Risk Management and Quality of Care Manager

• The Risk Management and Quality of Care (QoC) Manager, will be responsible to institutionalize QoC clinical management practices including Quality Improvement (QI), put in place appropriate systems/methodologies, build staff capacity in providing quality patient care and develop risk management plans including patient safety.  He/she will identify or develop policies and procedures to lead on their implementation in conjunction with the relevant clinical teams, with an initial focus on the wider RMNCAH team. Our ideal candidate has a thorough understanding of the general healthcare environment, regulatory standards, and principles of risk management to ensure that our organization complies with all national and international healthcare policies and procedures, while maintaining a safe and effective service delivery environment encompassing best practices in healthcare. He/she will be responsible for investigating incidents and near misses to determine root cause and devise corrective measures in conjunction with the hospital leadership team. He/she will also ensure that systems are in place for the dissemination of all safety alerts to the appropriate staff and that timely responses are provided to the department concerned.
• This position is responsible for the development, implementation, and continuous refinement of systems and processes that proactively identify, evaluate, and mitigate clinical, operational, and organizational risks. By integrating risk management principles with patient safety priorities, the role ensures that the healthcare environment remains safe, efficient, and compliant with all relevant regulatory, accreditation, and professional standards.

• The successful candidate must be a skilled communicator who can lead a team to achieve the above and create a climate of patient safety, wherein staff appreciate that every incident is an opportunity to learn and grow and not feel victimized or punished.
• This is an International position with proven experience in risk and QoC management .

• Develop and implement the organizational strategy for QoC and risk management including patient safety for KGH/MCOE
• Lead the design and execution of long-term patient safety improvement plans
• Provide expert advice to senior leadership on QoC issues, emerging risks, safety trends, and mitigation strategies
• Lead and support multidisciplinary safety, risk, and quality committees
• Promote a culture of patient safety and continuous quality improvement, and facilitate the integration of quality improvement initiatives and best practice standards that can be monitored and measured using reliable and valid data
• Identify potential/risks in the healthcare delivery process thorough safety and quality audit meetings including all MPDSR meetings and develop strategies and action plans to mitigate these risks
• Conduct regular risk assessments and safety inspections within all units at KGH and the MCOE, develop and plan Quality Improvement projects to address them with the relevant team members
• Maintain and manage the organizational risk register, ensuring risks are properly documented, rated, and monitored
• Implement proactive risk reduction strategies and follow up on action plans
• Review systems, workflows, and physical environments to identify potential hazards and areas for improvement

Staff Education & Capacity Building

• Develop and lead training programs on patient safety, incident reporting, and risk management
• Mentor and guide staff in applying safety tools and best practice
• Develop risk management training programs and deliver to staff
• Work closely with all relevant units at PIH-SL such as nursing, clinical education, SHIS to integrate all initiatives around QoC and harmonize the interventions 
• Effectively train up and manage the Quality of Care and Risk Management team which will consist of a Nurse/midwife, Quality Improvement and SHIS officers and others as needed
• Contribute to planning and evaluating the organization’s emergency preparedness and response systems
• Participate in emergency drills and ensure risks are identified and mitigated

Incident Reporting & Investigation

• Oversee the incident reporting system and ensure compliance with reporting deadlines
• Lead detailed investigations using the agreed on system and other safety analysis methodologies
• Review and validate incident classifications, severity ratings, and corrective action plans
• Ensure follow-up and closure of incident investigations and mitigation measures

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Work closely with clinical teams, nursing management, support services, and administrative departments to facilitate collaboration in implementing plans and initiatives around QoC and Risk Management.
• Engage patients and families in safety discussions where relevant.
• Serve as the central contact point for external safety agencies and regulators
• Devise/improve on the system in conjunction with the SHIS Team for patient feedback to ensure that their voices are heard and used to improve care-giving practice
• Share patient feedback with the clinical teams and support with implementation of improvement services

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Analyze patient safety and risk data to identify trends and prioritize improvement initiatives.
• Prepare regular reports for senior leadership, committees, and regulatory bodies.
• Use dashboards and quality indicators to monitor the hospitals patient care performance.
• Provide leadership in the development, implementation, and evaluation of quality improvement processes and programs to continually improve the provision of patient/client care
•    Ensure data from incidents and QoC issues relevant to the service, including near misses, complaints, and quality audit gaps, is analyzed and collated to establish any trends; and ensure that results are presented at regular clinical governance and risk management meetings and for national and international use
•     Produce a monthly clinical governance and risk summary for presentation at key directorate meetings, and produce other reports as requested by the hospital, senior and executive management teams

Compliance & Accreditation

• Ensure Partners In Health remains in compliance with national and international safety standards (e.g. MOH, WHO)
• Coordinate and support internal and external audits related to safety and risk
• Build organizational capacity for patient safety and support the organization’s accreditation preparation and processes, ensuring compliance with national accreditation standards 
• Develop and/or adopt risk management policies and protocols aligning with MOH and International policies

Other duties as delegated to you by your line manager that fall within the scope of work and role level. This job description serves as a general guide to the scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time, and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.

• Master’s degree in a clinical health-related discipline 
• Healthcare Risk Management Certification or equivalent is a must
• Minimum 5 years of experience leading healthcare or hospital-based quality and patient safety projects with demonstrated leadership in the areas of Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Risk Management
• Demonstrated knowledge of quality improvement methodologies, patient safety methodologies, organization of clinical services, clinical workflow, data management and reporting, and patient engagement
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills with the ability to identify trends, establish benchmarks, as well as provide credible analysis and recommendations
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills 
• Experience working both independently and in a team, demonstrated evidence of collaborative environment is essential 
• Excellent organizational skills, able to work effectively under pressure, to identify objectives and work successfully towards deadlines
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to coach, mentor and motivate
•     Ability to live and work in a remote area in a resource-constrained environment
• Demonstrated working knowledge of spoken and written English, with strong written and oral presentation skills, alongside excellent IT skills

The successful candidate will receive appropriate training and must adhere to the organization’s safeguarding policies. Employment offers are contingent upon satisfactory references and screening checks, which may include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.

As a participant in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, we request information from previous employers about any instances of sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment. Additionally, Partners In Health Sierra Leone will share records of such misconduct with other agencies upon staff departure, ensuring transparency and accountability. By applying, candidates acknowledge and agree to these recruitment procedures