The Clinical Safety Officer post plays a key role in the success of the large, complex, transformational change programme that will see the implementation of a new Electronic Patient Record (EPR) across the whole trust and the decommissioning of the existing EPR.

The Clinical Safety Officer role combines clinical expertise with an understanding of health information technology and clinical risk to provide assurance in compliance with digital clinical safety regulations and the Trust’s digital clinical safety system.

The Clinical Safety Officer will work as part of the wider Programme Team and will focus on digital clinical safety, with a responsibility that includes safety assessments, regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, quality assurance, documentation, and continuous improvement. They will be responsible for the implementation of the digital clinical safety operating model, policy, and processes, ensuring it becomes, and remains, fit for purpose for the organisation

Career Progression pathways and development opportunities:
We are committed to get the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. We have career pathways available, where you will be able to develop your skills and build on your experience to progress into other roles across different specialties. In addition, we offer ongoing training and development in conjunction with the BCS membership.

The role is essential to:
Lead, promote and support the adherence of the digital health applications implementation activities as defined in DCB0160 Standards.

Ensure the development and maintenance of the following in support of DCB 0160 compliance:

Clinical Risk Management records
A Clinical Risk Management Strategy & Plan
Hazard Logs
Clinical Safety Case
Clinical Safety Case Report

As this role is situated within a programme environment, the specific subject matter and scope of responsibilities may evolve as programme needs change. However, the core skillset will remain critical.
Organisational Context and Reporting Lines

This role is in the Digital PMO which sits under the Digital Services Directorate. The Directorate utilises technology and digital solutions to empower our staff to work effectively and to improve the care our service users receive. The postholder will report to the Chief Clinical Information Officer and work closely with multidisciplinary project workstreams, Digital and external departments / teams across the Trust as directed.

Flexible working:
As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 8am to 6pm, giving you the very best of good work life balance.

This role is in the Digital PMO which sits under the Digital Services Directorate. The Directorate utilises technology and digital solutions to empower our staff to work effectively and to improve the care our service users receive. The postholder will report to the Chief Clinical Information Officer and work closely with multidisciplinary project workstreams, Digital and external departments / teams across the Trust as directed.

Digital is located across 3 main sites;

Maudsley, ( Denmark Hill, London) St Pauls (Bromley), Bethlem Royal Hospital (Beckenham)

Responsibilities

To own and develop the Digital Clinical Risk Strategy and System on behalf of the Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) and the programme and work up plans that uphold this strategy.
To be responsible for the successful management and delivery of digital clinical safety activity across the EPR Programme.
Develop, maintain, and refine systems and processes to identify and address patient safety risks associated with digital health applications and systems.
Lead, promote and support the adherence of the digital health applications implementation activities as defined in DCB0160 Standards: Clinical Risk Management and its Application in the Deployment and Use of Health IT Systems.
Ensure the development and maintenance of the following in support of DCB 0160 compliance:
Clinical Risk Management records
A Clinical Risk Management Strategy & Plan
Hazard Logs
Clinical Safety Case
Clinical Safety Case Report
Support the reporting, investigating, and resolving of clinical safety incidents linked to digital health solutions and recommendations on the safety of digital health applications.
Working with the CCIO to ensure core digital clinical safety functions and processes are in place in ensure that clinical safety is a key function of the EPR Programme.
Be the primary digital clinical safety lead and point of contact for the EPR programme.
Ensure that quality standards are maintained throughout, such that each digital clinical safety deliverable is fit for purpose and meets its documented requirement within DCB 0160 Digital Clinical Safety Standards and the EPR Programme scope.
Responsible for maintaining, reviewing, and updating the standardised documentation and templates for all digital clinical safety functions and processes.
Attend patient safety and Information Governance (IG) meetings as required across organisations and provide these meetings with updates and reports as needed.
To ensure that the digital clinical safety operating model meets specified digital clinical safety standards and business needs.
To ensure effective communication of results, variances, and problems to the CCIO/CNIO and the programme team, and to offer solutions and options when problems arise.
Ensure that relevant digital clinical safety initiatives are undertaken and reported, and that improvement activity is undertaken as part of the risk and safety assurance framework in order that risk and clinical safety is monitored and improved.
Analyse complex problems, develop and successfully implement practical and workable solutions to address them using persuasive, motivational and negotiating communication skills.

Project and Programme Management

• To participate in programme and project meetings within the EPR Programme. Where necessary to chair meetings, ensure the co-ordination of papers, and to ensure that there is a record of the meeting, its outcomes, and actions.
• Responsible for ensuring clinical IT system digital clinical safety artifacts are filed and accessible within the appropriate document libraries.
• To monitor and report on progress of the Digital Clinical Safety workstream by:
• Proactively reviewing progress of the component projects and taking appropriate actions to manage risks and issues that have significance for the programme.
• Support the individual project managers in identifying clinical safety risks and issues and taking appropriate steps to mitigate.
• To ensure all projects have clearly articulated clinical benefits which are clinically driven, and service leads are supported in demonstrating achievements of those benefits to ensure that the programme is achieving its objectives.
• Any project risks or other issues that may arise are managed and resolved.

Business Change/Business as Usual

• Provide digital clinical safety expertise to the programme to manage local change effectively.
• Input and review of supportive documentation for business as usual and new systems, i.e., testing training environments, test scripts, training content, to ensure alignment with clinical safety needs.

Communication, engagement, and stakeholder management

• Work closely with the CCIO/CNIO and represent them where necessary.
• Provide support, advice, and information to the wider organisation to ensure understanding of responsibilities in relation to digital clinical safety.
• Work with colleagues across the trust on the process and management of risk identification and management within the EPR Programme.
• Able to enthuse and motivate the project clinical leads/champions to engage in and actively participative digital clinical safety meetings and working sessions.
• Ensure KPI and reports are accurate, meaningful, and fit for use by Senior Managers across organisations.
• Support end users, who might be working in very stressful circumstances, in an efficient and empathetic way, in the clinical safety review of new or existing systems.
• Ability to explain complex subjects in clear concise understandable terms to staff with varying knowledge levels of the subject matter.
• Coordination and motivation of a multi-disciplinary team and stakeholders including clinicians, suppliers, IT experts, and contractors.
• To drive the smooth transition and successful adoption of the digital clinical safety functions and processes across teams and stakeholders.
• Ensure effective working processes and relationships to ensure performance and quality standards are met.
• Demonstrate a high level of communication skill, specifically able to present complex and sensitive information to multidisciplinary teams concerning risk and clinical governance systems.
• Discuss sensitive and contentious information with staff of all levels, grades and disciplines maintaining confidentiality and integrity at all times.
• Request information from multi-professional teams sensitively and diplomatically for potential legal case or poor clinical outcomes.

Ongoing learning

• Keep up to date with new developments within the clinical safety arena, to maintain currency of subject matter expertise and provide the latest solutions and approaches.
• Provide analysis of digital clinical safety related intelligence in support of organisational learning and improvement.
• Maintain clinical skills, statutory/mandatory training and registration.