Deputy Chief Medical Officer in Safety and Clinical Governance

Barts Health NHS Trust

CQC: Requires improvement

London

Salary

£113,565 – £150,569

Posted

1 weeks ago

About the role

The Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) for Safety and Clinical Governance is a senior leadership role within the Chief Medical Officer's portfolio, providing strategic oversight, clinical leadership, and executive assurance across key patient safety, regulatory, and specialist clinical governance functions. The post holder will lead and coordinate a defined set of safety-critical and statutory clinical governance workstreams, ensuring robust oversight, consistency of standards, and effective escalation to the CMO and relevant executive and Board committees. The role plays a core part in assuring the Trust Board that high-risk, high-impact areas of clinical practice are well governed, data-informed, and aligned to national expectations. The portfolio encompasses a broad and interconnected set of safety-critical governance workstreams and quality and safety programmes, reflecting the breadth of oversight required to ensure safe, effective and compliant care, while providing flexibility for the Chief Medical Officer to shape and evolve priorities in response to emerging risks, regulatory expectations and organisational strategy. The portfolio will be pivotal in ensuring Barts Health is exemplar in clinical governance and safety, with a clear and consistent focus on patient safety, statutory assurance, and clinical quality signals.

Provide senior medical leadership and executive oversight for designated safety-critical and statutory clinical governance portfolios, holding clear accountability for the effective oversight of patient safety across all Trust sites and services. Lead the development and delivery of a coherent, Trust-wide approach to safety and clinical governance, ensuring that risks are identified early, managed proactively, and escalated appropriately, with clear line of sight from ward to Board. Provide medical leadership and oversight of a consistent and high-performing governance structures, with clearly defined accountabilities and robust escalation routes for high-risk clinical areas, enabling timely clinical decision-making and strong organisational assurance. Provide strategic medical oversight of the Trust's Quality and Safety Strategy, ensuring full alignment with the Trust's Clinical Strategy, workforce strategy and assurance frameworks, and supporting Barts Health's ambition to be an exemplar organisation for safety, quality and governance. Work in close partnership with the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nurse, Director of Quality, Hospital Medical Directors and executive colleagues to deliver an integrated and effective clinical governance framework, recognising the interdependencies between safety, workforce capacity and operational delivery

Person specification

Essential

Worked clinically at a senior level for at least 5 years
Substantive senior doctor
Significant experience in a senior leadership position in an NHS organisation
Demonstrable experience of using quality, safety and performance intelligence to
inform executive decision-making and governance assurance
Significant experience of senior medical leadership in patient safety, clinical governance and assurance
Demonstrable experience in leading meaningful collaborations with clinicians and multidisciplinary teams
Demonstrable experience of leading significant programmes of work and change initiatives in partnership with a range of stakeholders.
Demonstrable experience of overseeing the effective use of clinical data, registries or surveillance systems
Exceptional influencing and negotiating skills, able to promote innovative approaches to transformational change.
Expertise in systems-thinking, data-driven decision-making, quality improvement methodology, clinical informatics, and strategic transformation leadership
Track record of innovation
Track record of managing and developing staff
Track record of addressing poor performance
Demonstrable leadership skills
Able to think and act strategically and to articulate a clear vision and sense of direction
Ability to define and implement policy development at directorate level
Have well developed verbal communication, influencing, negotiating and regulating skills and the ability to respond positively to a rapidly changing and matrix environment
Able to prioritise and manage competing demands
Able to lead continuous change and improvement in services, encouraging the use of new clinical and service technologies with a multidisciplinary team.
Evidence of high levels of original thought, innovation and problem solving skills
Able to prioritise effectively and with a logical and analytical approach to problem solving
A good understanding of the current context of health and social care, and of clinical learning and research
A good understanding of the specific issues in East London
A broad understanding of the systems for primary care, social care and commissioning
Knowledge of the Trust priorities
Registration with relevant professional body.
Post graduate qualifications.
Employed substantively in clinical practice
Evidence of continuing professional development
Enthusiasm to meet the challenges of the post and motivation to succeed and flexibility in approach and attitude
Understands and supports the vision and values of the Trust
Acts as a role model for senior as well as more junior colleagues
Team player, able to develop a culture that values colleagues and enables them to engage in problem solving and decision making
Provides a role model for clinical leaders
Proactive, resourceful and self-motivated
Assertive and confident but professional & fair
Strong sense of commitment to openness, honesty and integrity in undertaking the role

Desirable

Establishing and sustaining effective strategic direction
Quality Improvement qualification
Advanced computer skills including knowledge of databases, spreadsheets
Management qualification