Job summary
- Main area
- Corporate
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 9
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Job ref
- 435-C084-25
- Employer
- East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Blackburn Hospital
- Town
- Blackburn
- Salary
- £109,179 - £125,637 Per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 18/11/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Associate Director of Quality Governance
NHS AfC: Band 9
At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.
Job overview
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to join our senior management team as Associate Director of Quality Governance, Safety and Clinical Effectiveness. This is a pivotal role, responsible for driving excellence in corporate and clinical governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance across the Trust.
You will work closely with the Executive Directors, Board Committees, and operational leaders to ensure robust governance frameworks are embedded throughout the organisation. Your leadership will be critical in supporting a culture of transparency, learning, and continuous improvement.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the development and implementation of the Trust’s governance strategy.
- Oversee risk management, incident reporting, and Trust wide assurance systems.
- Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements (e.g. CQC, NHS England).
- Provide expert advice to the Board and Executive Team on governance matters.
- Lead on preparation for inspections, audits, and external reviews.
- Manage a multidisciplinary governance team, fostering a high-performance culture.
About You
- Proven senior leadership experience in governance within a complex healthcare setting.
- In-depth knowledge of NHS regulatory frameworks and quality standards.
- Strong strategic thinking, influencing, and communication skills.
- Ability to lead change, manage complexity, and build effective partnerships.
- Relevant professional qualification (e.g. governance, risk, law, healthcare management).
Working for our organisation
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of governance at the Trust which is committed to delivering Safe, Personal and Effective care. You’ll be part of a supportive leadership team, with opportunities to innovate and make a real impact.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will:
· Support the Medical Director and Chief Nurse to ensure that systems and processes are in place to enhance the quality of clinical services and the delivery of robust Governance structures.
· Work closely with the Medical Director, and other Board members to provide strategy, direction and corporate policy making to ensure the delivery of the Trust’s Quality and Governance objectives and to ensure that statutory duties and responsibilities are discharged.
· Lead trust-wide strategic projects that support the delivery of the triple aim objectives (better care, better outcomes, delivered sustainably) and provide strategic and tactical support to design programmes of transformation.
· Provide line management responsibility for the clinical governance teams.
· Oversee the development, operation and monitoring of effective systems and processes to provide the Executive Team and Board of Directors with appropriate assurance on the quality and standards of services.
· Ensure that processes are established to provide robust and effective governance and organisational focus on harm free care and patient safety and clinical effectiveness.
· Lead on the development, implementation and review of systems and processes to monitor compliance with national, regional and local:
¾ Clinical Effectiveness standards
¾ Clinical Quality standards in line with professional Nursing/Medic/AHP frameworks
¾ Risk Management standards
¾ Inquest and clinical negligence processes
¾ Health and Safety statutory responsibilities
· Demonstrate the Trust’s values and be a highly visible and credible clinical leader, motivating and empowering Divisions and directorates to ensure that the Trust maintains high standards of clinical quality and governance from floor to Board.
· Be a core member of Trust Quality Committee (and wider sub committees of the Board where appropriate), Senior Nursing /Midwifery Leaders Forum. Clinical/Joint Clinical Leaders Forum.
· Act as governance link into the Professional regulatory processes internally, participating in the Professional Standards Group and the Employee Relations Group in support of the maintenance of high professional standards and open fair process management.
· Be responsible for keeping the Chief Nurse, Medical Director and Board appraised of the functional state and effectiveness of the structures and processes of Clinical Governance throughout the Trust.
· Be responsible for developing, maintaining and monitoring of an effective corporate risk register and Board Assurance Framework.
· Ensure that change projects initiated by the Quality Committee are implemented efficiently and effectively and will, in partnership with the Divisional Governance Leads, facilitate change projects initiated in Divisions in order that they are managed competently and completed effectively.
· Actively maintain external networks to ensure the Trust is prepared and/or compliant with any new or emerging national, regional or local quality and governance standards.
· In collaboration with the team managers, ensure best practice with regards to the management of services and effective liaison all key stakeholders, with HM Coroner, the NHS Resolution, Care Quality Commission and Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman.
· Support the development of a Quality structure to support the Integrated Care System/Board Governance agenda working closely with the Clinical Commissioning Group and the governance lead for the Integrated Care Board/Provider Collaborative Board.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Management Qualification
- Higher Degree or equivalent qualification
Desirable criteria
- Current registration with Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) – Mental Health (RMN) / Learning Disabilities (RNLD) and/or Health Care Professionals Council.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- Relevant experience in senior governance position, usually around 5 years
- Expert knowledge of the CQC Mental Health standards/registration requirements and requirements of the Mental health Act and Mental Capacity Act
- Excellent skills in presentation, change management and project management
- An excellent understanding of Clinical Governance and assurance as they key underpinning principle of clinical care delivery.
- Knowledge of CQC standards.
Change Management
Essential criteria
- Track record of successful change management Track record of successful change management. .
- IT and Microsoft office applications familiarity
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Peter Murphy (Chief Nurse)
- Job title
- Chief Nurse
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01254 732510
List jobs with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust in Administrative Services or all sectors