Announcements (Archive)

Chair of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (VAC-1758)

Body
Health Services Safety Investigations Body
Appointing Department
Department of Health and Social Care
Sector
Health and Social Care
Location
National
Number of Vacancies
1
Remuneration
£63,000 per annum
Time Requirements
Two to three days per week

Campaign Timeline

  1. Competition Launched

    05/05/2022

  2. Closed for Applications

    25/05/2022 at 17:00

  3. Panel Sift

    14/06/2022

  4. Final Interview Date

    04/07/2022

  5. Health and Social Care Select Committee

    TBC

  6. Announcement

    Preferred candidate

Announcement

An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.

Ted Baker has been named as the government’s preferred candidate for the Chair of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body.

Steve Barclay, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has today invited the Health and Social Care Committee to hold a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing with Dr Baker.

Ted Baker was Chief Inspector of Hospitals at the Care Quality Commission between 2017 and 2022. He trained as a paediatric cardiologist. He was in clinical practice for 35 years and has held a range of clinical and academic leadership roles including Medical Director at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. He was selected following an open public appointment process.

Following the Select Committee hearing, the Committee will set out its views on the candidate’s suitability for the role. The Secretary of State will then consider the Committee’s report before making a final decision on the appointment.

Date: 26/08/2022

View Announcement

Assessment Panel

Panel Member
William Vineall
Added
05/05/2022
Panel Role
Panel Chair
Positions
DHSC senior sponsor for HSSIB Departmental Official
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Political ActivityNone
Notes-
Panel Member
Aidan Fowler
Added
05/05/2022
Positions
National Director for Patient Safety Representative of Organisation
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Political ActivityNone
Notes-
Panel Member
Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent
Added
05/05/2022
Positions
Senior Independent Panel Member
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Political ActivityNone
Notes-
Panel Member
Terence Stephenson
Positions
Chair of Health Research Authority Other Panel Member
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Political Activity-
Notes-

Vacancy Description

Ministers are seeking to appoint a Chair to the board of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).

The HSSIB will build on the work of the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch (HSIB) which became operational in April 2017 as part of NHS Improvement, to conduct high-level investigations into patient safety incidents in the NHS. The new body will conduct NHS investigations and its remit will be extended to include the independent sector too. This is intended to establish a fully independent Executive Non-Departmental Public Body to investigate qualifying incidents, with the right powers to investigate and promote system learning.

Role description

The Chair of HSSIB will provide leadership, strategic direction and challenge to the investigatory body to ensure that it focusses on:

  • Establishing the HSSIB as a credible organisation with patients, clinicians, NHS Arms-Length Bodies, and NHSE/I
  • Conducting independent and effective investigations into patient safety concerns in healthcare that provide value for money and bring change to the system
  • Build local investigation capacity so more issues are investigated effectively at a local level
  • Providing insight, analysis and training to support Trusts and system partners on system-wide learning and improvement.

The Chair will lead and support the newly established Board of Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) and HSSIB Executive Directors (Eds), hold the Chief Executive to account and will share corporate responsibility for the decisions of the HSSIB Board and the performance of the organisation. The Chair will also contribute to the development of strategy; stakeholder engagement, robust governance and assurance arrangements, effective systems for financial control and risk management and establish an effective investigatory methodology and criteria for investigations.

Person Specification

To be considered, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the qualities, skills and experience to meet all the essential criteria for appointment:

  • Strong strategic leadership skills, with an ability to develop a high-performing organisation and demonstrated by a career record of achievement at the highest levels.
  • Ability to lead the Board of a significant new national organisation, deliver robust board level governance and accountability, and develop a positive culture.
  • Excellent communication and influencing skills, able to collaborate effectively with stakeholders to drive change in a complex system.
  • Knowledge of the NHS and/or of investigations methodology.

Additional Information

The proposed Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) provisions is intended to establish an independent non-departmental public body to investigate incidents that occur in England during the provision of health care services that have implications for patient safety. They have the powers to investigate these incidents with a view to identifying patient safety risks and facilitating the improvement of systems and practices in the provision of health care services in England.

  • The HSSIB’s extended remit to cover healthcare provided in the independent sector will enable more thorough investigation into patient safety concerns.
  • ‘Safe space’ and the legal prohibitions on unlawful disclosure will provide greater protection when compared to the mechanism currently used by the investigation branch to protect information gained during an investigation.
  • It is expected that NHS organisations will cooperate fully with the HSSIB’s investigations and benefit from the shared system learning that results.

Increased public confidence:

  • The HSSIB will be a new arm’s-length body and will allow investigations to be carried out independently from the NHS and Government, as provided in the Bill.
  • This will give the public full confidence in the HSSIB’s investigation processes and ability to deliver impartial conclusions and recommendations.
  • Although the Secretary of State may direct the HSSIB to undertake investigations, the direction cannot determine the outcome of the investigation.

Culture of learning:

  • The HSSIB does not assess or determine blame or civil or criminal liability, nor does it dictate whether action needs to be taken in respect of an individual by a regulatory body; instead, the HSSIB focuses on system wide learning which can be applied to future health care. Increased standards for local investigations, as well as guidance, training and advice provided by the HSSIB will enable trust learning at a more local level.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in the appointment of the Chair of the HSSIB.

The Department of Health and Social Care’s Appointments and Honours Unit is managing this recruitment campaign.

To make an application please email your CV, a Supporting letter and completed Monitoring form to appointments.team@dhsc.gov.uk – please quote ref: VAC-1758 in the subject field.

If you are unable to apply by email, please contact Rachael Onoghojobi on  0207 2105742

Applications must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 25 May 2022