Quality Improvement Lead inRomford inRomford PUBLISHED 19 DEC 2023

The post holder will:

• Link to registered manager and Q&C Business Partner as required to contribute to the Direct Monitoring Activity work (CQC)
• Promote and monitor safe and effective practice through oversight audit compliance and monitoring
• Lead and promote quality improvement activity to improve care
• Ensure practice development and competency standards
• Enhance the service user experience
• Provide effective leadership and management
• Contribute to the delivery of the organisations objectives and Strategy
• The Practice and Quality Improvement Lead will work pro-actively across all areas within Saint Francis Hospice (SFH) ensuring that both practice development and quality improvement are central to all parts of hospice services, particularly care services.

CQC focused work:

• To be the lead reporting to the Registered Manager
  
  (CQC Care Quality Commission) for the Hospice services
• Adhere to all CQC requirements for reporting and oversee the organisations compliance to statutory reporting
• Identification of any risks to the organisation as to non-compliance with best practice and ability to evidence against CQC framework
• Completion of any reports or framework request to support the Registered Manager
• Attend clinical Governance and board as required
• Lead and support workforce preparation for a CQC inspection, including developing mock inspections.
• Support the development and implementation of the Quality and Care team strategy and plans: and lead on the development and implementation of a strategy for quality improvement.
• To work collaboratively and support the Accountable Officer role within the Organisation

Practice Development and Quality Improvement

• Role model the Hospice values to provide effective, multi-professional working and leadership.
• Work alongside the Practice Education Facilitator and advise on areas for the work plan, in response to national guidance and policy as well as locally driven need.
• Prioritise such areas of work as directed by senior colleagues and the organisational strategy, depending on organisational need. The future-orientated work of the Quality Account will also influence this.
• Identify emerging development needs as indicated by monitoring and reporting processes, including events (incidents).
• Support individual teams and staff/volunteer development as appropriate.
• Work closely with the Practice Education Facilitator and steer and support the structure of work, including projects.
• Contribute to organisational development as appropriate, in collaboration with People & Culture team and the Head of professional Practice & Education.
• Lead on the creation and compilation of the annual Quality Account for education, in conjunction with the Marketing and Communications Team and the Transformation Development Manager.
• Lead staff and volunteers to ensure that the Quality Account requirements are working towards using SMART objectives.
• Support and guide individual staff and teams through specific pieces of quality improvement projects from across the organisation.
• Steer the dissemination of findings and learning, and identify and drive implementation of these to practice through the application of advanced knowledge.
• Recognise barriers to such implementation and work with staff and volunteers to overcome these through the identification of solutions and support, including education as needed.
• Utilise high level planning and organisational skills, adjusting to change as needed.
• Attend external forums as appropriate to the role to sustain relationships with stakeholders.
• Review, contribute to and create organisational policies as required for the role.
• To oversee the support and recording of revalidation of registered professionals, in conjunction with People & Culture Team.

Leadership and Management

• Role model the Hospice values to provide effective, multi-professional working and leadership.
• To contribute towards budget setting process and where appropriate manage a delegated budget ensuring this is maintained as allocated.
• To undertake delegated duties from the Head of Professional Practice of Education in relation to practice development and quality improvement issues.

• Produce reports as required for internal use and for external use CQC, Hospice UK Benchmarking, Audit.
• Ensure and oversee Audit compliance and attend quarterly appropriate Management Group meetings and Audit Group.
• Contribute to local, regional, and national forums for specialist palliative care, quality improvement and practice development as an SFH representative.
• Develop and maintain working relationships with other [local] Hospices, Acute Trusts, Primary Care, Community Services and Local Authority Services to ensure collaborative working as much as possible.
• Oversee the work plan of the Practice Education Facilitator and collaborate to steer the structure of work, including projects.
• Oversee the work of the Service Improvement Groups, chair the Clinical Effectiveness Group and report activity to the Clinical Governance Committee annually.

Education and Training

• Work with the Head of Professional Practice & Education to ensure workforce development initiatives are reflected, for example staff and volunteer development via external education opportunities.
• Promote a compassionate, learning, and inclusive organisation and address a wide range of training needs, to support this.
• Lead on education about quality improvement, especially how it differs from audit and how it is applied to practice to ensure a good organisational understanding of audit and quality improvement through teaching and learning activities.
• Present to groups and meetings as necessary, particularly to reflect on any findings and to drive change.
• Support staff through all steps of the change process that comes with quality improvement, recognising any barriers and motivate others through an understanding of the rationale, method, and outcomes of the change, whilst addressing concerns and the need for support.
• Utilise advanced communication skills to work alongside colleagues to effectively lead change.
• Ensure provision of learning opportunities for staff and volunteers and those on placement and that knowledge is shared.
• Facilitate a Resilience based Reflective Practice group and participate in all associated processes, as supported by the Head of Professional Practice & Education and as part of the HUK QI project.
• Participate in working alongside teams, as appropriate, to meet the development needs of staff, through induction, orientation, appraisal, and learning/support following events (incidents).
• Participate in education programmes, internal and external, as required.
• Oversee the monitoring/support of the staff competency framework.

Professional Responsibilities

• Lead and manage workload through teamwork, inspiration, and direction.
• Analyse practice and steer colleagues in recommendations for ways to make improvements if required, as guided by evidence.
• Keep abreast of required development/knowledge related to practice development, audit and quality improvement in palliative and end of life care and ensure and support application of theory to practice.
• Recognise professional accountability and individual responsibility for personal and professional development in accordance with a Professional Code of Conduct.
• Identify own development needs and initiate a plan to meet those needs with line manager.
• Initiate and receive one to one supervision for own personal and professional development.
• Facilitate all work from an organisational, hospice-wide strategic perspective.
• Adhere to the policies and conditions of service of Saint Francis Hospice.

Research and Audit

• Participate in research and audit.
• Identify opportunities for audit of practice and highlight any emergent research questions.
• Participate in the work of the Research Interest Group and Ethics Interest Groups and disseminate findings through these forums as appropriate.
• Sustain, update, and support the achievement of the Annual Audit Plan, and manage this through the Clinical Audit Group and the Quality Assurance Management Group.
• Participate in national forums to disseminate findings and represent SFH.
• Publish outcomes from work in collaboration with colleagues, supporting this process as needed.

Governance & Quality Assurance

• Assist with responding, reporting, investigating, and learning with regards to concerns, complaints and events (incidents).
• Oversee the co-ordination of mentoring and follow- up of recommendations from internal audits, and support as needed with education, training or coaching as needed.
• Ensure that national and local policies and procedures are adhered to by all staff and in accordance with the Regulations and Standards of the Care Quality Commission and Professional Regulatory Bodies.
• Manage the use of the CQC monitoring and reporting tool software and support all processes towards being recognised as delivering outstanding care.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Saint Francis Hospice as Quality Improvement Lead. Are you passionate about developing practice and focused on initiatives that enhance quality of care? Are you interested in finding creative approaches that engage and build knowledge and skills, with learning at its core? Practice development and quality improvement are central to this role which has relevance and application across all clinical areas. If you enjoy identifying a vision for improvement, and designing and supporting the education, leadership and action to achieve this, then this role could be of interest.

If you are an experienced registered healthcare professional with leadership and quality improvement skills that enhance person-centred care for all, we want to hear from you. The successful candidate will be part of a forward-thinking organisation, join the education team and have strong links with clinical practice.