NHS Band 8a Regional Head of Quality and Governance

Job summary

At Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) we are an inclusive, dedicated organisation working to provide outstanding care to our entitled personnel.

DPHC are looking to appoint a professional and focussed Band 8a Regional Head of Quality and Governance who has a strong commitment to a high-quality service to join our welcoming team at Scotland and Northern Ireland Regional Headquarters (SNI RHQ) at Redford Barracks. The exciting and varied role offers numerous benefits and opportunities and would be working alongside military and civilian healthcare professionals and operational teams within SNI Region and HQ DMS.

Job description

Within the defined Defence Primary Healthcare Headquarters (DPHC HQ) priorities and standards, support and manage the delivery of regional healthcare governance and assurance on behalf of the Regional Clinical Director (RCD), this is a supporting role coordinated by SO1 Clinical Ops. Utilise Subject Matter Expert (SME) knowledge to support all staff towards continuous quality improvement to maximise patient safety, patient experience, and clinical effectiveness.

Adopt a national lead role, to lead the healthcare governance strategy and associated healthcare governance organisational policy and processes. This is a supported role, on behalf of Chief Operating Officer (COO) DPHC HQ, engaging with, and responding to functional tasking across DPHC as required. Direct liaison authority in HQ with visibility provided to SO1 Clin Ops, escalation via DPHC COO.

The vacant post is full time working 37.5 hours per week. Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs.

Could this be the role for you? If so, we'd love to hear from you!

Person specification

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Accountable for governance in the region on behalf of the RCD, and responsible for delivering the standardisation of governance activity across the region in line with DPHC standards and policy for escalating issues.

• Support the development of a culture of good governance within the region through effective communication systems with staff and by working with staff to develop expertise and to ensure effective dissemination of information through the region.

• Provide SME support to inspections of DPHC facilities in region and out with current Area of Responsibility (AOR), and through mutual agreement, in DPHC overseas locations.

• Accountable for the management of patient safety incident (significant event) reporting and learning analysis. To ensure that significant event reporting is managed in a timely manner across the region so that patient safety issues are addressed.

• Monitor and report on compliments, complaints, and patient surveys, including how practices receive and act on complaints as per the regulatory requirements; and patient experience processes in accordance with DPHC and Defence Medical Services (DMS) processes.

• Ensure that arrangements for monitoring and reporting on clinical effectiveness include supporting implementation and development of audits within region.

• Work with the RHQ Risk Leads to support the articulation and escalation of risk that impact patient safety where requested.

Please refer to the attached Terms of Reference for a full list of duties.

Licences

Full UK Driving Licence or ability to travel

Memberships

Professional Healthcare Registration e.g. General Medical Council (GMC); General Dental Council (GDC); Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or
Health and Care Prodessions Council (HCPC)

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• NHS Core – NHSC1 – Communication
• NHS Core – NHSC2 – Personal & People Development
• NHS Core – NHSC3 – Health, Safety & Security
• NHS Core – NHSC4 – Service Improvement
• NHS Core – NHSC5 – Quality
• NHS Core – NHSC6 – Equality and Diversity
• NHS Health & Wellbeing – HWB3 – Protection of Health & Wellbeing
• NHS Information & Knowledge – NHS IK2 – Information Collection & Analysis

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A NHS pension
• Free parking
• Gym Access
• Dining Facilities
• Reimbursement of Professional Fees
• Up to £330 towards CPD per training year
• Eligibility for Defence Discount / Blue Light Card

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Please ensure you demonstrate that you have the required skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and memberships in the CV section of the application form.

• Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.

Please include 800-1000 word personal statement with your CV to demonstrate knowledge, skills and experience against the NHS KSF as per job advert.

Please see the link to our YouTube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour-based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit. Are you applying for a job in Civil Service? - YouTube

At interview you will be assessed against the following:

NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework:

• NHS Core – NHSC1 – Communication
• NHS Core – NHSC2 – Personal & People Development
• NHS Core – NHSC3 – Health, Safety & Security
• NHS Core – NHSC4 – Service Improvement
• NHS Core – NHSC5 – Quality
• NHS Core – NHSC6 – Equality and Diversity
• NHS Health & Wellbeing – HWB3 – Protection of Health & Wellbeing
• NHS Information & Knowledge – NHS IK2 – Information Collection & Analysis

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.

Further Information

Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs. Please note the salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.

All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.

To be considered for this role, qualifications and memberships detailed must be held in full, prior to submitting your application.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Making the Civil Service a Great Place to Work for Veterans - GOV.UK

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact dbscivpers-sgdmsresourcing@mod.gov.uk.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Sharon Ritchie
• Email : Sharon.Ritchie422@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-SGDMSResourcing@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see attached Important Information document.

Attachments

FAQs updated 28.11.2025 (11) Opens in new window (docx, 65kB)DMS Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 696kB)Terms of Reference Opens in new window (pdf, 287kB)Important_Information Opens in new window (pdf, 201kB)