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Job summary

Main area
Legal
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8d
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
344-6783COR
Employer
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust
Town
Canterbury
Salary
Dependent on Experience
Closing
15/05/2025 23:59
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust logo

Head of Legal

NHS AfC: Band 8d

Job overview

As Head of Legal Services, the post holder will be responsible for leading and managing all aspects of EKHUFT's legal Services Department, ensuring that there is a high performing, effective legal service that delivers best practice Trust wide and when engaging with external organisations. 

 They will provide strategic leadership and direction for the team to maximise learning and quality improvement in line with the Trust’s long-term strategy. They will have overarching responsibility and accountability for all work carried out in the Legal Services Department.

 The post holder will ensure the provision of a dedicated legal service within the Trust, developing and expanding the service to meet the Trust’s changing strategic needs.

This role is open to development opportunities for band's between 8a & 8d

Main duties of the job

Legal Advice

·         To provide expert legal and practical advice on contentious, complex and sensitive clinical issues that arises within the Trust including sharing the emergency on-call advisory service.

·       To provide legal and ethical advice to the Trust Ethics Committee as required.

 Court Applications (High Court/Court of Protection)

·         To provide expert legal advice as to when an application to Court is required by the law.

·         To advise, support and keep updated Trust clinicians involved in legal proceedings.

 Coroners Inquests

·         To provide expert legal advice on contentious inquests.

·         To identify potential issues for the Trust and obtain clinical witness statements.

·         To advise, prepare and support Trust clinicians required to attend inquests.

·          To maintain good working relationships with the Coroners and Coroners Officers.

·         To communicate to relevant staff the outcome of an Inquest and, where appropriate, to prepare any formal response to PFD Reports.

·         Clinical Negligence Claims

·         To provide expert legal advice on negligence claims made against the Trust

·        

Working for our organisation

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·         To have final professional and managerial responsibility for all advice given within the Legal Services Department.

·         To act as the legal expert for the Trust, managing all aspects of the Legal Services Department, providing legal advice across a broad range of areas including clinical negligence, Coroner’s Inquests, Insurance, employer’s and public liability, consent, Powers of Attorney, Wills and other healthcare law issues. To ensure that the legal service provided is effective and provides value for money for the Trust.

·         To monitor and scrutinise all legal activity and spend across the Trust to develop a clear understanding of the needs of the Trust and costs involved, making recommendations where necessary to rationalise services

·         To be responsible for the management of all claims and inquest within the Trust, receiving, monitoring and ensuring compliance with the reporting and handling of such matters; analysing complex and conflicting information and seeking clinical input into clinical negligence claims.

 ·         To liaise with external stakeholders on legal matters, including formal negotiations to secure the most advantageous outcome for the Trust

·         To represent the Trust at court and Coroner’s Inquests, providing support and guidance to Trust staff that may be called to give evidence and analysing/interpreting evidence in order to make decisions on the management of the inquest.

·         To be accountable for ensuring that the Trust makes an application to the High Court and Court of Protection in cases where legal protection is required for the Trust and its staff to avoid civil and criminal liability..

·         To ensure that the Legal Services Department acts with the appropriate level of urgency, sensitivity and responsibility, in preparation of High Court/Court of Protection applications. This will involve analysis and interpretation of highly complex legal principles and application of these to complex factual matrices and negotiating and advising (involving comparison of a range of outcome options) on the resolution of these highly contentious matters, bearing in mind the desired outcome for the Trust

·         To be accountable for briefing to the Director of Governance, other members of the Executive Team (where required) and Director of Communications on sensitive issues that are likely to have significant operational and financial implications and/or may attract public and media interest.

 

·         To work with the Patient Safety team to determine any key deficiencies in care and trends through the analysis and interpretation of the complex data contained within the legal portfolio and to contribute to the identification of learnings so that these can be effectively disseminated throughout the Trust to improve patient safety

  • To develop, revise and implement relevant policies in relation to all areas covered by this post, providing training and information (newsletters, the intranet and formal training where necessary). 

Person specification

Previous experience as Head of Legal

Essential criteria
  • Years experience
Desirable criteria
  • Legally Qualified

Previous experience of building a leagl team

Essential criteria
  • experience
NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardThe Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion is the leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion in the workplace.Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyMenopause Friendly EmployerAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeImproving working livesMindful employer. Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerThe Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei) is the UK's leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion issues in the workplace.Prince's Trust - Proud to support the Prince's trust - Youth can do itStep into healthHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingArmed Forces Covenant

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Khaleel Desai
Job title
Director of Corporate Governance
Email address
[email protected]

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