Step into a place where exceptional care, patients, culture, and careers come together.
Explore our current vacancies and take your first step toward making a real difference.
Join us. Make a difference. Be part of Team LGT.
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the IC S in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
Job overview
The Head of Legal will provide professional leadership and management of the Trust wide healthcare legal service, including development of robust, auditable frameworks, which meet best practice standards and external requirements.
The postholder will lead the management of healthcare legal services in relation to clinical negligence, employer’s liability, public liability, property expenses scheme, personal injury, Powers of Attorney, Wills, inquest related matters and Court of Protection cases, developing (where necessary) and implementing/maintaining Trust wide policies.
The post holder will be a healthcare law subject matter expert and have the requisite management skills to develop and maintain strong service delivery, including providing healthcare legal advice to the Trust and its committees and to individuals or groups of staff.
You will provide highly specialist medico-legal advice, being a confident advocate with good working knowledge of the relevant law, working with professional leads across the organisation.
It is essential that the appointee is a proven team player who is able to engender trust and respect from colleagues at all levels.
In addition, the post holder will be responsible for ensuring learning is identified across integrated areas, as well as ensure there is joined up working, practices, policies and governance to ensure learning from incidents, complaints, inquests and claims.
Main duties of the job
Work autonomously and have the freedom to take action on own interpretation of professional / relevant policies and law, advising the organisation on how these should be interpreted and implemented.
Provide expert advice and leadership on matters relating to a wide range of clinical and personal injury litigation claims, inquests, and Court of Protection.
Provide highly specialist technical and expert advice to senior management and clinical staff on a wide range of sensitive and complex clinical issues that may arise.
Have substantial experience, equivalent to 8 years, of managing a team on a day-to-day basis, nurturing and developing the team and guiding them through change and transformation.
Identify learning opportunities that arise from claims or other Court findings; persuade; motivate and influence staff to be aware of any developments to improve practice where necessary.
Provide professional leadership and management in the design and implementation of Trust wide procedures, such as consent and claims management, to ensure that they are robust, auditable and reflect best practice.
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
- Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
- Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
- Improving the experience of staff with disability
- Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
- Making equalities mainstream
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Make recommendations, provide advice, prepare and present strategic reports/briefings for the Board and its committees, divisional management teams and clinical leads as required.
Collate and present qualitative and quantitative information and lead appropriate analysis to make robust recommendations arising from litigation and inquests.
Analyse, interpret and present claims and inquest data highlighting issues and risks to support decision making and service development, particularly in relation to quality improvement.
Identify and bring to the attention of clinical leads any immediate concerns about activity of individual staff, including where action may be needed to retrain or otherwise ensure the continuing safety of patients and others.
Represent the Trust within the NHS and community, and with other related individuals and organisations, including in criminal, civil and coroner’s courts.
Arrange and attend meetings and Court hearings involving lawyers, NHS Resolution and Trust staff to provide information on the matters under investigation and to support staff.
Manage a portfolio of high risk claims providing specialist advice and support to clinicians on liability and quantum to further the aim of defending such claims against the Trust. Advocating the position of the Trust as the Defendant where there may be opposing views with external stakeholders.
Provide settlement authority on behalf of the Trust on clinical negligence claims, worth over £5million.
Arrange and provide training as needed for staff. Assist and support staff at all levels across the organisation who are required to give evidence at Court on behalf of the Trust including offering pre hearing briefings and feedback as necessary.
Advise on management of complaints and serious incidents where there are complex and potential legal issues.
Provide legal and other professional advice on policies adopted by the Trust in its delivery of healthcare activities and in compliance with Health legislation.
Give legal and other professional advice on the proposed formation and adoption of new policies in respect of healthcare.
Provide training to any employees within the Trust on aspects of healthcare law relevant to them, including the senior leadership as appropriate.
Must have the ability to attend inquests and represent the Trust in complex matters.
Must be competent to manage and advise on Court of Protection matters to assist clinical staff in the care of patients.
Person specification
Qualifications and Education
- Educated to Masters Level in Law or completion of substantial years articles of clerkship or training contract, equivalent to Masters level education or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
- Qualified Solicitor or Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with extensive PQE experience. Experience must be at required level to supervise and assess trainee Solicitors (equivalent to Partner level in private practice).
- This should include in depth knowledge of the following general and NHS disciplines:
- In depth practical expertise and knowledge in healthcare law including medical ethics, clinical negligence and personal injuries law.
- Extensive evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development.
- In-depth demonstrable knowledge of the NHS and interrelated systems.
- In-depth demonstrable understanding of the background to and aims of patient safety and improvement methodologies.
Professional Registration
- Member of relevant Professional Body with Practicing Certificate.
Experience
- In-depth demonstrable knowledge and experience as a legal advisor on healthcare matters.
- Extensive experience of appearing in court and representing clients in contentious matters including Coroner’s inquests.
- Extensive experience of managing complex clinical negligence claims on behalf of the Claimant and/or Defendant
- Extensive experience of drafting legal proceedings and instructing Counsel in High Court/Court of Protection applications.
- In-depth management experience/knowledge in a legal healthcare setting.
- Extensive demonstrable experience of writing reports, performance and data analysis and delivering training
- Employment law and contract law experience
Knowledge and Skills
- Able to provide, receive and present highly complex, sensitive and contentious information.
- Highly developed negotiating skills with the ability to be authoritative and persuasive when appropriate.
- Strong organisational and management skills with a methodical approach in all aspects of work.
- Highly developed interpretative and analytical skills with the ability to analyse complex facts and develop a range of options.
- The ability to assimilate and analyse complex and sensitive clinical information.
- Previously responsible for a budget, involved in budget setting
- Able to take decisions when required on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action.
- The ability to act under pressure and provide appropriate, immediate and reasoned legal advice in any given circumstance.
- The ability to engender trust and to develop and maintain constructive relationships with staff at all levels within the Trust and with external organisations.
- Strategic thinking – skills and ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
- Proven skills to present highly detailed, arguments that require analysis, comparison and assessment of complex facts.
- Ability to plan and organise a broad range of complex activities, formulating and adjusting plans to reflect changing circumstances.
- Ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines.
- Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary.
- Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues.
- Acutely aware of the confidentiality of patient identifiable information.
- IT skills and understanding of Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint and email.
We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.
Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.
Use of AI in recruitment: We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the initial review of applications against the essential criteria for this role. Where AI is used, it will support rather than replace human decision-making, and applications will remain subject to appropriate human review.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Application numbers
To ensure fairness and manageable shortlisting processes, some vacancies may have an application cap. This means the vacancy will close once a set number of applications have been received even if this happens before the advertised closing date.
We recommend applying as early as possible to avoid missing out. All applications received before the cap is reached will be considered equally and assessed against the person specification.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
