Overview
Join Us as Deputy Head of Legal Services
Are you a skilled legal professional ready to lead with purpose and make a difference in healthcare? We’re looking for a dynamic Deputy Head of Legal Services to help shape the future of patient safety, legal governance, and quality care across our Trust.
Why Join Us? This is more than a legal role—it’s a chance to be part of a compassionate, forward-thinking organisation where your expertise will shape how we care, respond, and grow. You’ll work alongside dedicated professionals, influence real change, and be supported to develop your career in a meaningful way. Ready to lead with impact? Apply now and help us build a safer, smarter future for patients and staff alike.
Job description
Working side-by-side with the Head of Legal Services, you’ll lead a dynamic legal team, manage complex and high-profile cases—including inquests, clinical negligence, and liability claims—and ensure the Trust stays fully compliant with legal and regulatory standards. Your work will directly influence how the organisation responds to challenges, learns from incidents, and improves services.
You’ll be the go-to expert for medico-legal advice, collaborating with NHS Resolution, HM Coroners, external law firms, senior clinicians, and operational leaders. Your ability to build strong relationships, communicate clearly and contribute to our One Culture of Care will be essential.
This is a role where legal insight meets healthcare strategy. You’ll help shape local policies, interpret national guidance, and ensure legal advice is practical, timely, and aligned with the Trust’s mission to deliver outstanding care. If you thrive in fast-paced, emotionally charged environments and want to use your legal skills to drive real-world change, this is your opportunity to lead, influence, and grow.
About us
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust is an integrated trust, providing acute and community health services. Over 7,000 colleagues provide compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital, and the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, as well as in our community sites, health centres and in patients’ homes. We also are proud to have almost 170 volunteers at CHFT.
We serve two local populations; Greater Huddersfield (population ~245,000) and Calderdale (~220,000). We provide a range of services including urgent and emergency care; medical; surgical; maternity; gynaecology; critical care; children’s and young people’s services; end of life care and outpatient and diagnostic imaging services. We also provide community health services, including sexual health services in Calderdale. In 2024/25 we cared for more than 103,000 inpatients and day cases, more than 490,000 outpatient attendances, almost 185,000 A&E attendances and more than 4,200 babies delivered. There were also more than 369,000 adult services contacts by our community teams and 230,000 contacts with our therapy services.
Responsibilities
* Lead a legal team and manage complex, high-profile cases (including inquests, clinical negligence, and liability claims).
* Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory standards and provide medico-legal advice.
* Collaborate with NHS Resolution, HM Coroners, external law firms, senior clinicians, and operational leaders.
* Develop and shape local policies; interpret national guidance; deliver practical, timely legal advice aligned with the Trust’s mission.
Qualifications
Essential
* Degree in Law/ Legal Practice (CILEx) with relevant postgraduate study or substantial equivalent experience.
* Recent experience managing clinical negligence and employer liability claims to Masters level equivalent; evidence of CPD.
Experience
* Essential: Coronial/Inquest management experience; staff management; clear understanding of CPR, the claims process, coronial law and regulations; strong healthcare legal knowledge; investigations management, root cause analysis, and Clinical Governance.
* Understanding of data extraction, analysis, and validation; ability to identify alternative solutions.
Desirable
* Healthcare law environment experience; experience in managing inquests; advocacy; risk and case management systems; quality management and improvement; teaching/training experience.
Additional Criteria
* Ability to assimilate complex information and provide clear advice; strong problem solving and prioritisation; effective team leadership and workload management.
* Ability to interpret national policy and apply local implications; risk assessment and sensitive communications; project leadership within timescales.
* Strategic thinking, innovative working methods, strong communication, and high integrity; willingness to travel across CHFT sites.
This advert closes on Friday 19 Sep 2025.
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