Quality Assurance Clinical Manager

Job Title: Quality Assurance Clinical Manager

Reports to: Head of Clinical Governance

Direct Reports: 2-4

5 days a week - 37.5 hours / 4 days a week - 30 hours

Remote based role with occasional travel to London/Manchester

Kooth is a fast-growing business with a social purpose. Listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:KOO), our mission is to provide welcoming and effective digital mental health support.

Working in partnership with the NHS, we are already the UK’s largest digital mental health platform for young people aged 10-25. We use the collective insight from over one million hours of professional support we have provided to guide people to self-help, community support, and professional help that matches their wants, needs, and goals in life.

Role Objective

To support the Clinical Governance function at Kooth UK with lead responsibility for the implementation and oversight of our Quality Assurance Framework. Whilst this role will sit within the clinical function, the successful post holder will apply QA and QI principles to support a company wide approach, ensuring that we are broadly aligned with NHS principles and operating within a continuous cycle of QI across all key functions of the business. This will include some working with international teams to embed a consistent QA/QI approach across the organisation. In addition to close liaison with teams across Kooth, you will also have an external facing role, providing assurance to key stakeholders about Quality Assurance and working in collaboration to identify shared processes and learning.

Key Components:

Stakeholder Management - 25%

Management & Leadership - 20%

Analytics, Reporting and Insights - 20%

Clinical Governance - 15%

Safeguarding - 10%

Training - 10%

Main Responsibilities

Stakeholder Management:

• Contribute to external meetings with stakeholders as appropriate, including supporting the Commercial and Engagement teams with external activities relating to QI and QA.
• Take a leadership role in developing and maintaining relationships with Quality Leads across different organisations, including within the NHS, education and third party sectors.
• Liaise with external stakeholders (including commissioners, schools and partner providers) to identify what good looks like and showcase examples of positive practice.
• Support external events such as webinars, conferences or other public speaking opportunities.
• Present internally to the organisation to demonstrate how we are improving quality through tangible examples where outcomes are clear: this will include via team specific meetings, company wide All Hands meetings and the Clinical and Safeguarding committee.
• Take a lead role in the development and management of our complaints procedure, with support from the Quality Improvement Coordinator.

Management & Leadership

• Lead on the implementation of a new quality framework across the organisation, including ‘lessons learned,’ and work with colleagues to ensure that we are able to assure our stakeholders with regard to quality and communicate this effectively, including chairing the QI forum.
• Lead on the development of policies and processes, within area of scope.
• Lead on formal submissions to external agencies to demonstrate our compliance with relevant frameworks in area of scope (including re annual BACP accreditation).
• Line management responsibility for 2-4 individuals supporting the QA/QI function, and support for the wider QI ‘sub-team’.
• Management and oversight of systems and processes relating to the QI framework, including development of a company wide internal QA audit schedule.
• Lead on discrete QI projects within own scope of expertise and interest, from inception to delivery and using a data driven approach to achieve intended outcomes.
• Lead on Kooth’s internal CQC self assessment and improvement programme.
• Lead on Kooth’s internal QA frameworks and provide support for continuous improvement across departments, including utilising service user feedback and complaints.

Analytics, Reporting and Insights:

• Collate internal reports showcasing QI initiatives and utilise data (quantitative and qualitative) to identify gaps and areas for further improvements.
• Maintain a database of QI initiatives across the organisation and take responsibility for ensuring that actions are completed within agreed timescales.
• Provide succinct insights for the commercial team to support applications for new business opportunities.
• Develop and collate external reports against required QA measures as required by contracts and to support their reporting requirements.
• Oversee and collate service user insights from the platform to feed into QI and learning initiatives.

Clinical Governance:

• Act as a member of the wider clinical governance team, supporting all activities within areas of expertise, including but not limited to the following:
• Contribute to clinical support diary for qualified/non qualified practitioners and supporting wider colleagues outside the service delivery function as required
• Support the implementation of specialist clinical models and therapeutic approaches within the Service Delivery teams.
• Complete clinical audits for practitioners (qualified/non qualified depending on qualification/expertise)
• Highlight any performance issues that may arise and advise Senior Practitioners/managers regarding recommendations for further development/review and support this process as required.
• Support the implementation of new clinical operational models as per the organisational strategy
• Support other teams in their activities, where appropriate, e.g. marketing, engagement, research, product and technology, to ensure there is clinical input and any relevant activities are safe, evidence-informed, and clinically robust.
• Ensure that the i-RESPOND clinical framework is understood and embedded within service delivery.

