Job summaryAt South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, we believe in providing excellent care which is delivered with pride and compassion. Everything we do is to improve the lives of the people and communities we serve and to promote mental health and wellbeing for all.
This is an exciting job opportunity to work with a Directorate who are committed to the Trust's aims to support spirit of candour and a culture of openness and honesty as we seek to resolve concerns, learn lessons from mistakes that may have occurred and improve the quality of services we provide.
The Governance Lead will be responsible for ensuring the best practices of complaints and incidents governance and supporting the development and implementation of governance strategies, policies, and frameworks, as well as facilitate learning and improvement across the directorate.
The post holder will be responsible for the management of the Directorate's Governance Team and lead on the application of a range of system-based approaches from the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, ensuring compassionate engagement of those affected by patient safety incidents.
Main duties of the jobSupporting the Head of Nursing and Quality develop and implement governance processes within the PMOA & NDS Directorate to ensure that there is a comprehensive framework to continuously monitor and improve the quality of care.
Promote a positive culture in which reporting of incidents using the Patient Safety Incident Reporting Framework is routine practice and is recognised by staff as a means of improving the quality of clinical care and reducing risks.
Ensure that governance forms an integral part of the operational and strategic aims of the PMOA & NDS Directorate.
Ensure that lessons from incidents, claims, complaints and inquests analysis are learned and shared and that timely feedback of information occurs, including embedding learning across the PMOA & NDS Directorate
Provide line management responsibility for the Clinical Governance Team.
About usThe services within PMOA & NDS are spread across all key sites i.e., Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon along with our National Specialist Services including Perinatal pathway, Adult Eating disorder pathway, Neuro-developmental services, Psychosis and Neuro-rehabilitation pathway where our service users come from all over the country. The Directorate has a diverse and inclusive workforce that values compassion, respect, teamwork, and excellence. You will be supported in a culture that values and embeds learning and improvement.
DetailsDate posted: 10 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £66,274 to £73,496 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 334-NUR-8202731-AP
Job locations: Maudsley Hospital, 113 Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AZ, United Kingdom
Job responsibilitiesPatient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF)- The post holder will lead on the implementation of PSIRF, including teaching identified within the Directorate the facilitation skills to be able to lead Directorate PSIRF responses such as After-Action Reviews.
Quality- To prepare reports for the Directorates Integrated Performance and Quality meetings including an aggregated analysis of trends and themes in patient experience, patient safety, patient outcomes, staff safety and other safety issues.
- To support the Heads of Nursing and Quality in developing programmes of work to ensure that the Trust meets the relevant criteria as described in the standards set by the Care Quality Commission and any other national, service-specific, or local performance frameworks.
- Through complaints and incident analysis identify barriers to implementing good practice or areas of concern and liaise with the Heads of Profession to agree and implement required remedial action and ongoing maintaining of good practice.
- To support the embedding of research to improve patient outcomes and quality of care by providing evidenced based interventions and innovations.
Governance- To lead on Directorate complaints processes ensuring that these are investigated within statutory time frames. Ensuring that all complaint responses are comprehensive and formatted to accessible information standards as required.
- To ensure that all information contained within the Directorates Datix reporting system is managed in line with the Trusts policy including Duty of Candour and Being Open.
- To lead on responses to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
- To line manage a Band 6 Governance Officer.
- To support clinical teams in the monitoring and thematic reviewing of adult and childrens safeguarding activity across the directorate in collaboration with the Trusts Safeguarding
- To use the methodology of the Quality Management System using complaints and incidents data to enable teams to work at their best together and create a learning environment to make improvements.
- To lead on the identification and escalation of risk issues for the directorate and to provide expert support, decision making, advice, guidance, and education on all aspects of governance management.
- To identify risks from the analysis of complaints and incidents and ensure that these are included in the Directorates risk registers in collaboration with the Directorates Senior Leadership Team.
- To facilitate events within the Directorate to support timely learning from incidents, complaints, claims and inquests and support staff to develop an open, just, and fair culture where staff report
- Able to engage effectively and compassionately with service users, families, carers and all stakeholders.
Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential- oBSc (Hons) in Nursing or Diploma in Nursing (Mental health, Adult) /BSc in Occupational Therapy or Diploma in Occupational Therapy/BA or BSc or Postgraduate MA or MSc in Social Work
- Evidence of up-to-date continuous professional development in relevant fields
Desirable- Advanced courses related to Patient Safety
- Educated to Masters level or equivalent in Healthcare
ExperienceEssential- Experience of multi-professional collaboration at a senior level, including statutory and voluntary agencies and service user groups.
- Experience of investigating incidents and complaints, including identifying themes, supporting incident learning, developing action plans, and monitoring delivery of agreed improvements.
- Experience of PSIRF, risk registers, governance reporting, and CQC/quality assurance processes, including preparing assurance reports and escalating risks through appropriate governance forums.
Desirable- Experience in implementing the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework
- Experience of working in mental health services as a clinician
KnowledgeEssential- Ability to convey extremely distressing information to staff, patients and carers with a high level of sensitivity, compassion and understanding.
- Skilled in using Datix or similar governance systems to support advanced incidents, complaints and risk analysis.
- Able to identify key issues from complex documents and transpose into concise reports with required actions.
Desirable- Knowledge of Health and Social care regulations and how it applies to the role of clinical governance lead in NHS services
- Ability to prepare high-quality assurance reports and presentations for senior governance or quality forums.
SkillsEssential- Highly motivated and able to work independently prioritising work and effectively dealing with competing demands.
Desirable- Ability to engage groups across all specialisms
ValuesEssential- Promotes equality, diversity and inclusion, and works in a way that supports psychological safety, openness and learning.
- Models professional integrity, accountability and collaborative leadership in supporting high-quality, safe and person-centred care.
Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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 SponsorshipApplications 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).
UK RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer detailsEmployer name: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Maudsley Hospital, 113 Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AZ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.slam.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact detailsFor questions about the job, contact: Head of Nursing and Quality, PMOA & NDS, Farida Pirani, farida.pirani@slam.nhs.uk, 07734371266
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.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.Applicants must have current UK professional registration. 
