Overview
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. 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.
Responsibilities
* 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.
Coroners Inquests
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.
* Act as a confident advocate, including the ability to examine and cross‑examine witnesses, present evidence and make submissions to Coroners on relevant law.
* Understand the medical complexities of each case in conjunction with senior clinicians and recognise potentially problematic areas, both clinically and legally, which may require further investigation and reporting for the purposes of the inquest.
* Provide advice on the preparation and content of witness statements.
* Liaise with the Coroner and his/her Officers to meet the requirements of the Court.
* In exceptional cases instruct Counsel where necessary.
* Ensure close liaison with the patient safety team and divisional quality and clinical leads, highlighting areas of risk identified in inquest investigations to ensure that lessons learned in the claims and inquest process are implemented within the Trust.
Legal Advice
Provide the highest level of timely and accurate expert legal advice, covering matters such as patient consent, withholding/withdrawing life‑sustaining treatment, 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, occupier's liability, interpretation of relevant legislation, and legal principles and case law. Participate in and provide legal advice to Trust working groups and committees in the development and implementation of policy, ensuring compliance with the relevant legal frameworks.
Requirements
Qualified solicitor or barrister with 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.
Salary range is aligned with Agenda for Change pay scales; successful applicants will be placed at the bottom of the band unless proven relevant NHS experience.
Vaccination & Health Requirements
Following the revision of current national legislation (Vaccine as a Condition of Deployment), the Trust requires staff to be appropriately vaccinated against SARS‑CoV‑2 unless medically exempt, to protect frontline staff. Vaccine status will be verified as part of the application process.
Equality and Diversity
The Trust is passionately committed to being an inclusive employer – a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed. We actively support equality of opportunity for all staff and welcome applications from individuals regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief. The Trust is making progress towards becoming more reflective of the diversity of our community and guarantees an interview to candidates with disability who meet the essential criteria specified. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and disabled applicants and those from other under‑represented groups. The Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people – including those with long‑term health conditions, learning disabilities and hidden disabilities such as dyslexia. If you tell us that you have a disability we can make reasonable adjustments to ensure the selection processes are fair and equitable.
Benefits
* Option to join the NHS pension scheme
* A minimum 27 days' holiday each year, increasing after 5 years of service
* Personal and professional development and training opportunities
* Salary sacrifice schemes for cars or push bikes
* Access to occupational health and counselling services
* Award‑winning wellbeing hub
* Access to NHS discounts, offering NHS employees a range of money‑saving deals
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