Experience

This page brings together my background and anonymised examples of my work, so you can see the experience that sits behind the support I offer.

About Maria Loulaki

Clinical Governance & Patient Safety Consultant

Maria Loulaki, Clinical Governance and Patient Safety Consultant

Maria Loulaki BSc, M.Sc. PGDip
NTU Alumna Fellow

Maria Loulaki on LinkedIn Loulaki Consulting on LinkedIn

I am an experienced healthcare professional specialising in clinical governance, patient safety, quality assurance, risk management, incident learning and service improvement.

My career has included senior governance and quality roles across NHS trusts, community healthcare, ICB/ICS environments and independent healthcare.

I have worked across both operational and strategic environments, supporting organisations to understand their risks, strengthen assurance, respond to incidents, embed learning and prepare for external assessment.

My experience includes working with:

NHS Trusts
ICBs and ICSs
Community healthcare
Primary care
Private healthcare
Care and support services
Multidisciplinary teams

My approach is deliberately practical.

I don't believe governance should sit separately from the service. It should be visible in everyday practice, understood by staff and reflected in the experience and safety of the people receiving care.

My professional experience includes:

Clinical Governance
Patient Safety
PSIRF
Incident Investigation
Quality Assurance
Risk Management
CQC Readiness
Audit and Assurance
Complaints and PALS
Safeguarding
Quality Improvement
Policy and governance development
Patient and public engagement
Service transformation
Board and executive reporting

Experience in Practice

These case studies are anonymous. The organisations I worked with are not named.

Case study 1

NHS Trust: CQC assessment preparation

Preparing an organisation for external assessment

I supported an NHS Trust through a structured CQC preparation programme over approximately three months.

The approach included:

Initial assessment of current practice
Review against relevant CQC assessment requirements
Mock assessments
Review of governance arrangements
Staff engagement
Identification of gaps and opportunities
Development of practical improvement actions
Reassessment of progress
Review of evidence and assurance
Final readiness review

Rather than introducing generic solutions, improvements were developed to fit the organisation's culture, existing systems and ways of working.

The focus was on ensuring staff understood why changes were needed and how they fitted into their everyday work, creating stronger and more sustainable assurance.

Case study 2

NHS / ICS: Building visible governance

Turning governance and learning into something staff could see

I supported an NHS/ICS environment to strengthen governance and assurance by developing clearer reporting mechanisms and improving the visibility of learning across the organisation.

This included:

Developing reporting platforms
Improving governance reporting
Strengthening action tracking
Making patient safety learning visible to staff
Embedding learning into organisational processes
Creating clearer assurance for senior leaders

The objective was to move from reporting information to demonstrating what had been learned, what had changed and whether the change was sustained.

Case study 3

Private healthcare: Establishing governance from the outset

Building a strong foundation for independent healthcare

I supported private healthcare providers to establish proportionate governance arrangements and prepare for CQC assessment.

The work focused on:

Governance structures
Policies and procedures
Risk management
Patient safety
Audit
Staff understanding
Evidence
CQC readiness

The emphasis was not simply on preparing documents for assessment, but on establishing systems that supported the delivery of a safe, effective and well-governed service from the outset.

Case study 4

Community healthcare

Strengthening governance across community services

I worked within community healthcare to strengthen clinical governance, patient safety, quality assurance and organisational risk management.

This included:

PSIRF implementation
Patient safety investigations
Incident learning
Risk management
Complaints and PALS
Governance reporting
Quality improvement
Board and executive assurance

The focus was on connecting frontline practice with organisational assurance, ensuring that learning and improvement could be demonstrated at every level.

Let's talk about your organisation

I take on a limited number of engagements at a time, so each organisation receives my full attention. If you are considering support, an early conversation is the best way to talk about timing.

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