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Medical Director
The closing date is 26 February 2026
The predominant responsibilities of the role will be to lead the development of the William Harvey Care Group (WHCG) ensuring that the intended outcomes for quality, performance, finance, workforce, transformation and collaborative system working are delivered. Medical Directors will also hold responsibility for an element of the Chief Medical Officer's portfolio which will be agreed as a member of the Chief Medical Officer's team.
Main duties of the job
The Medical Director will take the lead with delegated authority from the CMO for agreed aspects of the CMO portfolio related to quality and outcomes. As a senior post holder, you will be required to be an inspirational leader and be a visible and credible leader, modelling and reinforcing the Trust values and behaviours at all times, and celebrating success. Work in partnership with the Managing Director and Director of Nursing to ensure operational and clinical continuity within the site whilst supporting the Trust wide response to risk, quality, and operational pressures. Provide professional and strategic leadership and support to doctors and dentists within the hospital and support operational delivery of high‑quality care in line with the GMC and GDC Codes of Practice and competencies. Lead on upholding medical professional matters including managing concerns about doctors based within their Care Group in line with Trust policies and Maintaining High Professional Standards (MHPS) and responsible for effective delivery of medical appraisal to support revalidation within Care Group, reporting to the Responsible Officer.
About us
We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day‑to‑day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.
Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for roles Band 5 and above.
Job responsibilities
Operational Support the Managing Director (MD) and Director of Nursing (DoN) in the delivery of the constitutional standards to the highest standards of clinical safety, quality and experience balancing risk across their Care Group and Trust wide. Promote the NHS constitution by championing the values and principles in the NHS constitution and addressing inequalities in access to healthcare provision. Develop working relationships with the Care Groups Triumvirates and senior leadership teams to manage and intervene where necessary to ensure that the site operates at the required standards for safety, quality and performance on a daily basis. Innovate and excel by actively involving, developing and encouraging staff to shape and influence how the Care Group can improve patient experience, operate more effectively and create a great environment where staff thrive, drive daily improvements, develop and recommend their site as a good place to work. Develop high-quality teams working collaboratively with all Care Groups through appropriate programmes, which have a positive impact on the quality of care and patient safety. Maintain budgetary control within areas of responsibility. Develop business cases for improvement and change to support the delivery of the quality and safety agenda. Ensure a robust and transparent approach to job planning which takes into consideration the needs of the services and overall responsible for delivery of annual medical job planning for doctors and dentists based within their Care Group.
Clinical Maintain personal clinical credibility by assisting with clinical care delivery when required and appropriate given the site demands and requirements of the role and ensure own professional knowledge and standards are current based on the latest evidence and best practice. Oversee, with the Care Groups triumvirate team the governance, assurance and effective risk management on the site. Responsible as the Care Groups senior medical lead for patient safety in terms of the quality indicators, ensuring that lessons are learned from patient safety incidents and that patient safety is continually improved, engaging in the Trust wide Patient safety strategy and its implementation at site level working with local partners.
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
* Full GMC registration with Post graduate qualification in relevant specialty
* Evidence of continuing professional development Evidence of leadership development
* Minimum 3 years experience in senior medical leadership roles Experience in managing concerns relating to doctors practice
* FMLM fellowship or other Medical
* Leadership Qualifications
* Clinical or Deputy Medical Director experience
Skills and experience
* Highly developed leadership and influencing skills
* Demonstrable evidence of preparing and leading change management programmes and proven record of successful delivery
* Have demonstrated strong and inspirational clinical leadership
* Detailed knowledge and understanding of current medical policies such as appraisal and revalidation and job planning
* Training in / understanding of quality improvement methodology
* Extensive experience of leading and directing change in clinical practice with evidence of successful outcomes
Clinical Governance
* Good understanding and demonstrable experience of working within clinical governance frameworks
Personal/Professional Attributes
* Possess excellent communications skills with the ability to be clear and persuasive in speech and writing
* Ability to handle difficult and sensitive situations
* Determination to always achieve high standards and constantly strive to deliver improvements in patient care within the framework of EKHUFT
* Be resilient, optimistic, and have emotional intelligence
Other Requirements
* Seek to tackle health care inequality and diversity challenges in the NHS
* Ability to work in partnership with stakeholders and demonstrates a breath of leadership styles and approaches that fit with the values of EKHUFT
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.
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
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