Job summary
- Main area
- LEGAL SERVICES
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent: IN-PERSON
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (IN-PERSON)
- Job ref
- 213-CORP-7552886
- Employer
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Town
- LONDON
- Salary
- £64,156 - £71,148 per annum, including high cost allowance
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 30/11/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Senior HealthCare Lawyer
NHS AfC: Band 8a
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.
We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.
Job overview
In this client-facing role, the Senior Healthcare Lawyer will provide personalised, professional legal support across the Trust. As a key member of KingsLegal, the Senior Healthcare Lawyer will deliver expert legal advice and representation on complex healthcare law matters. This includes advocacy, handling sensitive and complex inquests, Court proceedings, (particularly Court of Protection), the interface with NHSR and multi-faceted clinical negligence claims. The Senior Healthcare Lawyer will manage a wide range of healthcare advisory work, including supporting specialist teams with mental capacity, mental health, safeguarding, and consent issues. The role involves hands-on casework, oral representation both at Court and with official bodies as well as the in-person development and supervision of junior legal staff. The post holder will work closely with the General Counsel (Healthcare) and Head of Legal Services to deliver a premium, proficient legal service that aligns with the Trust’s strategic goals.
Main duties of the job
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Legal Case Management: Lead and manage complex legal cases including clinical negligence, inquests, LTPS, and Court of Protection matters; conduct investigations, prepare legal reports, and represent the Trust in various legal forums.
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Advocacy and Representation: Undertake advocacy in court and tribunal settings (e.g., Inquests, Court of Protection, Magistrate’s and County Courts), ensuring compliance with legal protocols and safeguarding the Trust’s reputation.
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Client-Focused Legal Advice: Provide expert legal advice in diverse environments (ward, boardroom, off-site), covering both contentious and advisory matters.
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Healthcare Legal Advisory: Advise on complex healthcare law issues (consent, mental health, safeguarding, etc.), identify legal risks early, and guide policy and compliance improvements.
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Governance and Risk Oversight: Use legal insights from claims and case data to inform risk management and governance, contributing to Trust committees and improvement initiatives.
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Leadership and Training: Supervise and develop junior legal staff, support recruitment, and deliver legal training across the Trust, while shaping the strategic direction of the legal team.
Working for our organisation
The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Legal Case Management:
- Lead complex portfolios, including:
- Clinical negligence
- LTPS
- Inquest matters
- Court of Protection cases (and other Court matters)
- Conduct detailed investigations, gather and analyse evidence, and prepare legal reports and advice.
- Undertake advocacy in various settings, including:
- Inquests
- Court of Protection hearings
- Magistrate’s Court
- County Court
- Public Inquiries
- Ensure compliance with NHS Resolution and statutory protocols.
- Represent the Trust in sensitive and complex legal matters, maintaining professionalism and protecting the Trust’s reputation.
- Provide client-facing advice in various settings:
- On the ward
- In the boardroom
- Off-site
Healthcare Advisory Work:
- Provide practical and timely legal advice on complex healthcare-related issues, including:
- Consent
- Mental Capacity
- Mental health
- Safeguarding
- Best Interests
- Early identification and management of potential legal proceedings.
- Advise on the Trust’s policies and regulatory obligations, recommending improvements.
Governance and Risk Management:
- Analyse claims, inquests, and advisory data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
- Support governance processes and contribute legal input to Trust committees and working groups.
Leadership and Management:
- Supervise, train, and mentor junior members of KingsLegal with strong in-person attention.
- Support the recruitment, induction, and ongoing training within KingsLegal.
- Contribute to the strategic development of KingsLegal.
- Deliver Trust-wide legal training for clinical and management staff.
Person specification
Educaton and Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Qualified solicitor, legal executive or barrister of England and Wales or equivalent experience and training.
- Evidence of significant post graduate diploma level or equivalent experience of claims and / or inquest management, in the NHS or similar environment.
- Extensive Inquest and/ or other Court advocacy competence
- Member of relevant Professional Body / Practicing Certificate (e.g. Solicitors Regulation Authority; Bar Council).
Desirable criteria
- Higher rights of audience
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant experience of NHS Claims management, including high value clinical negligence claims and complex Coroner’s Inquests or significant experience in a similar setting.
- Extensive experience of appearing in court and representing clients in contentious, high profile or high-risk matters.
- An understanding of the importance of good file management, use of attendance notes and maintaining electronic records where required
- Extensive experience in managing Court of Protection matters / Court applications
- Strong knowledge and ability to provide prompt, accurate and consistent legal advice on healthcare regulatory matters.
Desirable criteria
- Strong track record of supervising and training junior legal staff
Skills and Competencies
Essential criteria
- Able to represent the Trust at inquests and other Court matters and support non-legal staff accordingly.
- Able to effectively and efficiently escalate to senior management for guidance and support on more complex matters.
- Strong strategic thinking – ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
- Excellent use of available information sources to enable efficient and effective planning.
- Proven ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines.
- Proven ability to prepare comprehensive reports on claims and inquests for various committees, often at short notice.
- Proven ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary.
Desirable criteria
- Strong experience of working on internal and external committees in order to raise Trust profile and bring learning and key development knowledge to the Trust
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- ADE ADEDAPO
- Job title
- GENERAL COUNSEL (HEALTHCARE)
- Email address
- [email protected]
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