Director, Patient Care Quality, Safety, and Accreditation

Who are we looking for

Are you looking for a new and rewarding leadership challenge in healthcare? Interior Health has an exciting opportunity for Director, Patient Care Quality, Safety, and Accreditation. The location for this role is flexible within the Interior Health Region of British Columbia. We are looking for people who want to make a difference in the communities in which they live, work and play. Relocation allowance may be provided, apply today to join our amazing team.

Some of the benefits of joining Interior Health

• An attractive remuneration package
• Excellent career prospects
• Employee & Family Assistance Programs
• Employer paid training/education opportunities
• Employer paid vacation
• Employer paid insurance premiums
• Extended Health & Dental coverage
• Municipal Pension Plan
• Work-life balance
• Relocation Allowance may be provided

Salary range for the position is $128,298 to $184,428. Interior Health establishes salaries within the minimum and maximum of the salary range based on consideration of the qualifications, experience of the applicant, and an internal equity review of the salaries of other employees.

How will you create an impact

The Director, Patient Care Quality, Safety, and Accreditation is responsible for the design, implementation, communication, maintenance, and evaluation of frameworks and standards for each area of responsibility. Within this role, and consistent with accreditation requirements the position is mandated to ensure continuous quality improvement inherent in the experiences patients, clients, residents, families, as well as medical staff and staff encounter across the Health Authority.

This includes the responsibility to establish and maintain the structures and processes necessary to manage adverse events, complaints, and lead the organization’s response related to adult guardianship and other requirements associated with the care of vulnerable/incapable adults. This requires significant policy work to ensure our processes and policies comply with mandatory federal and provincial reporting requirements and other relative legislation.

The Director leads the Patient Care Quality Office (PCQO), which includes ensuring compliance with the ministerial directives related to the Patient Care Quality Review Board Act. The Director ensures that PCQO responses meet provincially mandated timelines and works in close collaboration with the Senior Executive and IH Board to respond to Patient Care Quality Review Board reports and recommendations.

The role has direct responsibility for establishing an overall approach to managing patient concerns received from individuals who self-identify as Indigenous. This includes direct supervision of individuals designated as Indigenous Patient Care Quality and Safety Consultants and supporting clients through the complaints management process using both the formal PCQO approach and restorative approaches as appropriate. The role works in close partnership with the Indigenous Partnerships team to improve the overall indigenous patient experience in a measurable way through embedding patient insights into clinical policy, education and planning, and/or redesign strategies consistent with the organizational goals and vision.

The Director is responsible to ensure that the necessary structures and processes are in place to support the organization’s Accreditation Canada and Diagnostic Accreditation Program preparations, assessments, and responses. This includes tracking compliance with required organizational practices, and addressing all outstanding mandatory requirements and other criteria that require formal submissions to the accrediting bodies. The Director leads the organization’s work related to meeting criteria from both accrediting bodies that relate to person and family centered care and patient experience including survey work carried out in partnership with the BC Patient Centered Measurement (BCPCM) team.

The Director is the key contact with BCPCM and ensures IH participation in province-wide surveys including those related to Inpatient Acute, Emergency Department, Cancer, Mental Health and Substance Use, and Long-Term settings. The Director works with leaders in each of these areas to review and analyze survey data and supports the resultant action plan.

The Director is also the IH lead and representative for the provincial Patient Safety Learning System (PSLS), including supporting documentation, data quality, reporting, and all technical aspects related to maintaining IH commitments associated with the system.

What will you work on

• Leads the development, implementation and effective operation of a patient safety management approach for IH. The system will be compatible with industry and Accreditation Canada (AC) standards and form part of the overall Quality plan for IH.

• Leads the organization’s Patient Care Quality Office processes, including monitoring compliance with ministerial directives and managing clinical risk.

• Leads the organization’s approach to managing concerns from Indigenous clients, patients, and residents.

• Leads the organization’s Accreditation processes.

• Oversees and ensures that experience and care strategies are aligned with the Interior Health strategic priorities while building capacity across the organization.

• Oversees and coordinates the identification of meaningful patient safety and patient concerns data and measurements in partnership with Data and Analytics and Indigenous Partnerships.

• Creates an environment of just culture where people feel comfortable and have opportunities to raise concerns or ask questions.

• Supports and facilitates the integration of patient safety and patient care quality office learning into quality/continuous improvement processes and reporting.

• Develops, reviews, revises and serves as the policy steward for key organizational policies related to their area of responsibility.

• Leads the determination of which educational programs or activities will be provided to support patient safety, patient concerns management, and vulnerable and incapable adults related work within the organization.

• Provides corporate leadership for the day-to-day operational management of the PCQO and Patient Safety investigation, PSLS, and vulnerable and incapable adults teams.

• Sits as a portfolio representative at Senior IH committees and regularly presents to the Senior Executive Team and Board Quality Committee on topics related to their areas of responsibility.

• Establishes and maintains horizontal and vertical lines of communication across IH to operationalize the patient safety, patient care quality office, and adult guardianship approaches.

• Establishes and maintains external linkages to facilitate problem solving around common issues related to key patient safety processes.

• Entrusted with the responsibility of representing Interior Health at provincial and national committees and organizations, as aligned with this key role.

• Establishes annual budgets for each cost center assigned and monitors, tracks, and reports on variances outside of the established expectations.

• Hires, rewards, supervises, disciplines, and terminates staff as required.

• In alignment with IH’s Occupational Health & Safety Program, maintain a healthy and safe work environment through implementing applicable Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

• Performs other duties as assigned.