Health and Safety Advisor

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

The Health & Safety Advisor will provide competent, professional and practical health and safety advice across the Trust, supporting the delivery of a safe environment for staff, patients, visitors and contractors. The postholder will work closely with clinical and corporate services to ensure health and safety risks are identified, assessed, controlled and effectively managed in accordance with UK legislation, HSE guidance, NHS requirements and Trust policies.

Main duties of the job

• Provide competent health and safety advice to managers and staff across the Trust.
• Undertake and support risk assessments, including COSHH, violence and aggression, DSE and other workplace risks.
• Investigate accidents, incidents and identifying root causes and recommending corrective actions.
• Monitor compliance with health and safety legislation, HSE guidance,
• Conduct health and safety inspections and audits.
• Advise managers on appropriate risk controls and monitor actions t.
• Provide specialist COSHH advice.
• Support the management of violence and aggression, slips, trips and falls, manual handling and other occupational risks.
• Assess and support RIDDOR reporting.
• Deliver health and safety training.
• Work collaboratively with Occupational Health, IPC, Estates & Facilities, Security, and other specialist teams.
• Promote a proactive health and safety culture, learning from incidents.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, HSE guidance and NHS requirements.

Key Skills and Attributes

• Sound knowledge of UK health and safety legislation and HSE guidance.
• Experience in risk assessment, auditing and incident investigation.
• Ability to analyse risks and provide practical solutions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities.
• Confidence working with staff at all levels, including senior managers.
• Commitment to CPD and promoting a positive health and safety culture.

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Health & Safety Advisor will provide competent, professional and practical health and safety advice across the Trust, supporting the delivery of a safe environment for staff, patients, visitors and contractors. The postholder will work closely with clinical and corporate services to ensure health and safety risks are identified, assessed, controlled and effectively managed in accordance with UK legislation, HSE guidance, NHS requirements and Trust policies.

Main Responsibilities

• Provide competent health and safety advice and guidance to managers and staff across clinical and non-clinical areas.
• Undertake, review and advise on workplace risk assessments, including COSHH, violence and aggression, manual handling, slips/trips/falls, DSE and other occupational risks.
• Support managers in identifying appropriate risk control measures and monitor actions through to completion.
• Conduct health and safety inspections, audits and compliance assessments, producing clear reports and recommendations.
• Investigate workplace accidents, incidents, near misses and dangerous occurrences, identifying immediate, underlying and root causes and recommending preventative actions.
• Assist with the assessment and reporting of RIDDOR incidents and maintain appropriate records.
• Provide specialist advice on COSHH, including chemical storage, exposure controls, Safety Data Sheets, PPE and emergency arrangements.
• Support the management of violence and aggression, workplace violence, occupational health risks, hazardous substances and other workplace hazards.
• Provide advice on the selection and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
• Develop, review and contribute to health and safety policies, procedures, guidance and risk assessment templates.
• Deliver or support the delivery of health and safety training, awareness sessions and staff briefings.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and advise managers on their implications for Trust services.
• Work collaboratively with Occupational Health, Infection Prevention and Control, Estates & Facilities, Security, HR, Procurement and other specialist teams to manage workplace risks.
• Promote a positive and proactive health and safety culture, encouraging learning from incidents and sharing good practice.
• Maintain accurate records of risk assessments, audits, incidents, inspections and action plans, ensuring information is current and traceable.
• Monitor departmental compliance with health and safety requirements and elevate significant risks or areas of non-compliance appropriately.
• Prepare reports, statistical information and performance data for the Health & Safety Team, relevant committees and senior management.
• Support the implementation and continuous improvement of the Trust's Health & Safety Management System.
• Participate in Trust projects, service developments and changes to ensure health and safety considerations are incorporated at an early stage.
• Provide advice on contractor and construction-related health and safety matters where appropriate, including review of relevant risk assessments and safe systems of work.
• Support managers following significant incidents and assist with identifying and implementing lessons learned and preventative measures.
• Undertake workplace visits and provide practical advice to resolve health and safety concerns.
• Maintain professional competence through continuing professional development (CPD) and remain informed of current NHS, HSE and industry best practice.
• Undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade and role as required by the Head of Health & Safety.

Key Accountability

The postholder will be expected to identify significant health and safety risks, provide proportionate and evidence-based advice, challenge unsafe practices where necessary, and support managers to fulfil their health and safety responsibilities. The role will contribute to continuous improvement in health and safety performance and the protection of staff, patients and others affected by Trust activities.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Nebosh Diploma or working towards or equivalent
• Masters or equivalent experience/knowledge.
• Relevant professional qualifications at Diploma level or above E.g.: NEBOSH Diploma Parts 1&2 in Occupational Health and Safety, or equivalent. Membership of a professional body (e.g.: IOSH/ BSC/ CIMOSH)
• Teaching/training qualification

Experience

• Substantial experience working in a healthcare setting with exposure to standard setting and use of a risk register.
• Substantial prior experience In a senior Health and Safety Advisory role in a large, complex organisation
• Experience in training/teaching in Health and Safety

Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to formulate, plan, develop, organise and implement a broad range of complex activities across the Trust, including adapting and adjusting to deal with uncertainty, as necessary: e.g.: improving Trust performance with mandatory training in health and safety subjects.
• Excellent self and time management

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.

Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.

Use of AI in recruitment: We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the initial review of applications against the essential criteria for this role. Where AI is used, it will support rather than replace human decision-making, and applications will remain subject to appropriate human review.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

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