Patient Safety Partner Volunteer with certificate of sponsorship to the UK

Visa Note

While this employer offers a certificate of sponsorship for eligible candidates, applicants must verify their specific visa eligibility requirements directly with NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board. International candidates should confirm sponsorship details and any additional documentation needed before applying.

Job Overview

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board is seeking a Patient Safety Partner (PSP) to join our team in improving healthcare safety across Lancashire and South Cumbria. This is a unique opportunity for individuals with lived experience of using NHS healthcare services to make a meaningful difference in patient safety.

About the Role

The Patient Safety Partner is a new and evolving fixed term role of 12 months developed by the ICB based on guidance from NHS England. This position represents an exciting opportunity to work alongside our staff, patients, and families to influence and improve safety within our health services. PSPs can be patients, carers, family members, or other lay people, including NHS staff from another organisation.

Key Responsibilities

As a Patient Safety Partner, you will join governance committees concerned with patient safety, risk, and quality. Your primary role will be to bring the voice and needs of patients, families, carers and the public into committees in a way that provides appropriate challenge and fosters learning and change. You will consider complex issues affecting patient safety across the ICB footprint that directly inform relevant strategy and policy.

Daily Activities

Your responsibilities will include joining safety boards and team meetings, talking with patients and staff about safety concerns, supporting patient safety training of staff, being part of project teams working to improve safe care, helping develop patient safety information resources, and supporting the safety team when reviewing patient safety events.

Meeting Commitments

You will need to receive and read meeting papers prior to attending (approximately half a day), attend the Quality committee meeting monthly (approximately 2-4 hours), attend the System Quality group bi-monthly (approximately 2 hours), and attend pre-meet and post-meeting de-briefs with the Associate Director of Patient Safety (approximately 1 hour).

What We’re Looking For

We are seeking individuals who have the resilience to listen to complex and sometimes challenging information and make rational, objective decisions that represent the needs and interests of patients. You should have the time to prepare for meetings by reading through materials in advance and coming ready with comments or questions that will help the group consider the patient perspective.

Essential Qualifications

The essential qualification for this role is lived experience of using NHS healthcare services. We particularly welcome people who have not previously been involved in working in a healthcare setting but who can bring valuable insight or can relate to a patient safety event and its effects on patients or their families.

Essential Experience

You must be able to review, digest and comprehend a range of information and opinions. Experience of putting forward views on behalf of wider community/patients is essential, along with good verbal and written communication skills and the ability to confidently speak in large groups.

Required Knowledge

An understanding of and a broad interest in patient safety is essential for this role. You should be able to communicate well in writing and comprehend complex reports, understand and evaluate a range of information and evidence, and communicate verbally with people at all levels of the organisation about strategic issues as an advocate for patient safety.

Personal Attributes

Successful candidates will demonstrate empathy skills, the ability to see things from both organisational and patient perspectives, and an ability to remain objective where necessary. You should have the ability to plan time to prepare for meetings and attend them regularly. Confidence to appropriately challenge and question group members around patient safety is also important.

What We Offer

We provide engaging opportunities, a comprehensive induction programme, and ongoing training and support for all our Patient Safety Partners. This is a voluntary position, but reasonable expenses will be covered depending on experience. The working pattern is part-time with an initial commitment of between 4-8 hours per month.

About Our Organisation

The Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) was formally established as a new statutory body on 1 July 2022, replacing the eight clinical commissioning groups across Lancashire and South Cumbria. Our role is to join up health and care services, improve people’s health and wellbeing, and ensure everyone has equal access to services and a positive experience from treatment.

Our Mission

We oversee how money and resources are utilised to ensure funding is spent effectively to make health services consistent and of high standard. Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB is a complex organisation serving a population of over 1.8 million people across the region.

Our Commitment to Diversity

Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board strives to be diverse, inclusive and a place where we can all be ourselves. We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Minority Ethnic, LGBT+, Disabled and Veterans who are under-represented across the ICB.

Location and Working Pattern

This role is based at County Hall in Preston (PR1 8XJ). While the position is primarily office-based, there may be opportunities for remote participation in meetings. The working pattern is part-time, with an initial time commitment of between 4-8 hours per month. This is a voluntary position with reasonable expenses covered.

Application Process

To apply for this position, please visit the NHS Jobs website and search for reference number 125-ICB003-26. The closing date for applications is 10 February 2026. All applications will be considered, and shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview with the Associate Director of Nursing and Patient Safety.

How to Apply

Apply Instructions: Apply via NHS Jobs website.

For international applicants specifically:

• Verify your visa eligibility with the employer before applying
• Prepare documentation of your lived experience with NHS healthcare services
• Include evidence of your ability to review and comprehend complex information
• Be prepared to discuss how you can contribute to patient safety improvements
• Contact Caroline Marshall at caroline.marshall9@nhs.net with any questions about sponsorship

Contact Information

For questions about the job, please contact Caroline Marshall, Associate Director of Nursing and Patient Safety, via email at caroline.marshall9@nhs.net or by phone at 07917211454. All inquiries regarding visa sponsorship should be directed to this contact.

Certificate of Sponsorship

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board offers a certificate of sponsorship for eligible international candidates. Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information, visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, and it will be necessary for a submission to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. All successful candidates will be required to undergo this check.

Additional Information

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK have been required to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

Employer Details

Employer name: NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (125)
Address: County Hall, Preston, PR1 8XJ
Website: https://www.lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/
Privacy notice: https://www.lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/privacynotice

Supporting Documents

Additional information about this role is available in the Patient Safety Partner JD and PS.pdf document (401 KB). This document contains more detailed information about the position requirements and responsibilities. Please refer to this document when preparing your application.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age. All appointments are subject to receipt of satisfactory references and appropriate pre-employment checks.