Clinical Lead Clinical and Professional Standards - Obstetrics in Shefford

Main area Obstetrics & Neonatal Grade NHS AfC: Band 9 Contract 18 months (Fixed Term contract for 18 months) Hours

• Part time
• Other

4 hours per week (No additional working pattern) Job ref 644-CE078

Employer Central East Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site Priory House Town Chicksands, Shefford Salary £112,782 - £129,783 pa pro rata (1 PA) Salary period Yearly Closing 30/09/2026 23:59

Clinical Lead Clinical Advisory - Obstetrics

NHS AfC: Band 9

We are Central East ICB, the new organisationentrusted with serving more than 3.5 million people across Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and Hertfordshire.

We are responsible for making sure that the NHS can continue to support our community – now, and in the future. Everything we do will be guided by our core purpose: to do what best serves the population of this area.

We promise to focus on what makes the biggest difference to people’s lives – acting earlier to help prevent illness and detect disease and making it easier for our community to get the health care they need, closer to home, whenever that’s possible.

Read about our priorities in our strategy document, Our Way .

Job overview

The Clinical Lead will provide expert clinical leadership and technical advice across all functions of the Integrated Care Board (ICB), ensuring that strategic and operational decisions are underpinned by robust clinical evidence, governance, and population health priorities. Operating at a Senior level, the postholder will play a pivotal role in aligning clinical insight with system transformation, commissioning, quality improvement and service delivery.

Clinical Lead time will be allocated to key areas of work on a project basis. This role fosters multi-disciplinary collaboration and ensures that clinical excellence is embedded throughout the ICB's work.

Main duties of the job

• Provide high-level technical clinical advice to all ICB functions, including commissioning, transformation, digital, finance and workforce
• Be responsible for delivery of various projects & programmes. These will be time limited and there will be active management of clinical lead time to enable prioritisation
• Interpret and apply clinical evidence, guidelines, and regulatory standards to inform commissioning, contracting, policy and programme development
• Lead the integration of clinical leadership into all ICB processes
• Support the development and implementation of clinical governance and quality assurance frameworks
• Act as a senior clinical representative in system and place boards, stakeholder forums, and cross-sector collaborations
• Champion continuous improvement through Total Quality Management (TQM), clinical audit and evaluation methodologies
• Develop and apply Utilisation Management processes
• Contribute expertise to clinical prioritisation and individual funding processes
• Advise on clinical risk management, incident response and emergency preparedness
• Promote evidence based, person-centred care across all levels of the health and care system
• Facilitate alignment between clinical priorities and population health intelligence to reduce health inequalities
• To liaise with Strategy Neighbourhoods and Partnerships, Contracting and Strategic Planning and Commissioning as required

Working for our organisation

We are committed to promoting equal opportunities to achieve equity of access, experience and outcomes and to recognising and valuing people’s differences. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity; we see this as a strength and part of our founding mission, values and behaviours. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers patient outcomes.

We are committed to creating the best place to work, where your contribution is valued, your wellbeing is supported and all our colleagues can reach their full potential. We welcome and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of their protected characteristic. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone, including making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition and support with the recruitment process for people with lived experience.

We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles.

We operate a Carer friendly working environment that is supportive and inclusive. We actively encourage Carers to self-identify themselves.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and commit to shortlisting suitable applicants who meet the essential criteria for an interview. Please inform us of any adjustments you may require.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This role requires strong collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders to ensure alignment and effective delivery. Internally, you will work closely with ICB colleagues, managers, and senior leadership to drive shared objectives.

Externally, you will engage with national and regional teams at NHS England, as well as Integrated Care System (ICS) partners, including portfolio leads, Local Authorities, Provider Collaboratives, and Place-based teams. Building constructive relationships with non-NHS organisations, members of the public, and service users is essential to ensure services reflect local needs and priorities.

You will also work in a matrix environment, collaborating across teams to manage interdependencies and maintain strategic alignment. Where specialist expertise is required, you will liaise with external consultancy partners to support delivery. These relationships are critical to creating a joined-up approach that maximises resources, drives quality improvement, and delivers meaningful outcomes for our population.

The Clinical Lead plays a pivotal leadership role within the Integrated Care Board (ICB), ensuring the effective delivery of the organisation's plans and priorities. Working closely with the Director and wider management team, the Clinical Lead provides strategic and operational leadership across a portfolio of programmes, ensuring that system ambitions are translated into tangible improvements in care, outcomes, and experience for local populations. They act as a key interface between strategic planning and operational delivery, ensuring that the ICB's vision and objectives are fully embedded across teams, partners, and programmes.

A core part of the Clinical Lead's role is to drive delivery of the ICB plan, ensuring alignment with national policy, local strategies, and partner priorities. This includes overseeing progress against the ICB's core "must-do" requirements while maintaining a sharp focus on longer-term transformation and system development. The Clinical Lead ensures that delivery is underpinned by robust governance, effective performance management, and strong collaboration across providers, local authorities, and the voluntary sector.

The Clinical Lead also leads and influences continuous improvement across the system—embedding a culture of learning, innovation, and accountability. They are responsible for ensuring that improvement methodologies are applied consistently, that data and insight drive decision‑making, and that barriers to delivery are identified and addressed swiftly. Through effective leadership, partnership working, and a clear focus on outcomes, the Clinical Lead ensures that the ICB delivers both its statutory responsibilities and its wider strategic ambitions, supporting sustainable, high‑quality care for all.

Ultimately, the Clinical Lead acts as a trusted Associate Clinician to the Director, providing leadership, resilience, and strategic capacity to the senior team. They play a crucial role in ensuring that the ICB operates as a cohesive, high‑performing system— one that delivers on immediate priorities while building the foundations for long‑term improvement and integration across health and care.

Person specification

• Experience & Qualification
• Experience & Qualifications

Please Note:

• This vacancy may close before the advertised closing date if a sufficient number of suitable applications are received. We recommend submitting your application early to avoid disappointment.
• Successfully shortlisted applicants will be contacted by email with an invitation to interview.
• Please note that we do not pay interview expenses, all costs are incurred by the candidate.

Notes on completion of applications:

• All reference requests will be made to your employer/previous employers' HR Department, covering the previous 3 years of activity.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.
• All eligible staff will need to have gained clearance through a standard/enhanced DBS check prior to working.
• All posts are subject to a probationary period.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.