Harm Free Care Accreditation/Improvement Nurse

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

Harm Free Care Accreditation/Improvement Nurse

Closing date is 09 March 2026

Fixed Term / Secondment Opportunity for 12 months.

We are seeking a dedicated and proactive Harm Free Care Accreditation/Improvement Nurse to join our Harm Free Care Team with current acute NHS or comparable, large acute complex health care organisational experience. In this pivotal role, you will lead initiatives aimed at minimizing preventable harm, enhancing patient outcomes, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement across our acute care services.

Provide professional leadership and expert support to the development, implementation and ongoing delivery of the Trust's Ward Accreditation programme, ensuring alignment with Harm Free Care, Fundamental Standards of Care.

At UHSx we are committed to delivering exceptional patient care through innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. As a Harm Free Care Improvement Nurse, you will play a crucial role in shaping our patient safety culture and driving sustainable improvements across the organization.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced, dynamic and innovative individual to work with us improving outcomes for patients. The role involves working closely with front line clinical teams, providing hands on support and education in a wide variety of areas. You will be involved in monitoring data, involvement in early learning reviews and local learning responses, sharing learning and providing information relating to the Trust's safety agenda.

Main duties of the job

Support the clinical teams in ensuring effective Quality Improvement programmes are in place to address areas such as Falls Prevention, pressure area care, deteriorating patient, VTE and sepsis through advice, audit and education.

Providing formal and informal education regarding safer care.

Attend Early learning Reviews and local learning Reviews after incidents to explore themes, trends and learning from incidents.

Disseminate key learning from incidents through relevant trust meetings.

Provide regular reports on prevention strategies and post incident reviews.

Provide advice to clinical staff regarding the harm free care agenda.

Ensure up to date evidence based policies are in place for Falls.

Ensure that the National Audit of Inpatient Falls is completed.

Support the delivery of NICE and other evidence based guidelines in the prevention of harm.

Analyzing data sources such as Datix and Tendable to monitor the effectiveness of Quality Improvement initiatives.

With the Harm Free Care Nurse (WGH and SRH) contribute to the agenda for the monthly Harm Free Care meeting.

About us

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always deliver Excellent Care Everywhere, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

Job responsibilities

We welcome applications from those who currently hold a UK NMC registration. If you currently hold an overseas nursing qualification and require sponsorship we are not currently direct hiring Internationally Qualified Nurses.

Are you a Registered Nurse with an interest and genuine motivation for quality improvement and patient safety?

Inclusive leadership, professional standards and accountability

• Uphold and display the Trust values of Commitment, Care & Quality.
• Demonstrate compassionate, inclusive, visible and compassionate support to clinical teams in order to ensure high quality patient centred clinical care is delivered.
• Ensure nursing practice reflects current clinical developments and is evidence based.
• In conjunction with the Senior Nurse Leadership Team actively embed the Trusts Nursing & Midwifery Strategy.
• Deputise for the Head of Nursing as required.

Governance, patient safety and quality

• Be actively involved in relevant audits/risk managing.
• Participate in shared governance forums to provide shared best practice and drive quality care provision within the Trust.
• Co ordinate relevant audit and monitoring data to assess standards of clinical care in relation to Harm Free Care.
• Create and lead forums of clinical champions and link nurses for Harm free care.
• Attend local post incident review meetings and support with learning from incidents and prevention of future harm.
• Ensure safeguarding practices and standards are followed, at all times.
• Establish links and working arrangements with Divisions and the Corporate Quality and Safety Team to work in collaboration and share good practice.
• Act as a point of contact for the clinical areas in relation to quality and safety matters.
• Support the Trust in meeting its Obligations in relation to contractual quality and safety standards.
• Contribute to practice development by undertaking clinical audit, disseminating findings, negotiating appropriate action and supporting changes in practice.
• Provide advice to clinical staff regarding falls risk assessment and prevention.
• Attend Root Cause Analysis reviews after incidents to learning from incidents.
• Disseminate key learning from incidents through relevant trust meetings.
• Provide regular reports on prevention strategies and post incident reviews.
• Provide advice to clinical staff regarding pressure damage prevention.
• Ensure up to date evidence based policies are in place for Falls Prevention.
• Support the delivery of NICE and other evidence based guidelines in the prevention of harm.
• Actively participate in updating the National Audit for Inpatient Falls.

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Person Specification Registered Nurse

• Registered Nurse.
• Evidence of ability to motivate and develop all teams of nursing staff across the divisions.

Experience & Skills

• Evidence of organisational skills.
• Evidence of ability to influence, motivate and develop all teams of nursing staff across the divisions.
• Evidence of ability to work across professional teams and organisational boundaries.
• Proven track record of being able to prioritise workload.
• Evidence of excellent understanding of Trust policies and procedures and ability to translate these into action.
• Ability to disseminate to all grades of staff.
• Evidence of influencing or leading Quality Improvement initiatives.
• Educated to Masters level or equivalent level of experience.
• Recent Acute NHS Trust experience (or comparable) (last 12 months).
• Certificate in Teaching and Assessing Clinical Practice (or equivalent) Mentorship Teaching qualification.
• Preparation for CQC inspections.
• Presenting complex reports at sub board level groups and committees.
• 18 months experience at working at Band 6 or above level (or comparable).

Questions

• Evidence of ability to motivate and develop all teams of nursing staff across the divisions.
• Evidence of ability to work across professional teams and organisational boundaries.
• Evidence of excellent understanding of Trust policies and procedures and ability to translate these into action.
• Evidence of excellent understanding of UHSussex Trust Nursing Strategy and ability to disseminate to all grades of staff.
• A sound understanding of National Nursing and Patient Agendas.
• Clinically credible and competent with experience of standard setting within a large organisation.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues.
• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)