Safeguarding:

• Support the development and implementation of the User Safety Incident Reporting Framework, as agreed with the Head of Safeguarding, with a particular focus on ‘lessons learned.’
• Support the Suicide prevention Strategic objectives as directed by the Head of Safeguarding.
• Work as part of a team offering out of hours support to staff working online on a rota based system (dependent on experience); including enabling and supporting senior Practitioners and Shift Leads to manage risk in line with safeguarding best practice.

Training:

• Contribute to the internal training programme within area(s) of expertise.
• Contribute to the dissemination of ‘what good looks like’ when it comes to quality within digital mental health care via the Kooth Education and Training Academy to reach external audiences across a range of sectors as directed by the Training Lead. This includes supporting and informing the work of the training team and beyond to develop and implement suitable quality assurance processes and frameworks.
• To contribute to the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes; this includes keeping up to date with QI initiatives within the NHS and other relevant sectors which may influence the Kooth approach.

Requirements

Essential:

• Significant experience of QI and QA frameworks within at least one sector (NHS desirable)
• Professional registration with relevant body
• Minimum of three years’ post-qualification experience with children, young people and vulnerable adults in one or more clinical areas.
• Professional qualification in a relevant field (psychology, nursing, social work, counselling)

Desired:

• Leadership qualification/experience
• Trained to a minimum of L3 Safeguarding.
• Experience working online/in digital mental health.
• Supervision qualification

Benefits

Are you looking for a fulfilling career with attractive perks and a supportive work environment? Look no further! We're excited to offer an incredible opportunity with a range of benefits that cater to your professional growth, well-being, and work-life balance.

1. Competitive Salary:

Up to £57,573 (FTE) - dependant on experience

2. Generous Annual Leave:

36 days, including 8 public holidays, providing you ample time to recharge and spend quality moments with your loved ones.

3. Professional Development:

Benefit from our yearly professional training programmes, tailored to your career aspirations and designed to enhance your skills and knowledge.

4. Financial Security:

Secure your financial future with our pension contributions and annual company share option awards, giving you a stake in the success of the company.

5. Health and Well-being:

Prioritize your health and well-being with our comprehensive Health Shield cover and access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). The EAP offers 24/7 telephone mental health support and access to GP consultations, ensuring your mental and physical health are taken care of.

6. Life Assurance:

Gain peace of mind knowing that you're covered with life assurance, providing up to four times your annual salary to your loved ones in the unfortunate event of your passing.

7. Flexible Working:

Embrace the flexibility of remote working, allowing you to create a work-life balance that suits your needs and maximizes your productivity.

8. Lifestyle Benefits:

If you're seeking a stimulating career where your well-being, growth, and contributions are valued, we invite you to apply and become a part of our dynamic and supportive team. Join us as we strive for success together!

At Kooth, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace that values and embraces the unique contributions of every individual. We believe in equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression or sexual orientation.

Our dedication to creating a fair and unbiased environment is reflected in all aspects of our recruitment, hiring, and employment practices. We strive to provide a work environment that is free from discrimination, where every employee is treated with respect and dignity.

Request for Reasonable Adjustments:

We are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants and employees with disabilities or individuals who require accommodations to participate in the application process, interviews, or job-related tasks. If you require any reasonable adjustments to ensure your equal participation in our recruitment process, please inform our Human Resources team.

Your openness will allow us to work together to provide appropriate accommodations and ensure a fair and accessible application and employment experience for everyone.

Kooth plc is committed to our responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults . We are committed to recruiting candidates who share this commitment to safeguarding, and therefore we apply robust recruitment and selection procedures to ensure that the people selected are right for the job, and that all candidates are appropriately screened prior to appointment. This will include a DBS check.