Safety Investigator

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) is a fully independent non-departmental public body, commonly known as an arm’s length body (ALB), of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). 

HSSIB operates within the legislation set out in the Health & Care Act 2022. The purpose of HSSIB is to improve patient safety across healthcare, by carrying out expert investigations to determine the causes of serious systemic patient safety. HSSIB investigations do not apportion blame or liability and make safety recommendations, and share safety learning, to help improve patient safety.

The core functions of a safety investigator are to:

• Conduct Investigations and produce reports that patients, families, carers and staff value, trust and respect.
• Generate investigation findings and recommendations which improve patient safety.
• Act as an exemplar for high quality investigation across healthcare provision in England.

Our investigators have diverse experience of healthcare and other safety critical industries, bringing new perspectives and a unique mix of clinical and non-clinical input to every investigation. We consult widely across the UK and internationally to ensure that our work is informed by appropriate and relevant expertise.

As a Safety Investigator with HSSIB, the post holder will work as part of a dynamic team delivering an effective service, working alongside other Safety Investigations and  Senior Safety Investigators, to promote and publicise improvements in the safe of care provision.

Operational duties include:

·       Undertake and complete investigation projects as delegated by the Deputy Director of Investigations or Senior Safety Investigator from initiation of the investigation through to compilation and presentation of reports, findings, recommendations and observations.  This will include, but is not limited to:

•       Conducting effective and efficient investigations to determine the factors of the safety incident being investigated 

•       Producing draft safety reports and recommendations that are well researched and effective in reducing the likelihood of a reoccurrence of the event.

•       Preparing and presenting statements and evidence at legal hearings including coroners’ inquests.

•       Sharing knowledge and enhancing standards of incident investigation across healthcare.

•       Gather and distill insights and intelligence to support identification of investigation topics.

·       Responsible for the day-to-day management of assigned investigations, ensuring that investigation guidance is followed consistently and that investigations are completed and published in a timely manner.

·       Responsible for embedding of consistent methodologies and approaches to conducting investigations.

·       Work with highly complex, sensitive and emotive information requiring analysis and interpretation to inform sound decision making.

·       Work with patients, carers and relatives who have been harmed or bereaved and with affected healthcare professionals in situations which are highly emotive, sensitive and which may also be contentious.

·       Contribute to the development of investigation processes that supports the principles of lifelong learning, ensuring lessons learned / debriefs are captured to enable continual improvements in the quality of investigation.

Undertake secondary duties as required for the HSSIB to achieve its strategic aims

Financial and Physical Resources

·       Responsible for accounting for budget and resource usage for subject matter advisors.

·       Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator with advising and preparing progress reports and briefings for managers and stakeholders.

·       Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator with the provision of analysis, interpretation and production of complex and multiple reports

·       Demonstrate value for money and greater efficiency in the use of budgets / resources within their own role.

·       Act in a way that is compliant with Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions in the discharge of this responsibility.

Staff / HR Management

·       Supporting Senior Safety Investigators with the management of third party expert staff contracted to work on specific investigations

·       Contributing to training staff in good investigation practice in healthcare organisations.

Information Management

·       Ensure that reports are factually and evidence based, accurate, comprehensive, focused and of a standard fit for publication.

·       Draft reports summarising status on issues, appraising outcomes, and providing progress reports for the Investigation manager

·       Highlight exceptions and manage actions to keep the investigation on track with pre-defined timelines.

·       Analyse, interpret and present highly complex and sensitive data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making.

·       Ensure data and information gathered in the process of investigation is managed, stored and disposed of in accordance with information governance requirements

·       Provide guidance to stakeholders to ensure information management requirements are met

·       Preserve the confidence in the HSSIB’s investigatory and reporting process in accordance with its statutory obligations

Working Relationships

·       Display highest levels of professional credibility and integrity.

·       Forge positive working relationships, in order to support an effective approach to achieve HSIB objectives.

·       Provide advice, support and constructive challenge to colleagues across HSSIB and the wider healthcare system.

·       Provide expert advice on complex and conflicting issues and generate solutions in situations that require changing mind sets.

·       Present complex sensitive or contentious information to different audiences. 

Research and Service Development

·       Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator to manage projects.

·       Proposing changes to directorate function.

·       Supports work to develop HSSIB processes.

Planning and Organization

·       Effectively manage a range of investigations and projects to ensure effective delivery against key performance indicators.

·       Supporting the Senior Safety Investigator in organising investigation planning e.g. liaising with organisations for scheduling etc. as part of the team.

Freedom to Act

·       Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary, working to tight and often changing deadlines

·       Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult and frequently sensitive issues

·       Ability to act independently and interpret and apply relevant policy to work area

Travel

• Travel nationally to engage with patients, families, carers, staff or healthcare organisations.