Head of Legal Services in Crawley

Band 8b | Full Time | Permanent
Base: Trust Headquarters, Crawley (with travel across SECAmb sites)

Are you an experienced legal professional with a passion for healthcare law and a commitment to improving patient safety and organisational governance? South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is seeking a dynamic, highly skilled Head of Legal Services to lead our Legal Services team.

About the Role
As Head of Legal Services, you will provide expert legal advice across a broad range of healthcare-related matters, including clinical negligence, coroners' inquests, personal injury claims, and complex ethical issues. You will act as a trusted advisor to the Trust's Executive Team, senior clinicians, and operational leaders, ensuring legal compliance and supporting continuous improvement in patient safety and governance.

Main duties of the job
You will lead the legal management of inquests, including advocacy and witness support, and oversee the conduct of claims and litigation. You will also play a key role in identifying organisational learning from legal processes and contribute to policy development and internal training.

• Independently manage and advocate in coroners' inquests.
• Provide expert legal advice on healthcare law, patient consent, capacity, confidentiality, and more.
• Lead the management of clinical negligence and personal injury claims.
• Support staff across the Trust with legal guidance and training.
• Collaborate with governance, safety, and clinical teams to embed learning and improve practice.
• Line manage legal services staff and oversee the department's budget.

What We're Looking For
Extensive experience in healthcare law, litigation, and inquest advocacy. Strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills. Ability to manage complex caseloads and provide clear, strategic legal advice. Experience working within the NHS or public sector is desirable.

About us
Option to join NHS pension scheme. A minimum 27 days' holiday each year, increasing after 5 years' service. Personal and professional development and training opportunities. Salary Sacrifice schemes for cars or push bikes. Access to occupational health and counselling services. Access to NHS discounts, offering NHS employees a range of money-saving deals.

Job responsibilities
The post holder is responsible for the daily management of the Legal Services allocated budget and line management of legal services staff. Accountable for the effective legal conduct of all inquests involving the Trust, including adherence to professional standards of all Legal staff and compliance with evidentiary and Coronial rules by:

• Acting as a confident advocate, including the ability to examine and cross-examine witnesses, present evidence and make submissions to Coroners on relevant law.
• Understanding the medical complexities of each case in conjunction with senior clinicians and recognising potentially problematic areas, both clinically and legally, which may require further investigation and reporting for the purposes of the inquest.
• Providing advice on the preparation and content of witness statements.
• Liaising with the Coroner and his/her Officers to meet the requirements of the Court.
• In exceptional cases, instructing Counsel where necessary.
• Ensuring close liaison with the patient safety team and divisional quality and clinical leads, highlighting areas of risk identified in inquests investigations to ensure that lessons learned in the claims and inquest process are implemented within the Trust.

Legal Advice
To ensure the provision of the highest level of prompt and accurate expert legal advice by:

• Providing advice on matters including, but not limited to, patient consent, withholding/withdrawing of life sustaining treatment and end of life decisions, capacity, confidentiality, access to patient information, medical ethics, mental health law, trust law, contract law, criminal law, dealings with the police, child protection, occupiers liability, interpretation of relevant legislation, legal principles and case law.
• Participating in and providing legal advice to Trust Working Groups and Committees in the development and implementation of policy, ensuring the Trust's compliance with the relevant legal frameworks.

Person Specification

Skills/Ability/Knowledge
Able to communicate highly contentious, sensitive and complex information (both written and oral) often within an antagonistic atmosphere in order to provide a legal advisory service and associate specialist litigation. Able to take evidence from witnesses and submissions in court or tribunal. Ability to deal confidently with staff at all levels of an organisation. Well-developed interpersonal skills with the ability to work with a range of professionals. Excellent communication skills at all levels, confident when speaking in public and at large meetings. Developing & delivering training programmes.

Qualifications
Degree in Law (or other degree with completion of relevant conversion course). Masters level qualification, or demonstrable experience as a senior and expert specialist solicitor or barrister. Knowledge and experience associated with NHS specific legal provisions, structures and social care policies. Experience of Datix.

Experience
Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge within the specialised field of Health Law, including litigation, inquests and general advice on protection of interests of medical staff and organisations. Inquest Advocacy. Experience of managing staff and budgets. Experience of using the NHSLA Extranet and Claims Wizard. Experience of working within the NHS or public sector environment.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.