Croydon is a busy, exciting and diverse place to work. The borough has one of the youngest populations in London and continues to grow.
Croydon Health Services cares for local people at Croydon University Hospital, Purley Memorial Hospital and in clinics and people’s homes all across the borough.
We are a very close-knit and friendly organisation where everyone of our 3600 members of staff is valued. We strongly believe that our employees are our greatest asset and so through Listening into Action – our way of engaging staff – we empower everyone at any level to initiate and bring about real improvements in our care.
Join us and be a part of the team that is making Croydon proud. #choosecroydon
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced legal professional to join Croydon Health Services NHS Trust as our Deputy Head of Legal Services. We are seeking an enthusiastic, adaptable and personable individual to join a welcoming team.
Working within the Legal Services team, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the Head of Legal Services across the full remit of the department which manages inquests, court of protection, clinical negligence and non-clinical claims, and healthcare law advice. You will lead the day-to-day operation of the Trust’s inquest function, manage non-clinical claims and support in a caseload of clinical negligence claims along with providing specialist legal advice to clinical teams across a wide range of healthcare law matters.
This is a leadership position so prior demonstrable leadership experience is required, alongside experience of inquest advocacy and direct support to clinical and management teams with complex inquests and claims. It is not required that applicants be a qualified Solicitor, but inquest advocacy experience is essential. It is a hybrid role where an office presence is expected for a minimum of three days per week, but remote working possible on other days.
The postholder will provide some legal advice to the Trust under the guidance of the Head of Legal Services and will support with the collation and sharing of legal data to drive continuous improvement through reporting and triangulation.
Main duties of the job
- Lead the day-to-day management of the Trust’s inquest service, ensuring compliance with Coroner and Court deadlines.
- Manage a caseload of inquests, non-clinical claims and a number of clinical negligence claims from receipt through to resolution.
- Represent the Trust as an Interested Person at Coroner’s Inquests, including making submissions on relevant matters of Coronial law.
- Provide specialist advice on healthcare law issues, including consent, capacity and best interests matters.
- Liaise with external solicitors, NHS Resolution, Coroners, claimants and internal stakeholders to progress cases effectively.
- Support staff in preparing witness statements and provide guidance and support before court appearances and legal proceedings.
- Identify and **escalate** patient safety concerns, reputational risks and governance issues arising from claims and inquests.
- Assist in the development of policies, procedures and training programmes relating to claims, inquests and healthcare law.
- Produce reports and present trends, outcomes and learning from cases to governance committees and senior Trust groups.
- Deputise for the Head of Legal Services, providing leadership, operational management and support to the wider team as required.
- Provide line management support for the legal services team sitting within your responsibility in the departmental structure.
Working for our organisation
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust provide hospital and community services from a number of community and specialist clinics throughout Croydon. The Trust was formed on 1st August 2010 through the integration of Croydon Community Health Services and Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust. Around 4,100 staff provide services for a population of over 360,000 people who are relatively young with a high level of ethnic diversity.
Our main hospital site, Croydon University Hospital is one of the busiest in London. We’re also leading the way in providing more healthcare outside hospitals at clinics, specialist centres and in people’s homes. Our experienced district nursing teams, Allied Health Professionals and community matrons look after people of all ages across Croydon.
Across the NHS everyone is working hard to meet growing demand and we’re no exception. But with the right people on board, we are rising to this challenge, putting our people in the driving seat, encouraging innovation and transforming our services to give local people the quality of care they deserve. Croydon Health Services puts a great deal of importance on education and training throughout the careers of all of our staff.
If you want the opportunity to have a real impact, challenge yourself and be part of an NHS Trust that’s making a real difference then a career at Croydon Health Services could be just what you’re looking for.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached supporting document job description and person specification which contain more information about the role.
Person specification
Essential criteria
- Proven and significant leadership experience and/or formal management qualification
- Substantial proven experience of dealing with claims, inquests and healthcare law advice in an NHS setting
- Experience appearing in court and representing clients in contentious matters
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to negotiate and communicate contentious issues and information influencing change to senior individuals within and outside the organisation
- In-depth understanding of NHS Resolution purpose and processes
- Expert knowledge of coronial law, inquest procedures and the pre-action protocols for personal injury
Desirable criteria
- Understanding of the background to and aims of patient safety and improvement methodologies
- Experience of Mental Capacity Act, best interest decision, capacity and consent issues.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level or above in a relevant subject
Desirable criteria
- Qualified Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
- Capsticks diploma in clinical risk and claims management
Safeguarding and DBS Checks
We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.
Please refer to the latest UKVI guidance and ensure you have the appropriate right to work before applying for this role.
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