regulated activity you will be required to undertake a Disclosure & Barring Service check.

The Trust will pay for the check initially and the money will then be deducted from your salary over a three month period commencing on your first month's payment.

The current price of a check is £38 for an enhanced and £18 for a standard check.

COVID 19 Risk Assessment

Due to the current Covid pandemic we have introduced a staff risk assessment into our pre-employment process. This now forms part of the mandatory pre-employment checks that will be carried out if you receive a conditional offer.

The risk assessment is intended to ensure you are able to safely perform your duties in any of our work areas, and if you have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. Our main aim is to reduce risk and to ensure the safety of all new starters to the Trust as well as current staff, patients and visitors.

If it is identified that you are within a vulnerable category, we will endeavor to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate this through discussions with both Occupational Health and your recruiting manager.

Covid Vaccination Status

Covid-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, family, colleagues and our patients/service users from the Covid-19 virus. We therefore continue to encourage our current and potential colleagues to get vaccinated.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust holds the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything it does and all that it stands for. We are committed to developing a workforce that is representative of the community we serve. We welcome applications from the diverse community of Leicester, Leicester and Rutland, to help deliver healthcare services that meets the needs of our diverse communities.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

  • Job Description / Person Spec (PDF, 720.5KB)
  • Understanding your right to work in the UK (PDF, 1.1MB)
  • Employee Benefits (PDF, 578.5KB)

Head of Health and Safety

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Leicester LE1, UK
Full-Time

Published on 05/02/2025

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