Senior Nursing Lead, Compliance & Regulation (Adults & Specialist Services)

Role Description

Role Title: Senior Nursing Lead, Compliance & Regulation (Adults & Specialist Services)

Business Function: Compliance & Regulation, Adults & Specialist Services

Location: National. Home based with an expectation of extensive travel.

Reports to: Director of Compliance & Regulation, with a strong line to the Director of Quality

Salary: £65,000 per annum plus £4,800 car allowance

Hours: 37.5

Why does this role exist? (What is the purpose of the role?)

The post holder will be a competent and experienced nursing professional with a passion for achieving excellent person-centred outcomes. Working across a diverse portfolio of adult social care services, the post holder will provide strong clinical and professional nursing leadership, supporting teams to effectively manage the increasingly complex health needs of the people we support, in line with evidence-based practice, regulatory requirements and professional standards.

The role will provide clinical oversight, assurance and expert advice across the division, promoting high standards of safe and effective care. The post holder will support the management of clinical risk, safeguarding, incidents, medicines, infection prevention and control, health deterioration and other areas of clinical complexity, ensuring appropriate escalation, learning and continuous improvement.

The post holder will play a pivotal role in clinical governance, quality improvement, audit and assurance, supporting services to achieve and sustain Good or Outstanding regulatory outcomes. They will ensure that learning from incidents, complaints, audits, safeguarding and other quality information is embedded into practice, and that care remains safe, effective, responsive and person-centred.

The role requires effective collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. The post holder will build strong professional relationships, promote effective multidisciplinary working and contribute to strategic planning and service development across the division.

The post holder will also provide clinical leadership, professional support and guidance to staff teams, promoting competence, accountability, learning and best practice. Communication, professional judgement, leadership and flexibility will be key to the success of this role.

Key Relationships

Internal

Director of Compliance & Regulation and Director of Quality
Operational teams, including Registered Managers and service staff teams
Compliance & Regulation team colleagues
Learning & Development team

External

CQC and other regulatory bodies
Local authorities and commissioners
NHS partners and multidisciplinary teams
HM Coroner and other relevant agencies
People we support

What are the key accountabilities for this role?

Work with the Quality and Compliance & Regulation directors, and closely with operational teams, to develop a culture that values the highest standards of care, clinical practice, support, safety, quality, safeguarding and risk management.
Act as a subject matter expert and clinical resource, providing expert advice, guidance and support to colleagues and delivering training and education to frontline staff as required.
Contribute to the learning and development agenda by developing, reviewing and maintaining evidence-based learning packages and clinical competency assessments, ensuring they reflect best practice, regulatory requirements and the evolving health needs of the people we support.
Where required, support the hands-on completion of practical competency assessments to ensure team members have the knowledge, skills and confidence to safely monitor and manage the physical health needs of the people we support, including recognising and appropriately escalating signs of deterioration.
Support the assessment and transition planning of new admissions in relation to physical health, providing onsite clinical support and liaising with the wider MDT to ensure appropriate care, treatment and support are in place.
Review, develop and implement physical health strategies, policies, clinical pathways and local processes, ensuring they reflect current evidence-based practice and comply with relevant national standards, professional guidance and regulatory requirements.
Ensure compliance with national healthcare initiatives, including national screening programmes, vaccination programmes and health promotion, supporting services to promote equitable access and positive physical health outcomes for the people we support.
Develop and lead clinical audits, analyse and monitor performance data, identify emerging risks, trends and themes, make recommendations and support the implementation of actions to drive continuous improvement in clinical practice and outcomes.
Work with the wider compliance team to complete internal Compliance & Regulation assessments for all nursing services within the portfolio, identifying areas of risk, non-compliance and improvement, and supporting services to implement and monitor appropriate actions.
Support CQC inspections, including inspection readiness and the preparation, review and checking of relevant documentation and evidence, ensuring services can demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements and standards.
Participate in the review and investigation of serious incidents, complaints and safeguarding notifications where physical health may be a contributing factor, ensuring appropriate remedial actions are identified, implemented and monitored at service and divisional level, with learning shared and embedded across the division.
Undertake serious incident reviews and investigations, applying appropriate root cause analysis methodology to identify contributing factors, determine learning and ensure actions are implemented to prevent recurrence and improve the quality and safety of care.
Support the preparation of statements, reports and relevant documentation for external stakeholders, including HM Coroner, as required, ensuring information is accurate, timely, factual and appropriately presented.
Ensure relevant learning from external incidents, alerts and emerging healthcare issues is identified, communicated and embedded across the division, with key healthcare communications shared with appropriate teams in a timely and effective manner.
Support safeguarding referrals, enquiries and investigations where required, providing clinical advice and ensuring appropriate actions are taken to safeguard the people we support.
Represent the organisation professionally with external stakeholders, partners and relevant agencies as required, providing appropriate clinical and professional advice and maintaining effective working relationships.
Act as the organisation’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Lead, providing clinical leadership and oversight of infection prevention and control. Develop and maintain an appropriate IPC data set and reporting framework to support governance, assurance and continuous improvement, ensuring compliance with relevant regulatory requirements and external reporting obligations.
Act as the organisation’s Medication Lead, providing clinical leadership and oversight of medicines management, promoting safe and effective medication practices and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, professional standards, regulatory requirements and organisational policies.
Monitor, review and undertake thematic analysis of physical health-related significant events across the division, identifying trends, recurring themes and emerging risks. Develop appropriate reporting, make recommendations and identify innovative solutions to drive learning, improve clinical practice, strengthen governance and reduce the risk of recurrence.
Provide clinical insight and actionable intelligence to the Directors of Quality and Compliance & Regulation, including the analysis and presentation of relevant data, trends, risks and recommendations for governance and corporate reviews.
Support and lead continuous improvement initiatives across the division, ensuring learning, evidence-based practice and identified improvements are embedded into core operational processes and sustained in practice.
Work with senior colleagues to drive continuous improvement, support organisational change and constructively challenge conventional approaches, promoting a culture of continuous learning, innovation and improvement across CareTech.

