Clinical Governance Lead - Advance Practice Physiotherapist

Job summary

The Advanced Practice Physiotherapist Clinical Governance Lead will operate at an advanced level of clinical practice whilst maintaining a small virtual clinical caseload.

The role is responsible for leading and coordinating clinical governance activities across the MSK service, supporting the delivery of safe, effective, evidence-based care and driving continuous quality improvement.

Acting as the primary clinical governance resource within the Clinical Operations team, the post holder will lead the clinical management of complaints, investigations, incident reviews, audit activity, patient safety initiatives and quality assurance processes.

Working closely with the Risk and Compliance Team and Clinical Excellence Team, they will ensure that risks, complaints, incidents and quality concerns are appropriately investigated, managed and translated into service improvements.

The post holder will serve as the key clinical point of contact for investigations, complaints and audit activity, providing expert clinical insight, coordinating responses, identifying themes and making recommendations to improve patient outcomes, service quality, regulatory compliance and operational effectiveness.

Main duties of the job The role will contribute to and support delivery of the MSK Clinical Governance Agenda, ensuring that lessons learned from complaints, incidents, audits, patient feedback and quality reviews are embedded across the service.

In addition, the post holder will act as the MSK Clinical Operations Data Protection Champion, supporting the promotion of good information governance practices, privacy by design and compliance with data protection requirements across the service.

You will have to: Maintain a small virtual Advanced Practice Physiotherapy caseload. Lead clinical governance activities across the MSK Clinical Operations team. Act as the clinical lead for complaints, investigations and incident reviews.

Coordinate the MSK clinical audit programme and oversee resulting action plans. Work with the Risk and Compliance Team to identify, investigate and mitigate clinical risks. Collaborate with the Clinical Excellence Team to embed learning and improve clinical practice.

Support the development and delivery of the MSK Clinical Governance Agenda. Provide expert clinical advice on quality, safety, governance and patient experience matters. Drive continuous quality improvement across the MSK service.

Act as the MSK Clinical Operations Data Protection Champion, promoting a culture of privacy, confidentiality and information governance and supporting compliance with UK GDPR and organisational data protection requirements.

About us

At HBSUK - Our mission is simple: everything we do is about making healthcare better. Working in partnership with the NHS, we combine digital, blended, and insourcing services to improve access to care and support elective recovery. Clinical excellence, patient safety, and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do.

Our dedicated operational and administrative teams provide full support, allowing you to focus on delivering outstanding clinical care. By joining HBSUK, you'll benefit from flexible working opportunities, strong clinical support, and the chance to make a real difference

Job description

Job

responsibilities

Main

Responsibilities

Clinical Practice Conduct advanced clinical assessments within a virtual care setting, considering physiological, psychological and social factors affecting health and wellbeing. Formulate and implement evidence-based management plans for patients presenting with acute and chronic MSK conditions.

Request and interpret appropriate diagnostic investigations, including MRI and X-ray imaging, understanding the limitations and clinical relevance of findings. Utilise advanced clinical reasoning to identify red flags, serious pathology and patients requiring escalation or onward referral.

Manage the interface between virtual and face-to-face services, identifying when physical assessment or specialist review is clinically indicated. Maintain a small virtual caseload to ensure ongoing clinical credibility, expertise and understanding of service delivery.

Clinical Governance, Quality and Patient Safety Act as the Clinical Governance Lead within the MSK Clinical Operations Team. Serve as the primary clinical contact for complaints, incidents, concerns and investigations relating to the MSK service.

Lead and coordinate the clinical review of complaints and investigations, ensuring timely, robust and evidence-based responses. Undertake Duty of Candour discussions with patients and families, as required, following clinical incidents, investigations or identified patient safety concerns.

Provide expert clinical input into complaint responses, incident reviews and governance reports. Work closely with the Risk and Compliance Team to support the investigation and management of clinical risks, incidents and concerns.

Collaborate with the Clinical Excellence Team to ensure learning from audits, complaints and investigations is embedded into clinical practice. Lead or support Root Cause Analysis investigations and ensure lessons learned are disseminated and actioned appropriately.

Identify trends and emerging risks through the analysis of incidents, complaints, patient feedback and performance data. Escalate significant clinical risks and patient safety concerns to the MSK Clinical Services Manager and Operational Manager. Support the development, implementation and monitoring of governance action plans.

Contribute to policy, pathway and procedural reviews to ensure alignment with evidence-based practice and organisational requirements. Promote a culture of learning, continuous improvement, transparency and patient safety.

Ensure governance investigations, complaints, audits and patient safety reviews are conducted in accordance with Information Governance and Data Protection requirements. Ensure the appropriate management of confidential patient information when handling complaints, incidents, audits and clinical investigations.

Serve as the designated Data Protection Champion for MSK Clinical Operations, acting as a local point of contact for data protection matters and supporting the implementation of good information governance practices.

Work with the Data Protection Team to promote awareness, support privacy by design and default, cascade guidance and updates, and help ensure compliance with data protection policies and procedures.

Support activities including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Records of Processing Activities (ROPAs), Subject Access Requests (SARs) and the identification and escalation of actual or suspected data protection incidents.

Audit and Quality Improvement Act as the key clinical point of contact for audit activity across the MSK service. Coordinate the planning, delivery and reporting of clinical audits. Ensure audit findings are reviewed, shared and translated into measurable improvements.

Monitor the completion and effectiveness of actions arising from audit activity. Analyse audit outcomes and quality indicators to identify opportunities for improvement. Produce and present audit and governance reports to support service assurance and operational decision-making.

Support quality improvement initiatives that enhance patient outcomes, experience and service performance. Relationship and Stakeholder Management Develop effective working relationships with the Risk and Compliance Team, Clinical Excellence Team, Data Protection Team and wider organisational stakeholders.

Act as a bridge between Clinical Operations and governance functions to ensure a coordinated approach to quality, patient safety and information governance. Work collaboratively with operational, clinical and support teams to deliver governance objectives and service improvements.

Provide governance advice and support to clinicians and colleagues across the service. Develop relationships with external providers to ensure adherence to agreed pathways, NICE guidance and evidence-based care standards. Support and guide members of the remote clinical team to ensure safe and effective patient management.

Promote awareness of data protection responsibilities and encourage good practice across the service.

Person Specification

Experience Essential Significant MSK physiotherapy experience, including Advanced Practice Physiotherapist (APP) level practice. Experience assessing and managing complex MSK conditions independently. Experience requesting/interpreting MRI and X-ray investigations.

Experience leading or supporting clinical governance activities, complaints, incidents and investigations. Knowledge of clinical governance, patient safety, risk management and Duty of Candour. Experience conducting audits and implementing quality improvement initiatives.

Knowledge of UK GDPR, information governance and confidentiality requirements. Excellent communication, report writing and stakeholder management skills. Ability to analyse data, identify trends and drive service improvements.

Desirable Experience in a Clinical Governance, Patient Safety or Quality Lead role. Experience producing governance reports for senior leadership. Experience acting as a Data Protection Champion or supporting DPIAs, SARs and data incidents.

Knowledge of NICE guidance, CQC standards and NHS complaints processes. Experience leading clinical audits across a service. Experience working within virtual or remote healthcare services.

Experience mentoring, supervising or developing clinicians.

Qualifications

Essential HCPC registered Physiotherapist and CSP member. Desirable MSc or postgraduate qualification in Advanced Clinical Practice or related field. Independent Prescriber qualification.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigation training.

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.