What does a Safeguarding and Quality Officer actually do?
For Virginia Bramer, who joined Nouvita Healthcare in January 2026, the answer is not straightforward. Her role combines safeguarding, quality assurance, investigation, training, analysis and, perhaps most importantly, plenty of conversations with the people who use Nouvita’s services and the teams who support them.
Based primarily at Baldock Manor Hospital but regularly visiting Nouvita’s other services, Virginia works across hospitals, residential homes and learning disability day centres. Her focus is on helping protect vulnerable adults from harm, abuse and neglect, while also making sure the organisation continues to meet the standards expected of it.
“It’s about preventing and protecting vulnerable adults from harm, abuse and neglect within a care setting,” she explains. “That could be inpatients in hospital, day centre users or residents in residential homes.”
From policing to healthcare
Virginia came to Nouvita following a 20-year career working for the police as a civilian, most recently as a Missing Persons Investigator. She had already developed a strong interest in mental health and had trained as a counsellor, with much of her previous police experience involving mental health and supporting victims of crime.
Moving into healthcare gave her an opportunity to use that experience in a different way.
“In the police, safeguarding was within a police framework. Since then, moving into care, the difference is that it’s more preventative.”
It was the opportunity to try something new while building on her existing experience that attracted Virginia to Nouvita. She was also excited by the prospect of working across different sites, meeting different people and taking on a new challenge.
That variety remains one of the things she enjoys most about the role.
“I love engaging with lots of different people and different things. It’s not repetitive, it’s quite stimulating. I like the emotional connections and the analytical side.”
No two days are quite the same
There is a routine to Virginia’s working week, but it is rarely predictable.
She typically spends two or three days at Baldock Manor Hospital, arriving early to prepare for the day ahead. At 9am, she joins the daily morning meeting with the multidisciplinary team, where patient notes, incidents and issues requiring follow-up are discussed.
It is often during this meeting that Virginia becomes aware of safeguarding concerns that need further investigation.
From there, her day can take any number of directions.
She may spend time speaking directly with patients on the wards about concerns such as domestic abuse or financial exploitation, or follow up issues raised by staff. She may attend meetings with NHS colleagues, the CQC, local authorities or MAPPA professionals. Other days involve delivering safeguarding training, attending Restrictive Practice or Clinical Governance meetings, or supporting managers with concerns they have raised.
There is also a significant amount of investigative work behind the scenes.
Where a safeguarding concern reaches the appropriate threshold, Virginia may need to complete a safeguarding referral and ensure the relevant organisations, including the CQC and NHS, are notified. She then works to establish what has happened, gather the available information and identify the most appropriate response.
“It’s lots of investigation work to uncover the full picture and provide the best solution” she says.
The part of the job people don’t always see
Safeguarding is only part of Virginia’s role.
Alongside responding to individual concerns, she is responsible for quality assurance across Nouvita. This includes reviewing policies, completing audits, looking at documentation and identifying areas where processes could be improved.
Rather than managers assessing their own work, Virginia provides an independent layer of scrutiny.
“It gives more integrity by someone else doing it,” she explains. “It’s about making sure we are reporting and recording things properly for improvement and transparency.”
She also regularly visits Nouvita’s newer services, helping managers understand the organisation’s standards, complete audits and use systems such as RADAR.
There is work with the Talking Therapies team too, including providing advice around safeguarding concerns and supporting colleagues to apply safeguarding policies appropriately.
Virginia also attends Quality Assurance Group meetings and Board meetings, and can become involved in investigations where serious incidents or allegations have been raised. These investigations can involve reviewing CCTV, taking statements, speaking to staff and producing reports for HR.
It is a side of safeguarding that people outside the profession may not immediately associate with the role.
“People think safeguarding is simpler than it really is,” Virginia says. “There’s a lot more going on under the surface to prevent a safeguarding issue.”
Being proactive matters
A large part of Virginia’s approach is being professionally curious.
If something does not seem right, she does not simply wait for a formal safeguarding referral to arrive. She asks questions, speaks to people and looks at what might be happening beneath the surface.
She says the amount of time she spends talking to service users is something people might not expect from a role that is often associated with policies and procedures.
“I’m very proactive. If I get a sense of anything, I act on it rather than leaving it.”
That approach was particularly important during one of her earliest experiences at Nouvita.
Only a month into the role, Virginia was asked to accompany a Registered Manager on a home visit to meet a service user. The person was experiencing catatonia and was unable to communicate, and there were concerns about possible domestic abuse.
During the visit, Virginia noticed a number of signs that raised concerns for her. She shared these observations with the social worker involved, including concerns around controlling behaviour, coercion, over-medication and the person’s long-term isolation.
