Head of Infection Prevention and Control

The post holder will be the national strategic and advisory lead for Infection Prevention and Control and provide expert advice to the Director of Health Equity and Clinical Governance.

The post holder will be responsible for the development and review implementation of policies, quality improvement and strategic vision for the provision of IPC within UKHSA, overseeing the strategic framework to develop a high-quality cohesive IPC service for UKHSA. The postholder will provide expert advice on IPC incidents where there are national, international, and global implications

The postholder will be a dynamic highly skilled individual with the ability to build trusted relationships with stakeholders and wider networks such as the NHS, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and other key stakeholders such as Care Quality Commission (CQC) and National institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE).

The postholder will have an ability to work autonomously and as part of an expert team , acting as an advocate for health protection across the UK. They will be responsible for ensuring a high-quality level of engagement with UKHSA national, regional, and local clinical and quality improvement stakeholders to ensure IPC improvement is at the centre of service provision and work collaboratively with the Integrated Care Boards, wider NHS, and Care sectors to facilitate IPC as part of the health protection function of UKHSA.

The post holder will support the Deputy Director Nursing and Allied Health Professional the professional development and leadership for clinicians within UKHSA and development of key strategic relationships

• Development and management of strategic partnerships to ensure system wide approach and delivery, including national organisations and Devolved Administrations (DA).
• Provide expert, visible and strategic professional leadership to the infection prevention and control service workforce in delivering the local and national strategy to enable UKHSA to achieve its’ strategic agenda. Lead the strategic planning, development and effective delivery of infection control nationally and responsible for the IPC objectives outlined in the “remit letter”.
• Accountable for clinical governance, monitoring and improving standards of care through supervision of practice, clinical audit, research, teaching and the provision of skilled professional leadership in relation to IPC.
• Influence national policies through membership and involvement in relevant forums and provide highly specialised professional advice across regional and national networks. Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of the services ensure that care provided is in line with UKHSA Clinical Governance agenda and objectives.
• Act as a regional and National resource for training and education to ensure that UKHSA maintains a leading role in infection prevention. Responsible for the development and implementation of strategies and policies on infection, prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship for system implementation.
• Provide line management and leadership to the Infection prevention and control team, supporting professional development for staff within the service. Identifying individual needs, set objectives to ensure the delivery of the UKHSA agenda and the delivery of evidence-based care.
• In conjunction with Health Protection/Public Health, clinical and non-clinical multidisciplinary teams and external agencies such as Health Improvement Scotland, develop and maintain strategies for the prevention, surveillance and control of infection.
• Collaborate in the development on the provision of IPC education with external agencies, social care and UKHSA.
• Responsible for ensuring adherence to the directorate budget, ensuring appropriate documentation is available for scrutiny. Constantly striving for value for money and greater efficiency.
• Collaborate with other divisions to develop plans in order to ensure the organisation is prepared to deal with future pandemic situations in respect of all the managed services and that this is built into a planned programme of work within the organisation.
• To monitor, interpret and quality assure progress against deliverables. Quality assurance and progress of deliverables to UKHSA that often require adjustments specifically in relation to the complex corporate business agenda, strategic objectives and the business planning process.
• Ensure delivery of an annual programme for the services, advising on the use of suitable audit tools for local audits and regularly undertaking major audits using appropriate research tools, analysing and evaluating the outcomes and ensuring change in practice as a result.
• Represent Infection Prevention and Control service on national and/or international working groups and committees as a senior specialist and develop and maintain a high profile at national level.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job contact :

Name :
Sarah Gigg
Email :
Sarah.gigg@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
SCS.MDrecruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk