Lead Clinical Safety Officer (CSO)

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the full job description and person specification document(s) attached for main responsibilities of the role.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential criteria

• Registered Doctor, Nurse, Pharmacist, Allied Health Professional or other healthcare professional with live professional registration
• Accredited Clinical Safety Officer, or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and commit to achieving accreditation within an agreed timeframe determined by UHT
• Degree level professional qualification or equivalent level of knowledge through professional clinical experience.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Professional clinical knowledge acquired through registration as a Doctor, Nurse, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist or Allied Health Professional and supported by post-registration experience.
• Specialist knowledge of clinical safety processes and digital clinical risk management acquired through training and practical experience
• Knowledge of DCB0160 and DCB0129 standards and their application within healthcare organisations.
• Knowledge of NHS digital systems, clinical workflows and governance arrangements.
• Knowledge of patient safety, risk management and quality improvement principles.
• Ability to analyse complex clinical, operational and digital information and determine appropriate courses of action.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly to a wide range of audiences.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant experience working within a healthcare environment.
• Experience of applying clinical safety and risk management processes to digital systems.
• Experience of digital clinical system implementation, optimisation or support.
• Experience of facilitating risk assessments, hazard identification workshops and maintaining hazard logs.
• Experience of developing and implementing local policies, procedures or governance arrangements.
• Experience of managing staff, including recruitment, appraisal, development and performance management.
• Experience of working with clinicians, operational managers, digital teams and suppliers.
• Experience of managing resources and contributing to budget management activities

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

• Demonstrates integrity, sound judgement and discretion when handling sensitive information and high-risk issues.
• Credible, resilient and professionally confident in advising on patient safety risks and challenging unsafe practice where required.
• Collaborative, approachable and able to build effective working relationships across clinical, operational, technical and corporate teams.
• Analytical, organised and able to manage a complex and changing workload effectively.
• Committed to high standards of patient safety, governance, continuous improvement and professional development.
• Able to travel across UHT sites and work flexibly in line with service requirements

Important - Once sufficient applications have been received this vacancy may close early.

Disclosure and Barring Checks (DBS)
It is the policy of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who are new to the Trust who require DBS clearance for the post they have been offered, are required to pay the cost of their DBS. The method of payment for this is via salary deduction from your first month's pay.

Qualifications
Please note the essential qualifications required for the post are outlined within the Person Specification. You are required to provide original evidence of the necessary qualifications for the post at interview should you be shortlisted. You will also be required to provide original copies as part of the pre-employment check screening.

New Starters - Probationary Period

For any new employees commencing employment with South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, you will be subject to satisfactory completion of a 6 month probationary period. Please note that internal applications and individuals that are appointed to fixed term appointments of less than 6 months duration are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or a bank member of staff).

Employment References

As part of our pre-employment screening process, all applicants are required to provide references covering their last three years employment history including any gaps. Applicants are requested to ensure e-mail addresses for all referees are included on their application form. Personal references are not acceptable.

Working Hours

If the hours advertised for the post are up to full time (37.5 hours per week), applications are still welcomed from individuals who may be seeking to work less than full-time hours and all requests will be considered in line with the post being appointed to for the successful applicant.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Everything we do is shaped by our values: Respect, Support, and Collaborate.

At University Hospitals Tees we want our workspaces to be places where everyone feels welcome, valued and safe. We treat people with respect, and we celebrate the differences that make each of us unique.

We welcome applications from everyone, no matter your age, background, race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family circumstances or beliefs.

We are here to support you throughout your application and at every stage of your career with us. We believe we work best when we collaborate, learn from each other and build teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Supporting disabled people and people with long-term conditions

We are a Disability Confident committed employer aspiring to become a lead employer in 2026.

This means we give fair and full consideration to applicants and will offer reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. If you need help with your application, or need the information in a different format, please contact our recruitment team and we will support you.

If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team a