The concerns were investigated and the individual was subsequently moved to Eltisley Manor, where they could be supported in a safer environment.
Virginia says the outcome has been hugely positive. The person is now doing well, has regained their voice and is safe and thriving.
For someone in a role that can often operate in the background, it was a powerful reminder of why the work matters.
A role that can change direction quickly
Virginia describes her days as roughly “50/50” between routine and unexpected work.
There are meetings to attend, audits to complete and policies to review, but a new concern or emerging risk can quickly change the priorities for the day.
One recent Friday brought together almost every aspect of her role.
She attended meetings, followed up a safeguarding referral with a local authority after speaking with patients on the wards, delivered safeguarding training and helped a colleague work through how to respond to an internal incident.
She then attended a Restrictive Practice meeting relating to the same issue.
For Virginia, a good day is not necessarily one where everything goes according to plan. It is one where she feels she has been productive, helpful and able to engage with different people.
“I’m passionate about others understanding the importance of safeguarding. I enjoy educating people and having small discussions.”
The human side of safeguarding
Although much of Virginia’s work happens behind the scenes, she sees its impact as significant.
She plays an important role behind the scenes within the organisation, helping to make sure the voices of service users are heard, particularly when someone may struggle to speak up for themselves.
“I’m quite thorough and won’t let something go if I don’t feel it’s right. I fight to ensure their voice is heard, especially if they can’t do that themselves.”
That determination applies to staff too. Her role is not simply about identifying what has gone wrong. It is about understanding what has happened, ensuring appropriate action is taken and making sure the outcome is robust.
The people she works alongside have also influenced how she approaches the role.
“People in this industry are kind and caring. They are very accepting. Here, people can be celebrated despite their mental health.”
For Virginia, that has reinforced the importance of kindness and supporting others.
It can be challenging, but that’s part of the appeal
The variety of the role is one of its biggest attractions, but it also brings challenges.
Virginia is constantly learning new processes and building her knowledge across a wide range of areas. Sometimes she encounters something she does not know the answer to, but she sees finding that answer as part of the job.
“You’re never going to know everything, and you have to be open to that.”
Some situations can also be emotionally difficult. Virginia manages this by maintaining clear boundaries around work and personal time. She makes a conscious effort to work within her core hours rather than allowing work to take over, and spends her downtime watching football and reading.
For her, keeping perspective is important.
“I like to get things into perspective and not let things overwhelm me. I try to flip to the positive.”
Finding your place at Nouvita
Virginia says one of the things she values most about working at Nouvita is the sense that caring for people genuinely sits at the heart of the organisation.
“It’s a company that cares for people. That’s clearly at the heart of what it stands for. Caring for the vulnerable.”
She feels that she has found a team that shares those values.
“They’re my kind of people.”
Since joining Nouvita, Virginia has also had to overcome some personal barriers of her own. Naturally shy, she has had to push herself to deliver training, speak out and participate in groups.
She sees that as one of the things she is most proud of so far.
“I’ve had to overcome personal barriers to deliver training, speak out and participate in groups, and I’ve embraced it. It’s quite confidence building.”
Three words: rewarding, challenging and inspiring
When asked to describe her job in three words, Virginia chooses rewarding, challenging and inspiring.
Rewarding, because the role can make a real difference and help keep people safe.
Challenging, because there is always more to learn and mistakes are part of developing professionally.
And inspiring, because she finds it motivating to give people a voice and do the best she can to help others.
She does not have a fixed five-year career plan. Instead, she prefers to focus on developing the knowledge and experience she has gained and see where future opportunities take her.
“This year has been so big for me in terms of personal growth. The medium-term is embedding the new knowledge and getting comfortable, then I’ll see where life takes me.”
Would safeguarding be right for you?
Virginia is clear that safeguarding is not a career for someone looking for a simple or predictable working day.
You need resilience, patience and the ability to think on your feet. Professional curiosity and attention to detail are important, as is an analytical mind. You also need to accept that you will not always be the most popular person in the room.
“You can’t come complete and know everything. You grow and learn into the role.”
Perhaps most importantly, Virginia believes you need to understand yourself and recognise your own biases.
For anyone considering a similar career, her advice is to see the role as an opportunity to develop both personally and professionally.
“This role and career direction isn’t about climbing a ladder. It’s about people and growing personally and professionally through the experiences of the role.”
And despite the seriousness of safeguarding, there is still room for enjoyment.
“The fun that you can have in the role is because of the people. They make it fun. You can’t be too serious. You have to have a light side to be able to unwind, particularly because the role is quite serious.”
For Virginia, that balance captures much of what makes the job worthwhile: serious responsibility, continuous learning, human connection and the opportunity to make a genuine difference to the people Nouvita supports.
Interested in a career with Nouvita Healthcare?
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