Chief Medical Officer – Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Cheltenham

Location: Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

Very Senior Manager (VSM)

Closing Date: August 13, 2026

Reference: GLOS-CMO-0626

Shaping the future of healthcare in Gloucestershire. At Gloucestershire Hospitals, we serve over 650,000 people across our county and beyond, with a clear ambition to deliver the best care every day for everyone. We are seeking an inspirational clinical leader to join our Board as Chief Medical Officer. This is a pivotal role at a time of significant change for the NHS and for our organisation.

As the Trust’s principal medical advisor to the Chief Executive and Board, you will provide visible and credible leadership to drive high quality, safe and sustainable care. Working alongside the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer as part of the executive triumvirate, you will play a central role in delivering our strategy, improving operational performance and strengthening clinical leadership across Gloucestershire and the wider Integrated Care System.

You will lead improvements in quality, safety and governance, operational performance and productivity, workforce transformation and clinical engagement, digital transformation and research and innovation. You will shape new models of care that improve patient pathways, support our workforce and deliver the ambitions of the NHS Ten Year Plan.

We are looking for an accomplished senior medical leader with Board level experience and a strong track record of improving quality, safety and performance. You will bring the credibility, influence and strategic vision to lead through complexity, build partnerships and deliver lasting change.

As Chief Medical Officer, you will work in partnership with the Chief Nursing Officer to provide executive leadership for clinical quality, patient safety, clinical effectiveness and governance across the Trust, ensuring the highest standards of care, assurance and continuous improvement. You will act as the professional lead for medical, dental and scientific staff, driving workforce transformation, clinical engagement, education, training and research, while maintaining high professional standards and behaviours.

Working with Executive colleagues, you will support financial sustainability through clinically led productivity and improvement programmes, ensuring alignment between quality, operational and financial performance. In partnership with the Chief Operating Officer, you will provide clinical leadership for urgent and emergency care, elective recovery, patient flow and clinical productivity, supporting delivery against quality, performance and financial expectations.

You will also lead the Trust’s clinical strategy, driving transformation and the development of new models of care to improve outcomes and strengthen partnerships across the system, enabling delivery of the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Working for the Organisation: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was established in 2004 following a reconfiguration of health services across the county. We provide acute services from Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital, alongside maternity services at Stroud Maternity Hospital. With more than 9,000 colleagues representing over 95 nationalities, we are proud to be the largest employer in Gloucestershire, bringing together a rich diversity of experience and perspectives in the care we deliver.

We work closely with partners and local communities to improve health and wellbeing and ensure access to high quality services. We place people at the centre of everything we do, working together as one team with a shared ambition to grow, develop and continually improve. We recognise and value every contribution, supporting both our communities and each other. Gloucestershire offers a strong sense of community and an exceptional quality of life, with historic towns, outstanding natural landscapes, excellent schools and a vibrant cultural scene.