Head of Quality, Safety & Patient Experience

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Head of Quality, Safety & Patient Experience to lead the delivery of our quality, governance, and patient safety agenda.

This is a senior non-clinical leadership role requiring strong hands-on clinical experience and deep understanding of surgical environments—particularly orthopaedics. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring the highest standards of patient safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across the clinic.

Working closely with the CEO, Medical Director, and Director of Nursing, you will provide visible leadership and operational oversight of quality and risk, while fostering a culture of excellence and learning.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the operational delivery of quality, safety, and patient experience across the clinic

• Drive implementation of the Quality Strategy and continuous improvement initiatives

• Oversee clinical governance frameworks, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements including the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

• Lead incident management and investigations, embedding a strong learning culture (including PSIRF approaches)

• Maintain oversight of risk management systems, including risk registers and escalation processes

• Ensure effective audit, compliance, and quality assurance processes

• Oversee patient feedback, complaints, and experience programmes, ensuring meaningful improvements

• Provide expert advice and constructive challenge to clinical and operational teams

• Lead, develop, and support the Quality Governance team

• Support organisational readiness for inspections, audits, and external reviews

About you

You are a credible and confident leader with a strong background in healthcare quality and governance. You bring the ability to influence senior clinicians and drive improvement in a specialist surgical environment.

• Essential:

  • Previous hands-on clinical experience (e.g. Nurse, Physiotherapist, ODP or similar)

  • Significant experience in quality, patient safety, and risk management within healthcare

  • Strong knowledge of clinical governance frameworks and regulatory standards (including CQC)

  • Proven experience leading quality improvement and patient safety initiatives

  • Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills

  • Ability to analyse complex data and translate into actionable insights

  Desirable:

  • Experience within orthopaedics or surgical services

  • Leadership or postgraduate qualification in healthcare or quality

  • Training in quality improvement methodologies