Head of Quality and Governance – Health in Justice

Head of Quality & Governance – Health in Justice
Hybrid/Remote Role with National Travel

£70,000 + Extensive Benefits

Leadership Opportunity in a Pivotal Governance Role

Compass Associates are proud to be exclusively supporting a leading national Health in Justice provider in their search for a Head of Quality & Governance – a newly reshaped leadership role at the forefront of quality assurance, regulatory compliance and patient safety within forensic and health-based justice services.

The Role:

We’re seeking a high-performing governance and quality expert with deep insight into UK regulatory frameworks and accreditation standards. This role will provide strategic leadership across quality assurance, patient safety, regulatory compliance and UKAS accreditation—playing a vital role in shaping high-quality, safe, and effective services for some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.

As Head of Quality & Governance, you’ll oversee and coordinate compliance with CQC, UKAS (including ISO 15189), FSR, and other key governance bodies. You’ll work in close partnership with the Senior Leadership Team, operational teams, and external stakeholders to drive forward a culture of continuous improvement across all services nationally.

This is a highly visible and strategic post, offering the opportunity to influence governance frameworks at a national scale within a complex but rewarding environment.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Leading and evolving the national governance strategy
• Overseeing all aspects of quality assurance, compliance and accreditation including CQC and UKAS (ISO 15189)
• Coaching, supporting and developing the Quality & Governance team
• Collaborating with clinical and non-clinical leaders to embed best practice
• Analysing safety performance data and developing action plans for improvement
• Managing the organisational risk register and patient safety alerts
• Acting as Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) for Information Governance
• Supporting internal and external audits, inspections and reporting cycles

About You:

We are particularly interested in speaking to individuals with:

• Senior leadership experience in healthcare quality, governance or compliance
• A deep understanding of UK regulatory bodies (CQC, UKAS, FSR,)
• Strong incident management experience and knowledge of the National Patient Safety Strategy
• A relevant degree or professional healthcare qualification (Nursing, Paramedic, etc.) or equivalent senior experience
• Experience with UKAS accreditation and ISO standards – especially ISO 15189 – is highly desirable
• Familiarity with RADAR or similar systems

Why Apply?

• £70,000 Basic Salary
• Hybrid role with autonomy and national influence
• Collaborate with high-performing leaders in a values-driven organisation
• Chance to lead a strategic function within Health in Justice

• Excellent opportunity for professionals with UKAS/CQC experience to step into a national leadership role
• 22 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays

Next Steps:

This is a rare opportunity to shape the quality, safety, and compliance landscape of a national Health in Justice provider. If you are a governance expert ready to take the next step in your career, we would love to hear from you.

Due to the high volume of applicants to this role only those with a relevant background will have guaranteed correspondance

Please can you submit your CV to the relevant headhunter's email highlighted below:

📧 Franklin Brown at Compass Associates – a leading permanent search specialist in healthcare leadership recruitment.

[email protected]

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