NHS England

Deputy Director of Patient Safety

The closing date is 10 September 2025

Job summary

An opportunity has arisen within the Digital Clinical Informatics team in NHS England's Transformation Directorate for a Deputy Director of Patient Safety.

The post holder will be an exceptional leader who can demonstrate good communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to think independently, challenge appropriately and work effectively as part of a team. You will also have an in-depth knowledge of clinical governance and assurance mechanisms and will lead on monitoring standards of a range of clinical governance, clinical effectiveness and patient safety activity, in liaison with other multidisciplinary professionals and specialty leads within NHS England.

Main duties of the job

  • The role is responsible for the management of quality, risk and patient safety across digital clinical informatics products, platforms and services within NHS England. This encompasses clinical effectiveness, risk and incident management, learning from incidents and compliance.
  • The Deputy Director of Patient Safety will lead and deliver on a range of patient safety, clinical governance and cyber activities across the Digital Clinical Informatics team.
  • You will take on a key role in shaping the on-going direction and strategy for patient safety across Digital Clinical Informatics including clinical governance frameworks, clinical safety methodologies and compliance with safety standards.
  • Lead the continual development of the clinical governance strategy, ensuring that NHS England programmes and services continue to advance their clinical governance and risk management development plans and develop systems.
  • As the organisation's 'clinical safety voice', able to network and consult with wider NHS and social care colleagues in support of the community delivery of relevant safety standards.

    Able to be accountable for the Clinical Safety principle framework across all areas of NHS England, applied through:

    • Expert understanding and knowledge of risk management methodology and its application in the clinical domain;

    • Expert understanding and application of the standards DCB 0129 and DCB0160 within identified areas of responsibility

About us

The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:

  • Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
  • Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
  • Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
  • Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
  • Delivering value for money.

If you would like to know more or require further information, please visithttps://www.england.nhs.uk/.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

If you are successful at interview, we will run an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) in the Electronic Staff Record system (ESR). This transfer gathers valuable information from a previous or current NHS employer to support the onboarding process, including; statutory and mandatory competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You will have the opportunity throughout the recruitment process to inform us if you do not consent.

Details

Date posted

27 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 9

Salary

£109,179 to £125,637 a year (exclusive of London Weighting)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

990-TD-CTDCI-15028-E

Job locations

Wellington Place/10 South Colonnade

Leeds/London

LS1 4AP


Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will have a senior leadership role, reporting directly to the Chief Clinical Information Officer and working closely with senior leaders, clinicians and managers across NHS England to ensure that services are safe and effective.They will create an environment which promotes and supports patient safety andhigh quality care.

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Secondments

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will have a senior leadership role, reporting directly to the Chief Clinical Information Officer and working closely with senior leaders, clinicians and managers across NHS England to ensure that services are safe and effective.They will create an environment which promotes and supports patient safety andhigh quality care.

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Secondments

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of leading complex organisational assessment processes with a proven understanding of clinical IT systems.
  • Demonstrable evidence of working with programme domains to assess and quantify clinical safety assurance activities across projects and programmes, providing clinical leadership to safety assurance activities.
  • Proven high-level experience of supporting delivery of complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment.

Desirable

  • Demonstrable evidence of working with programme domains to assess and quantify clinical safety assurance activities across projects and programmes, providing clinical leadership to safety assurance activities.
  • Ability to clearly communicate informatics-related work, including being able to explain the clinical requirements and safety processes to non-clinical
  • Demonstrable, extensive experience of managing patient safety associated with health IT and wider clinical activity in practice at regional/national level

Qualifications

Essential

  • You will be a UK registered clinician with proven credibility and the ability to command respect from clinical and non-clinical professionals.

Desirable

  • Demonstrable evidence and assurance of IT system supplier's software conformance to information standards.

Skills

Essential

  • Ability to clearly communicate informatics-related work, including being able to explain the clinical requirements and safety processes to non-clinical stakeholders so that they understand them and can comply with safety and assurance processes.
  • Able to clearly identify clinical risks and issues about systems and products and takes responsibility for their mitigation and resolution.

Desirable

  • Demonstrable people and professional leadership skills that empower, support, and develop teams to achieve the high performance and enable team members to reach their full potential.
  • Demonstrates strong strategic decision-making in respect of clinical safety and governance issues.
Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of leading complex organisational assessment processes with a proven understanding of clinical IT systems.
  • Demonstrable evidence of working with programme domains to assess and quantify clinical safety assurance activities across projects and programmes, providing clinical leadership to safety assurance activities.
  • Proven high-level experience of supporting delivery of complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment.

Desirable

  • Demonstrable evidence of working with programme domains to assess and quantify clinical safety assurance activities across projects and programmes, providing clinical leadership to safety assurance activities.
  • Ability to clearly communicate informatics-related work, including being able to explain the clinical requirements and safety processes to non-clinical
  • Demonstrable, extensive experience of managing patient safety associated with health IT and wider clinical activity in practice at regional/national level

Qualifications

Essential

  • You will be a UK registered clinician with proven credibility and the ability to command respect from clinical and non-clinical professionals.

Desirable

  • Demonstrable evidence and assurance of IT system supplier's software conformance to information standards.

Skills

Essential

  • Ability to clearly communicate informatics-related work, including being able to explain the clinical requirements and safety processes to non-clinical stakeholders so that they understand them and can comply with safety and assurance processes.
  • Able to clearly identify clinical risks and issues about systems and products and takes responsibility for their mitigation and resolution.

Desirable

  • Demonstrable people and professional leadership skills that empower, support, and develop teams to achieve the high performance and enable team members to reach their full potential.
  • Demonstrates strong strategic decision-making in respect of clinical safety and governance issues.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

NHS England

Address

Wellington Place/10 South Colonnade

Leeds/London

LS1 4AP


Employer's website

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

NHS England

Address

Wellington Place/10 South Colonnade

Leeds/London

LS1 4AP


Employer's website

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Business Co-ordinator

Mai Sahor

mai.sahor1@nhs.net

07730355202

Details

Date posted

27 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 9

Salary

£109,179 to £125,637 a year (exclusive of London Weighting)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

990-TD-CTDCI-15028-E

Job locations

Wellington Place/10 South Colonnade

Leeds/London

LS1 4AP


Supporting documents

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