Patient Safety Partner - Volunteer - Patient Safety & Quality

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Job summary

The national Patient Safety Strategy was first published in July 2019 and sets out what the NHS will do to achieve its vision to continuously improve patient safety. As part of the overall strategy, a new framework for involving patients in patient safety was developed. This includes empowering patients and their carers to be involved in their own safety, as well as introducing the role of Patient Safety Partners (PSPs) who will work alongside staff in improving patient safety. West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust welcomes this new and innovative role and welcomes the contributions PSPs will play in supporting and contributing to our Trust ambition to continuously improve safety.

As a Patient Safety Partner, and using your lived experience as a patient or member of your local community, you will make a vital contribution by becoming an integral advisory member in assessing the quality and safety of our services. It is vital that the people we serve are involved in decisions about ensuring our services are safe and of a high quality, and the Patient Safety Partner role is key to ensuring that we work together.

Your main role will be to work with us to ensure that we prioritise the safety requirements of our patients thereby maximising the things that go right and minimising the things that go wrong for people receiving our services.

Main duties of the job

A patient safety partner (PSP) is actively involved in the design of safer healthcare at all levels in the organisation.

This includes roles in safety governance eg sitting on relevant committees to support compliance monitoring and how safety issues should be addressed and providing appropriate challenge to ensure learning and change and in the development and implementation of relevant strategy and policy.

The PSP should ensure that any committee/group of which they are a member considers and prioritises the service user, patient, carer and family perspective and champions a diversity of views.

Further detail on specific roles is provided in individual task descriptions. These include the time commitment for specific roles and frequency of meetings where appropriate

The PSP will need to comply with relevant policies and maintain strict confidentiality in respect to discussions and information when required.

About us

#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

Were a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and childrens ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see job description for full details.

Skills and experience

Understanding of and broad interest in patient safety.

Ability to communicate well in writing and read comprehensive reports.

Ability to understand and evaluate a range of information and evidence.

Confidence to communicate well verbally with senior leaders about strategic issues, as an advocate for patient safety.

Ability to provide a patient, carer, or lay perspective and to put forward views on behalf of the wider community/groups of patients (not own opinion only).

Experience of championing health improvements; able to be a critical friend.

Interaction with multiple stakeholders at senior management level.

Experience of working in partnership with healthcare organisations or programmes.

Sound judgement and an ability to be objective.

Personal integrity and commitment to openness, inclusiveness and high standards.

Training

Requirement to be trained in patient safety when needs are identified and training is available. Where possible and appropriate this training will be with staff. Mandatory training may also be required, including in one or more of the following:

information governance

equality and diversity

safeguarding level 1.

Planning and organising

Ability to plan time to prepare for meetings and undertake any other activities required as part of the role.

To attend PSP support meetings and training events.

Personal

Adhere to the principles of the PSP agreement.

Inform relevant person if unable to attend meetings or undertake any other identified activities.

Support to colleagues

Support and guide new PSPs where required.

Take part in PSP networks to receive peer support and share learning.

Communication

Report any safety incidents to staff.

Ensure that patient confidentiality is always maintained.

Infection control

Adhere to the principles of hand hygiene when entering and leaving ward areas.

Ensure that visitors and staff adhere to the principles of hand hygiene and direct them to hand washing facilities where necessary.

Equality and diversity

Have an understanding of individual patients needs; consideration for cultural and religious requirements.

Act in accordance with trusts policy and procedures.

Health and safety

Report any environmental factors that may contravene health and safety requirements.

Ensure that all work is carried out in line with trust policies and procedures.

Attend induction and regular mandatory training.

Job description
Job responsibilities

Please see job description for full details.

Skills and experience

Understanding of and broad interest in patient safety.

Ability to communicate well in writing and read comprehensive reports.

Ability to understand and evaluate a range of information and evidence.

Confidence to communicate well verbally with senior leaders about strategic issues, as an advocate for patient safety.

Ability to provide a patient, carer, or lay perspective and to put forward views on behalf of the wider community/groups of patients (not own opinion only).

Experience of championing health improvements; able to be a critical friend.

Interaction with multiple stakeholders at senior management level.

Experience of working in partnership with healthcare organisations or programmes.

Sound judgement and an ability to be objective.

Personal integrity and commitment to openness, inclusiveness and high standards.

Training

Requirement to be trained in patient safety when needs are identified and training is available. Where possible and appropriate this training will be with staff. Mandatory training may also be required, including in one or more of the following:

information governance

equality and diversity

safeguarding level 1.

Planning and organising

Ability to plan time to prepare for meetings and undertake any other activities required as part of the role.

To attend PSP support meetings and training events.

Personal

Adhere to the principles of the PSP agreement.

Inform relevant person if unable to attend meetings or undertake any other identified activities.

Support to colleagues

Support and guide new PSPs where required.

Take part in PSP networks to receive peer support and share learning.

Communication

Report any safety incidents to staff.

Ensure that patient confidentiality is always maintained.

Infection control

Adhere to the principles of hand hygiene when entering and leaving ward areas.

Ensure that visitors and staff adhere to the principles of hand hygiene and direct them to hand washing facilities where necessary.

Equality and diversity

Have an understanding of individual patients needs; consideration for cultural and religious requirements.

Act in accordance with trusts policy and procedures.

Health and safety

Report any environmental factors that may contravene health and safety requirements.

Ensure that all work is carried out in line with trust policies and procedures.

Attend induction and regular mandatory training.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• No qualifications required for this role

Experience

Essential

• Understanding of and broad interest in patient safety.
• Ability to communicate well in writing and read comprehensive reports.
• Ability to understand and evaluate a range of information and evidence.
• Confidence to communicate well verbally with senior leaders about strategic issues, as an advocate for patient safety.
• Ability to provide a patient, carer, or lay perspective and to put forward views on behalf of the wider community/groups of patients (not own opinion only).
• Experience of championing health improvements; able to be a critical friend.
• Interaction with multiple stakeholders at senior management level.
• Experience of working in partnership with healthcare organisations or programmes.
• Sound judgement and an ability to be objective.
• Personal integrity and commitment to openness, inclusiveness and high standards.

Person Specification
Qualifications

Essential

• No qualifications required for this role

Experience

Essential

• Understanding of and broad interest in patient safety.
• Ability to communicate well in writing and read comprehensive reports.
• Ability to understand and evaluate a range of information and evidence.
• Confidence to communicate well verbally with senior leaders about strategic issues, as an advocate for patient safety.
• Ability to provide a patient, carer, or lay perspective and to put forward views on behalf of the wider community/groups of patients (not own opinion only).
• Experience of championing health improvements; able to be a critical friend.
• Interaction with multiple stakeholders at senior management level.
• Experience of working in partnership with healthcare organisations or programmes.
• Sound judgement and an ability to be objective.
• Personal integrity and commitment to openness, inclusiveness and high standards.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Address

West Suffolk Hospitals Nhs Trust

Hardwick Lane

Bury St. Edmunds

Suffolk

IP332QZ

Employer's website