Legal Services Administrator

Employer South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Royal Bethlem Hospital Town Beckenham Salary £33,262 - £36,027 Per Annum inclusive of HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 13/10/2026 23:59

Legal Services Administrator

Band 4

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role.We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

Are you an organised, proactive administrator looking for an opportunity to develop your career within NHS Legal Services?

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is looking for an enthusiastic and highly organised Legal Services Administrator to join our busy and supportive Legal Services team.

This is a varied role providing administrative and coordination support across a broad range of legal matters, including claims, inquests and Court of Protection matters.

You will be an important part of the Legal Services team, helping to ensure that legal matters are managed efficiently, accurately and within required timescales. You will work closely with Legal Services Officer, the Legal Services Manager and colleagues across the Trust.

This role would suit someone who enjoys working in a busy environment, takes pride in getting the detail right and is confident dealing with confidential and sometimes sensitive information.

You do not need to be a qualified legal professional. We are looking for someone with strong administrative skills, excellent organisation and attention to detail, and an interest in developing their knowledge and experience of NHS Legal Services.

Main duties of the job

You will provide administrative support to the Legal Services team, helping to keep cases, documents and deadlines organised and ensuring that colleagues have the information and support they need.

• Acting as a first point of contact for routine enquiries to Legal Services and ensuring these are logged, acknowledged and directed appropriately.
• Maintaining accurate legal case records, databases, trackers and case management systems.
• Tracking key deadlines, hearings and actions and ensuring records are kept up to date.
• Supporting the collation of clinical records, policies and other information required for legal matters and disclosure.
• Assisting with the preparation and collation of legal documents, correspondence, witness statements, and evidence bundles.
• Arranging meetings, case conferences, hearings, calls and witness meetings.
• Preparing routine correspondence, reports and meeting papers.
• Liaising with clinical and corporate teams to obtain information and documentation.
• Communicating professionally and sensitively with staff, patients, families, external solicitors, Coroner’s Officers and other agencies.
• Handling confidential and sensitive information appropriately and in accordance with information governance requirements.
• Recognising urgent, complex or sensitive matters and escalating them appropriately.
• Providing general administrative support to the Legal Services team.

Working for our organisation

At South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, we believe in providing excellent care which is delivered with pride and compassion. Everything we do is focused on improving the lives of the people and communities we serve and promoting mental health and wellbeing for all.

We provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK, alongside substance misuse services. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London and are part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre.

Our organisation brings together three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training. We employ around 5,000 staff and provide more than 230 services across our local communities.

Working for our Trust gives you the opportunity to be part of an organisation with a rich history and an international reputation in mental health care. You will work alongside colleagues from a wide range of professional backgrounds and have access to learning and professional development opportunities.

We are committed to providing a supportive, inclusive and professional working environment in which our staff can develop and make a meaningful contribution to the work of the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The postholder will provide comprehensive administrative and coordination support to the Trust’s Legal Services function.

You will work within agreed processes and procedures, using your initiative to manage your workload and ensure that administrative tasks are completed accurately and within required timescales. You will be expected to recognise when a matter is urgent, complex or sensitive and expand to an appropriate member of the Legal Services team.

What you will bring

• Highly organised, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Accurate and attentive to detail.
• Confident using IT systems, including Microsoft Office, Outlook, Word, Excel and databases.
• Able to maintain accurate records and ensure information is filed and retrievable.
• A clear and professional communicator, both verbally and in writing.
• Comfortable working with confidential and sensitive information.
• Able to work calmly and professionally under pressure.
• Proactive and able to work independently within defined procedures.
• A positive team player who is willing to support colleagues and contribute to an efficient and supportive Legal Services function.

You will have experience of providing administrative support in a busy office environment, maintaining records or databases, preparing correspondence and documents, arranging meetings and dealing with internal and external stakeholders. Experience of managing competing priorities and deadlines is also important.

Experience of working within an NHS, healthcare, legal, governance, claims, complaints, risk or regulatory environment would be advantageous. An awareness of inquests, claims, Court of Protection or Mental Capacity Act processes would also be desirable.

You will be educated to A-level standard or have equivalent experience, with GCSE English and Maths or equivalent. A legal secretary, paralegal, CILEX, business administration or healthcare administration qualification would be desirable.

Why this role?

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced administrator who wants to develop their skills within a specialist NHS environment.

You will gain exposure to a wide variety of legal matters and will work alongside experienced legal professionals while developing your understanding of the processes and governance that underpin NHS Legal Services.

If you are organised, approachable and motivated to make a difference, and you are looking for a role where your administrative skills will have a direct impact on the effective delivery of an important Trust function, we would love to hear from you.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to A-level standard or equivalent experience.
• GCSE English and Maths, or equivalent.
• NVQ Level 3/4 in Business Administration, Legal Administration or equivalent relevant experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development or willingness to undertake relevant training.
• Legal secretary, paralegal, CILEX, business administration or healthcare administration qualification.
• Training in confidentiality, data protection, information governance or records management.
• Training or awareness of NHS governance, claims, inquests or legal services processes.

Experience

• Experience of providing administrative support in a busy office environment.
• Experience of maintaining accurate records, databases, spreadsheets or case management systems.
• Experience of handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Experience of drafting, formatting and issuing correspondence and documents.
• Experience of arranging meetings, taking notes or maintaining action logs
• Experience of dealing with internal and external stakeholders by telephone, email or correspondence.
• Experience of managing competing administrative priorities and deadlines.
• Experience of working in an NHS, healthcare, legal, governance, claims, complaints, risk or regulatory environment.
• Experience of supporting legal, claims, inquest, complaints or investigation processes.
• Experience of working with medical records or confidential patient information
• Experience of using electronic document management or case management systems

Knowledge

• Understanding of the importance of confidentiality and secure information handling
• Awareness of data protection and information governance principles.
• Understanding of the need for accurate record keeping and audit trails
• Awareness of administrative processes within a complex organisation.
• Awareness of the role of Legal Services within an NHS Trust.
• Awareness of inquests, claims, Court of Protection or Mental Capacity Act processes.
• Awareness of clinical governance, patient safety or complaints processes.

Skills

• Ability to recognise when matters need to be escalated.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills. Ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Good attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to maintain accurate records and update systems promptly.
• Ability to work calmly and professionally under pressure.
• Ability to handle sensitive and distressing information appropriately.
• Ability to work independently within defined procedures and as part of a team.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office, Outlook, Word, Excel and databases.

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity.

Welcome to your candidate journey.
Our Candidate Recruitment Information Pack is designed to help you learn more about our Trust, understand the recruitment process, and prepare a strong application. We encourage you to explore the pack and use the guidance, tips and resources available to help you feel informed, confident, and ready to showcase your best self: Recruitment Toolkit - Customer Success Test

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

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