Quality Improvement Advisor at Palladium

Project Profile

Palladium has recently been awarded a sub-contract from Pathfinder International to help implement the USAID Afya Pwani project in Kenya. The project?s purpose is to contribute to the USAID/Kenya Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) Development Objective 2, ?Health and Human Capacity Strengthened? in Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa, and Taita Taveta counties, while engaging with the larger USAID efforts to make devolution successful and support the country?s economic growth. Afya Pwani?s goal is to contribute to USAID/Kenya?s Sub-Intermediate Result 2.2.2, ?Improved county-level accountability, institutional capacity, leadership, and management of health service delivery,? with an aim to ?Improve and increase access to and utilization of quality health services in Kenya through strengthened service delivery and institutional capacity of county health systems.?

Pathfinder International formed a team to implement Afya Pwani that includes Pathfinder, Plan International Kenya, and Palladium.

The Project Has Three Sub-purposes

• Increased access and utilization of quality HIV services.
• Increased access and utilization of focused MNCH/FP/WASH & nutrition services.
• Strengthened and functional county health systems.

   

Under The Guidance Of The Pathfinder Chief Of Party And In Collaboration With Other Partners, Palladium Has The Lead For The Third Sub-purpose, Which Has Five Key Outputs

• Output 3.1: Partnerships for Governance and Strategic Planning, including Healthcare Financing
• Output 3.2: Human Resources for Health (HRH)
• Output 3.3: Health Products and Technologies (HPT)
• Output 3.4: Strategic Monitoring and Evaluation Systems, including EMR
• Output 3.5: Quality Improvement Systems

   

Palladium is recruiting an 11 person team to work within the Afya Pwani project team to help achieve these outputs. The team will be led by a Senior Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Advisor/Team Leader and based in Mombasa, Kenya, covering work in Mombasa, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, and Lamu counties. Palladium staff in Nairobi and our international offices will provide routine technical and administrative support and assistance.

Responsibilities

The proposed QI Advisor will assist county-level structures conduct information sharing and learning between facilities while coordinating with the already existing QI teams at facility level. There is also need to sustain the Q.I gains made by URC in Kwale, Taita Taveta & Kilifi counties, which going forward fall under our mandate.

The Quality Improvement (QI) Advisor will also work closely with Ministry of Health (MOH) officials at County, Sub-County & facility level to support improvements in HIV Care and treatment, RMNCH and TB and S/he will be responsible for advancing the science of improvement in health care service delivery at both county and facility levels in accordance with the Kenya Quality Model for Health (KQMH).

The Incumbent Will

Key Responsibilities

• Work with S/CHMTs to establish quality indicators for respectful care in the five coastal counties
• Engage with S/CHMTs and Implementing partners to support quality improvement work in line with the Kenya Quality Model for Health.
• Support existing or help establish functional QI systems at all levels (Facility, sub-county and county)
• Support dissemination of key DDIU findings to CQI teams at facility level and county level for use in data-driven interventions.
• Conduct quarterly meetings with health care service providers at the facility and sub-county level to review DDIU findings
• Work closely with other output leads and different thematic areas to coordinate the establishment and monitoring of Quality Improvement initiatives
• Support regular county level structure for information sharing and learning between facility teams with regard to quality improvement.
• Capacity building of county, sub-county and facility level health management teams to be quality improvement coaches.
• Conducting routine healthcare facility audits on quality improvement.
• Participate in the design, development and implementation of integrated project work plans together with other technical staff
• Identify gaps in quality of care on a quarterly basis
• Support Sub county and hospital management teams in implementing QI by adopting/promoting relevant guidelines and protocols
• Support performance review of QI teams at sub county level
• Facilitate application of quality standards at health facilities in activities and interventions in model sites by planning, testing and implementing interventions to close gaps
• Prepare monthly reports and updates as and when required.

Requirements

• A minimum of degree in Medicine, Nursing or Pharmacy
• Three (3) years? experience managing National and County health systems.
• Hands on skills of health care and health care coverage issues. Those with prior clinical practice and quality improvement process experience will be preferred.
• Experience in advising, training and mentoring on Quality Improvement efforts at county level
• Prior experience of working with County/sub-county and facility health management teams
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and in teams
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Ability and willingness to travel in the field as and when required
• Exceptional verbal, interpersonal and written communications skills
• Familiarity of health sector in coastal region will be an added advantage.
• Fluent in English and Kiswahili