Page 48 - RADC 2020

OR JOBS
WO1 Healthcare Assurance
WO1 S Irvine
Defence Medical Service Regulator
– Ensure the safe delivery of Defence healthcare through the supporting tasks of regulate, assure, enforce and investigate.
Having served all my career in the RADC, either working in Dental Centres or RHQs, it was a new challenge taking up the post of WO Healthcare Assurance in the Defence Medical Services Regulator (DMSR). Many will know the post when it was part of
the HQ Surgeon General’s (SG) Inspector General Department located in Coltman House, Lichfield. The DMSR joined the Defence Safety Authority (DSA) from HQ SG in Dec 2017. It became the smallest of DSA’s Regulators, with its team of 10 located in Lichfield.
Since transferring to DSA, the DMSR has worked hard to establish its role as
a Regulator; writing new regulations, developing its third-party assurance function, completing its separation from HQ SG, and developing a transparent and auditable enforcement process. DSA’s centre of gravity is Abbeywood; however, DMSR is located in Whittington Barracks inside the Keep.
This team consists of 8 x Tri-Service personnel and 2 Civil Servants. I am the only Non-Commissioned Officer in the team which is a different set up to what I am used to; however, it has been an excellent opportunity to work with other Services as well as different trades.
I work alongside SO1 Healthcare Assurance, Wg Cdr Van Carrapiett. Our primary role is to support the management of the Care Quality Commission DPHC Inspection Programme, including the planning and implementation of the programme and liaising, as appropriate, with Stakeholders. This requires me to work closely with the CQC, both with the inspectors who visit the DPHC facilities,
and the Flexible Work Office (FWO) team in Newcastle.
For the CQC inspectors to be able to carry out the inspections they rely heavily
on DMS Specialist Advisors (SpA) who
can support the inspection and provide information on all aspects of the work in a DPHC environment. In order to find suitable candidates for this training, we hold 3 CQC SpA selection days a year during which it is determined by the CQC what quota of each cadre we require. It is then my responsibility to organise, plan, and allocate the 30 slots available to all DMS personnel. The event is held in Whittington Barracks and is run by the FWO team with the CQC inspectors. I am responsible for facilitating these days to ensure they run smoothly.
Following the selection process, I liaise with the FWO team in Newcastle to ensure they have all the required documentation
for each candidate. The FWO team then deal with all the onboarding process. Each quarter the Healthcare Assurance team meet with the CQC lead inspector and plan what facilities will be inspected for the following quarter. Many issues are considered at this time; once it has been agreed between CQC and DMSR, the team approach DPHC to gather all point of contact details. The CQC FWO team will allocate the SpAs once they know the requirement from the inspectors.
I will get involved in this process if they are unable to find a SpA that can accommodate the inspection.
When DMSR receives a published report from the CQC it is then up to our team to analyse the report and record the data into our system so we can monitor trends. If the report has been graded inadequate
or requires improvement in any domain,
it will then be transferred to the Policy
and Legislation team for a safety review panel. This will determine if any regulations have been breached. I am involved in this process as the team requires 4 members to be present for this to take place.
COVID-19 has put a temporary stop to the CQC programme; however, it will resume when appropriate. Meanwhile, we still hold close communications with the CQC and have regular meetings whilst we plan what the new normal will be.
Currently, the eCAF also sits with our team but will soon be handed over to Joint Medical Group (JMG). We have had heavy involvement in the co-design with JMG on the Key framework+, which will see the CQC
Key Lines of Enquiry embedded into the document which is currently 8 domains. Each of the military personnel in the
department has been allocated a desk
lead for the TLBs. I have been allocated
the desk lead between DMSR and Joint Hospital Group (JHG) which requires me
to communicate and influence effectively
in the role of JHG Desk Lead, fostering
a collaborative environment to improve patient safety. This is something I have not previously experienced in my 22-year career; however, it is an excellent opportunity to get involved with another area and have close contact with the SO2 Assurance lead for JHG.
Within the RADC we now only have two WO1 posts available. I have always enjoyed the Healthcare Governance and Assurance aspect of the work, so I knew it was the job I wanted to finish my career in. I was selected for W01 in Dec 2017 but waited until Feb 2019 to take up the post knowing this would be my last job before I leave the Service in 2022. At the time of taking on the new role of WO Assurance, I also took the secondary duty of the Representative SM for the RADC, which was an absolute privilege to hold. Now only having 2 years left to serve, I have stood down so I can concentrate on my primary role and resettlement, which will start later this month.
Having the opportunity to move away from DPHC and have more dealings
with the wider DMS as well as TLBs has been a massive learning curve, but also very enjoyable. I have learnt that we are very adaptable to new situations and the knowledge and experience we bring to the party has helped, not only in the job role I am undertaking but also as a team player in the organisation. I can honestly say working with the DSA and being part of DMSR
has been enjoyable and has added to the experiences I will take away with me when I leave the Service.
46 RADC BULLETIN 2020