Quality, Patient Safety And Risk Officer

Position: Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Officer (Grade VII)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 35hrs onsite

Salary range: HSE Consolidated pay-scale 1st August 2025

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

Closing Date: 7 November 2025 at 12 noon

Proposed Interview Date: Week commencing 24 November 2025

Purpose of the Role

To lead, assist and support the development of programmes of work in quality, patient safety, complaints and risk management, including clinical effectiveness and quality and service improvements.

Post Specific Requirements

• An academic award at Level 8 or higher on the NFQ framework standard in Risk Management, Quality or equivalent
• A clinical qualification with experience in an Irish hospital setting
• Experience in incident and complaint management
• Experience of data measurement analysis and production of high-quality reports
• A proficiency in computer systems including Microsoft Word, Outlook, Power Point, Excel and NIMS
• Fluent command and understanding of the English language to include spoken and written word

Desirable

• Masters in a relevant field

Organisational Context

Clontarf Hospital is a 160-bed voluntary hospital providing rehabilitation services under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004 for Adults and Older Persons. At Clontarf Hospital, our committed, expert and compassionate staff provide excellent care to our patients on their rehabilitation journey. Our goal is to work in partnership with patients, providing care that is tailored to their unique needs, to facilitate a swift and successful recovery, empowering them to go home with supports if needed. The patient pathways include:

• Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
• Older Persons Rehabilitation
• Step-up and hospital avoidance pathways for the ICPOP Team
• Specialist Rehabilitation Services including neuro-rehabilitation
• Rehabilitation after Trauma

The hospital has close links with our local acute hospitals (Mater and Beaumont) and our community partners.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Risk Management

• To implement and oversee the Hospitals incident management system.
• To co-ordinate and participate in clinical and non-clinical incident reviews in line with current best practice and policy.
• To undertake incident reviews utilising system review methodologies.
• To work with all staff in ensuring incidents at hospital level are managed in a timely and professional manner.
• Provides risk management advice and support all staff.
• To produce reports on incident management using the National Incident Management System.
• To assist in the collation and provision of reports in relation to analysis of incidents trends at CEO and Board Level.
• Review clinical incidents and near miss events using a systems analysis approach in collaboration with relevant clinical staff and prepare reports based on the findings.
• Ensure that all statutory obligations to report incidents and/ or occurrences to the State Claims Agency and other external bodies are carried out in a timely manner
• Provide support and informed advice to staff who are asked to provide statements/evidence for internal reviews, claims and/or coroners
• Oversee the implementation of recommendations from both national and local Systems Analysis Reviews and report on progress to the Hospital QPS Committee and QSRM Board Committee.
• To identify areas for improvement in the conduct of reviews at hospital level.
• Manage and co-ordinate the Hospital Incident Oversight Group.
• Demonstrate pro-active commitment to all communications with internal and external stakeholders
• Have good knowledge of the current medico legal legislation (including coroner's cases) process in Ireland pertaining to aspects of Patient Services, Employers Liability and Health and Safety issues and in particular the Patient Safety (Notifiable Patient Safety Incidents) Act 2019, pending.
• Have a good understanding of ethical practice in healthcare as well as the Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Act (2015).
• Prepare for and represent the Hospital in the management of coroner’s cases.
• Leading, training, mentoring, participating and carrying out root cause analysis/ incident reviews.
• Promote a culture of dignity, respect and fairness and seek to eliminate all forms of discrimination.
• Contribute to existing Hospital policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines to ensure they comply with best practice, as required, and advise on new/improved procedures/ updated legislation, where appropriate.

Quality Improvement/Learning and Audit

• Drive the culture of safety, service excellence and quality improvement in the Hospital, engendering commitment, encouraging cultural change, disseminating information and providing support for behavioural safety process changes.
• To implement and monitor the HIQA National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare across the hospital.
• Coordinate and support agreed quality improvement projects within teams across the organisation with the application of QI methodologies.
• Manage day to day communications with Heads of Department to ensure appropriate progress is achieved, tracked and implemented.
• To attend and participate and lead on committee and governance meetings, work groups, and/or process improvement teams as required.
• To assist in mechanisms to obtain patient feedback and in disseminating the learning from such feedback including the National Patient Experience surveys.
• Coordinate and participate in audit as required including audits emerging from review and trend recommendations.
• To deliver and participate in training programmes for Hospital staff on the Quality and Risk Management agenda.
• Support the implementation of quality initiatives.
• Provide a resource to management, departments and individuals in the development of policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Participate in the review of complaints in line with current best practice and policy.
• Ensure Hospital staff are familiar with overall Quality Improvement methodologies through regular education / training sessions.
• Co-ordinate Quality Improvement Programmes for departments and individuals to ensure the overall objectives and standards of the Quality and Safety Executive are achieved and maintained.

Data Analysis and Reporting

• Collate and analyse data for the hospital’s management performance reports and the board performance report
• To use data and evidence to monitor ervice quality and assess against key performance indicators
• Facilitate, develop and support the implementation of bench marking, together with other appropriate review monitoring methodologies to enable staff assess the effectiveness of service delivery
• To attend and participate in committee meetings, work groups, and/or process improvement teams as required.
• To use data and evidence to monitor and promote service quality.

Planning and Organising

• Organizational and time management skills to meet objectives within agreed timeframes and achieve quality results.
• The capability to improve efficiency within the working environment and the ability to evolve and adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
• The ability to work to tight deadlines and operate effectively with multiple competing priorities.
• A capacity to operate in a challenging operational environment while adhering to quality standards.
• Undertake other duties as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer.

Appointment

• Remuneration is in accordance with the Department of Health Consolidated Salary Scales, grade code 0582
• The annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year.
• Normal working hours are 35 worked over 5 days.

Confidentiality

In the course of your employment you may have access to, or hear information concerning, the medical or personal affairs of patients and/or staff, or other health service business. Such records and information are strictly confidential and, unless acting on the instructions of an authorised officer, on no account must information concerning staff, patients or other health service business be divulged or discussed except in the performance of normal duty. In addition, records must never be left in such a manner that unauthorised persons can obtain access to them and must be left in safe custody when no longer required.

The above role profile is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office. This role profile will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances.

Garda Clearance

Arrangements have been introduced, on a national level, for the provision of Garda Clearance in respect of candidates for employment in areas of the Health Services, where it is envisaged that potential employees would have substantial access to children or vulnerable individuals. Each candidate will be required to complete a Garda Clearance form.