Indigenous Patient Care Quality and Safety Consultant

Position Summary
Who are we looking for?

Interior Health is looking for a permanent full time Indigenous Patient Care Quality and Safety Consultant to join our Quality & Patient Safety team.

The worksite location for this position is flexible and can be located anywhere within the Interior Health region. Travel is a requirement for this position.

Some of the Benefits of Joining Interior Health:

• An attractive remuneration package
• Excellent career prospects
• Employer paid training/education
• Employer paid vacation
• Medical Service Plan
• Employer paid insurance premiums
• Extended Health & Dental coverage
• Municipal Pension Plan
• Work-life balance

Salary Range:

Salary range for the position is $88990 to $127923. 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 Indigenous Patient Care Quality and Safety Consultant provides leadership and expertise in patient safety and client concerns management to promote a culture of safety and patient-centered care across the organization in support of program priorities within Quality and Patient Safety and Indigenous Health.

Reporting to the Director, Patient Care Quality, Safety & Accreditation, the Consultant supports Interior Health to establish and maintain effective relationships with patients, clients, and residents with a specific focus towards Indigenous peoples and their health and healthcare experiences.

This includes leading Quality Reviews and Patient Safety Investigations following serious adverse events, ensuring that avenues for Indigenous patient, client or resident feedback are established and accessible, and ensuring that complaints, compliments, and concerns are addressed in a timely, appropriate, and respectful manner. An important focus is on learning from clinical practice, specifically healthcare system failures, through the comprehensive analysis of serious adverse events occurring throughout the region. The Consultant provides expertise and support for the application and integration of evidence-based tools, frameworks, and guidelines to support safety across the system of care. The Consultant facilitates quality improvement initiatives to promote quality and safety improvements across the Health Authority.

The Consultant leads the intake, assessment, management, and resolution of highly confidential and sensitive matters concerning patient/client relations including complaints, concerns, and unmet needs within the Patient Care Quality Office. This is a regulated role under the Patient Care Quality Review Board Act of BC (2008) (PCQRBA) and the Health Statutes (Residents’ Bill of Rights) Amendment Act of BC (2009) (BOR) and operates in accordance with Interior Health’s (IH) complaint management philosophy, policy, and guidelines. The Consultant assists patients/clients with access and navigation to meet complex healthcare needs; seeks to meet patient/client needs related to the resolution of complaints to the satisfaction of the complainant; and liaises with internal and external partners as required, in order to facilitate consensus and negotiate agreements that result in the resolution of complaint issues.

The Consultant takes a proactive approach to understanding Indigenous patients’ experiences in healthcare and engages with Indigenous leaders and clients regarding concerns and adverse event management processes. Building relationships and engaging with Indigenous health leaders, communities, public and clients is a key part of this role. The Consultant is also responsible for ensuring concerns and compliments are tracked, analyzed, evaluated, and reported and has a role in identifying opportunities for improvement related to education and policy/system change for the organization.

The Consultant works closely with leaders in all portfolios, including in Medicine and Quality, Clinical Operations, and our external partners to resolve care concerns and identify opportunities for quality improvement.

What will you work on:

• Collaborates with key partners regarding patient, client or resident complaints or compliments, and supports a culturally safe resolution of issues, ensuring client feedback is tracked for accountability and improvement purposes.
• Remains current with and fulfills obligations and responsibilities in the context of relevant legislation, regulations, and common law, in collaboration with IH Privacy, Risk Management, IH Patient Safety and the Patient Care Quality Review Board.
• Provides advice and consultation regarding the management of Indigenous client feedback issues, including both verbal and written communication and courses of action when initial steps do not resolve issues to a complainant’s satisfaction.
• Ensures timely and effective triaging of complaints and determination of follow up actions including referral in response to patient/family complaints and related solutions.
• Develops and follows processes to ensure involvement of patients, family, and community in the patient safety investigation and quality review processes.
• Provides consultation, support, and assistance to operational and medical staff throughout the disclosure process after adverse events as needed.
• Provides consultation, coaching, and training for leaders, medical staff, and employees regarding Quality Reviews, patient safety investigations, and complaint management for Indigenous patients, clients, and residents.
• Ensures the appropriate referral of issues to appropriate bodies (e.g., Risk Management; Adult Guardianship; PCQO; Regulatory Colleges; Patient Care Quality Review Board; Ombudsperson).
• Elevates relevant or patterns of concerns to Indigenous Health to inform training and policy work.
• Coordinates conferences, circles, or cultural ceremony between patients, clients, residents, and families and their support persons or representatives and IH leaders, medical staff, and external partners as appropriate during the process of resolving concerns.
• Participates in the development of policies and procedures related to concerns management.
• Participates in interdisciplinary/interdepartmental and professional meetings as appropriate, communicating needs and concerns and sharing knowledge of Indigenous perspectives and cultural safety to help mentor the PCQO and patient experience teams.
• Carries out responsibilities in accordance with health and safety requirements. Immediately reports unsafe situations by notifying supervisor or other appropriate personnel.
• In alignment with IH’s Occupational Health & Safety Program, employees shall adhere to all Occupational Health and Safety policies and procedures at all times and attend all required training. Employees are responsible to report any identified hazards, unsafe conditions or incidents to the manager or supervisor immediately.

Interior Health strives to create an environment where you enjoy the work you do, the place where you work, and the people around you. Together, we create great workplaces. Apply today!

Honouring Interior Health’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), and Pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, preferential consideration and/or hiring will be given to qualified applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit).

Qualfications
Education, Training, and Experience:

• A level of education, training, and experience equivalent to a Master’s degree in nursing or other health related program.
• Five to seven years of experience working in a large, multi-faceted health organization including three years leadership experience.
• Or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Training and certifications in patient safety and quality improvement methods is preferred.
• Completion of an Indigenous cultural safety training program.
• Completion of Trauma Informed Practice training.
• Training and/or experience leading a restorative approach to healing from harm is desirable.