How will success be measured?

All nursing services receive an internal Compliance & Regulation assessment within the required timeframe (minimum annually, more frequently where risk indicates).
Actions arising from assessments, audits and incident reviews are agreed with services and tracked to completion within agreed timescales.
Regulatory ratings for nursing services are maintained or improved, with positive inspection outcomes.
Clinical competency assessments and training are delivered in line with agreed plans, with staff teams assessed as competent to meet the physical health needs of the people we support.
Serious incident reviews and investigations are completed within agreed timescales, with learning shared and embedded across the division.
IPC and medication data sets are maintained and reported to governance forums as required, with a reduction in related incidents.
Physical health policies, pathways and processes are reviewed and updated within their review dates.
Positive feedback from operational teams, directors and external stakeholders on the quality of clinical advice and support.

What knowledge, skills, and behaviours does the role need? (Essential and desirable)

Knowledge

Skills

Behaviours

Current clinical and professional standards, evidence-based practice and regulatory requirements relevant to adult health and social care (E)
Clinical governance, quality assurance, risk management and safety within health and social care services (E)
Physical health assessment, management of complex health needs and recognition and escalation of deterioration (E)
Safeguarding, medicines management and infection prevention and control (E)
Clinical audit, quality improvement, incident investigation and root cause analysis (E)
Using clinical and performance data, including thematic analysis, to identify risks, trends and opportunities for improvement (E)
Effective multidisciplinary working and partnership arrangements across health and social care (E)
Learning and development principles, including clinical competency assessment and staff education (E)
National healthcare initiatives, including screening, vaccination and health promotion (D)
Current NHS health and social care policy and national guidance, including NICE guidance (D)

Communication

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels (E)
Ability to communicate complex clinical, quality and risk information clearly and appropriately to different audiences (E)
Ability to provide expert advice, guidance and constructive challenge to clinical, operational and senior colleagues (E)
Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams (E)
Ability to prepare and deliver clear, accurate and concise reports, presentations and recommendations for governance and corporate forums (E)
Ability to communicate sensitively and professionally when dealing with complex, challenging or potentially contentious issues (E)

Experience

Significant post-registration nursing experience, including supporting people with complex physical health needs (E)
Significant experience of providing clinical leadership, professional advice and support across health and/or social care services (E)
Working across multiple services or teams and influencing practice at operational and strategic levels (E)
Clinical governance, quality assurance, risk management and regulatory compliance (E)
Leading or contributing to clinical audits, quality improvement initiatives and service development (E)
Analysing incidents, complaints, safeguarding concerns and clinical data to identify themes, trends and learning (E)
Developing and delivering clinical training, education and competency assessments (E)
Working collaboratively with external stakeholders, including NHS services, commissioners, local authorities and regulatory bodies (E)
Supporting regulatory inspections, compliance assessments and preparing evidence for external scrutiny (D)
Leading organisation-wide initiatives relating to medicines management, infection prevention and control or physical health (D)

Strong professional integrity, accountability and commitment to delivering safe, high-quality, person-centred care (E)
Confident leadership and the ability to influence and motivate others to achieve positive outcomes (E)
Sound professional judgement and the ability to make informed decisions, manage complexity and escalate concerns appropriately (E)
A proactive approach to identifying risks, solving problems and driving continuous improvement (E)
Able to constructively challenge practice and influence change while maintaining positive professional relationships (E)
Commitment to learning, development, innovation and evidence-based practice (E)
Able to work autonomously while contributing effectively as part of a wider multidisciplinary and senior leadership team (E)
Resilience, adaptability and the ability to remain effective when managing competing priorities and changing circumstances (E)
Strong commitment to equality, inclusion, dignity and respect for the people we support and colleagues (E)
A positive, solutions-focused approach and commitment to developing a culture of learning and continuous improvement (E)

What authority does this role have?

Complete internal Compliance & Regulation assessments of nursing services and issue findings and action plans to services.
Require services to implement and evidence remedial actions arising from assessments, audits and incident reviews.
Assess and sign off staff clinical competency.
Escalate clinical risk and safeguarding concerns to directors and, where required, to external agencies.
Lead on IPC and medicines management on behalf of the organisation, including setting clinical standards and reporting requirements.
Represent the organisation with external stakeholders, including regulators and HM Coroner, as required.

What qualifications does the post holder need to have?

Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Registered Nurse (E)
Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to clinical practice, leadership and the health needs of people supported (E)
Relevant training in safeguarding adults, medicines management and infection prevention and control (E)
Evidence of training and/or experience in delivering education, training and clinical competency assessments (E)
Full, current UK driving licence and able to travel between services as required (E)
Relevant post-registration qualification or further education in a clinical, leadership or health/social care discipline (D)
Relevant training or qualification in clinical governance, quality improvement, audit, risk management or incident investigation (D)