Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Practice Governance and Improvement Lead

The closing date is 29 July 2025

Job summary

The post is one of 3 Practice Governance Lead posts which sit within Operational Services. The post offers strategic leadership to staff within these operational services in order to create an effective system that supports the delivery of the best possible outcomes for all service users, staff and the public. The post holder works closely with colleagues in the Practice Governance Support Team (PGST) which provides practice governance support to all staff within The Trust in order to ensure the practice governance agenda is delivered. The post holder may be required to line manage other posts which form part of the service stream's practice governance team.

Each of the Practice Governance Leads will support identified service streams which may be varied from time to time. The post holder will also take on wider lead roles across services where they have particular expertise and post holders will be required to work closely together to ensure the practice governance agenda is delivered consistently across the Division.

Main duties of the job

To provide leadership and direction on all matters across relevant services relating to practice governance.

To take a lead role in ensuring that staff and others as appropriate are informed as to the purpose, principles and methods of undertaking and engaging in practice governance activities.

To co-ordinate the development of a Practice Governance agenda for relevant services (to include work around research, clinical audit, care pathways and protocols, critical incident management, clinical supervision and professional education, complaints management and risk management).

To take a proactive role in driving and developing a culture of continuous practice improvement within the Division.

To provide leadership and direction on all matters across relevant services relating to practice governance.

To take a lead role in ensuring that staff and others as appropriate are informed as to the purpose, principles and methods of undertaking and engaging in practice governance activities.

To take a lead role in ensuring the effective investigation of incidents, ensuring that recommendations and learning are implemented and shared across the division.

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

Our family of over 4000 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Our Trust values are:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!

Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?

Date posted

15 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£57,888 to £64,880 a year per ann pro rata (inclusive of 5% HCAS - Min £1,258 max £2,122)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

367-LD&F-9547

Job locations

3 Bowlers Green, Kingsley Green

Harper Lane

Near Radlett, St Albans, Herts

WD7 9HQ

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Learning Disabilities and Forensic Division provides mental health and learning disability services across Hertfordshire, Essex,Buckinghamshire and Norfolk. We provide high-quality and patient-centred care and our forensic and learning disability inpatient services arerated Outstanding by the CQC.

We are seeking to recruit an individual to lead on practice governance and improvement for the Division. The post holder will work closely withcolleagues across the Division and trust to provide practice governance support and to help deliver our quality agenda. The post holder will linemanage the Practice Governance Facilitators in the Division.

The post holder will lead and facilitate in a number of key areas, including but not limited to, capturing and tracking learning from incidents;practice and clinical audits; research; care pathways; protocols; improvement and risk management.

This is a critical role in the Division and the post holder will sit on the Core Management Team and report directly to the Divisional Director. Thesuitable candidate must be a clinician or have experience in practice governance.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Relevant professional qualifications
Education to Masters or equivalent experience
Evidence of further professional development
Clinical qualification or equivalent clinical experience

Experience

Essential

Proven experience within the NHS or equivalent health / social care setting
Experience of delivering practice improvement programmes.

Desirable

Organisation and delivery of staff training Project management
Experience of engaging service users / carers in service planning / improvement

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Relevant professional qualifications
Education to Masters or equivalent experience
Evidence of further professional development
Clinical qualification or equivalent clinical experience

Experience

Essential

Proven experience within the NHS or equivalent health / social care setting
Experience of delivering practice improvement programmes.

Desirable

Organisation and delivery of staff training Project management
Experience of engaging service users / carers in service planning / improvement

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Certificate of Sponsorship

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

3 Bowlers Green, Kingsley Green

Harper Lane

Near Radlett, St Albans, Herts

WD7 9HQ

Employer's website

https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

3 Bowlers Green, Kingsley Green

Harper Lane

Near Radlett, St Albans, Herts

WD7 9HQ

Employer's website

https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)