Divisional Quality Governance Lead

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This creates an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.

Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Considering this, if you are interested in this role, please do apply as soon as you can.

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Job Overview Are you passionate about patient safety, clinical governance and driving continuous improvement?

North Bristol NHS Trust is seeking an experienced and motivated Divisional Quality Governance Lead to play a pivotal role in supporting the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective care across the Core Clinical Services Division.

Working closely with the Divisional Director of Nursing, senior clinicians, service and operational leaders, you will provide expert leadership and advice on all aspects of clinical governance, quality improvement, risk management, health and safety, incident investigation and patient safety.

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual with substantial governance, quality or patient safety experience who is looking to influence practice at scale and help shape a culture of learning and improvement.

Main duties of the job

• Lead and coordinate the divisional clinical governance, quality and risk management agenda.
• Provide expert guidance on incident reporting, investigations, Root Cause Analysis and patient safety improvement.
• Support the development and maintenance of effective governance systems, risk registers and assurance processes.
• Analyse governance, quality and safety data to identify trends, risks and opportunities for improvement. [Divisional...d Template | Word]
• Lead the production of governance and patient safety reports for divisional governance meetings and boards.
• Support preparation for regulatory inspections and ensure robust action planning and follow-up.
• Deliver education, training and support to clinical teams to strengthen governance capability and patient safety culture.
• Jointly lead and develop the divisional governance team.

Working for our organisation

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and Person Specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Person specification

Assessment

Essential criteria

• Graduate level of education and/or relevant professional qualification (A)
• Investigation and Risk Management training (A)
• Understanding of processes of standard setting, assessment and assurance within the NHS (A), (I)
• Knowledge of all aspects of clinical governance (A), (I)
• Knowledge of modern thinking on patient safety (I)
• Proven presentation skills (A), (I)
• Understanding of use of comparative information to stimulate clinical quality improvement (I)
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to be assertive, tactful and diplomatic (A), (I)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with ability to communicate complex information with clinical staff (including through use of presentations) (A), (I)
• Organised and systematic in approach to work and prioritisation, including the ability to work to tight Deadlines (A), (I)
• Ability to understand, manage and communicate data (A), (I)
• Ability to devise project plans and work programmes, working independently and as part of a team (A), (I)
• Demonstrate credibility in working with and influencing senior staff (A), (I)

Desirable criteria

• Master level qualification (or working towards same) (A)
• Leadership qualification (ILM or equivalent) (A)

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

• As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
• The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
• BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
• To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
• If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

Important Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.