Assistant Medico-legal Services Manager

NHS; Brighton; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in the UK seeks a Maternity Cover for Assistant Medico-legal Services Manager. The role involves managing legal claims, providing support in inquests, and giving advice to staff on various medico-legal issues. Candidates must possess a law degree and several years of healthcare law experience, coupled with strong communication, analytical, and interpersonal skills. This fixed-term position is based in Brighton, offering a competitive salary and full-time hours.

Benefits

Visa sponsorship available

Competitive salary

Qualifications

• Must be educated to degree level, with legal experience/qualification.
• Several years of experience in healthcare law, especially with inquests.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Provide support to the Head of Medico-legal Services.
• Manage contacts from Coroners concerning individual deaths.
• Receive claims for compensation against the Trust and manage them.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Education

Degree in law or relevant field

Job description

Job Summary

Maternity Cover for Assistant Medico-legal Services Manager

Brighton & Haywards Heath (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust)

Medico-legal Services manage legal claims against the Trust, attend inquests on behalf of the Trust and provide medico‑legal advice and support to staff throughout the Trust. We are looking for someone with a strong work ethic to contribute across the whole range of activity and manage their own caseload.

Full Time 37.5 hours a week

Job Description

Duties include claims management (mainly clinical negligence), supporting staff in writing witness statements; attending inquests on behalf of the Trust; and providing advice to staff on a wide range of medico‑legal issues. You will deputise for the Head of Department when required. You will also be expected to maintain databases, analyse data and produce reports. You will sometimes be dealing with very distressed, angry or emotional people.

You must be educated to degree level, with legal experience/qualification. You will be familiar with the acute health care legal environment. You must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral), and several years' experience of working with a wide range of professionals. You must be capable of working on your own initiative; be discreet and very tactful; have a high standard of analytical skills; have the ability to organise and prioritise methodically; and be flexible in your approach in order to meet the needs of the service.

Key Responsibilities

1. Provide full support and assistance to the Head of Medico‑legal Services (Brighton and Haywards Heath). This may include the following functions, and others which may from time to time be delegated.
2. Receive and manage contact from Coroners and their staff concerning individual deaths. Such management includes:
   1. Identification and provision of timely information as required, including assisting current and ex‑staff to provide statements as necessary.
   2. Strategic planning to ensure all appropriate information, documents and witnesses are identified, properly prepared and available as needed in the inquest process.
   3. Attending Court and representing the Trust as an Interested Person, supporting staff who give evidence, making legal submissions, and very occasionally giving evidence in person.
   4. Liaison as necessary with family and legal representatives of the deceased, and other parties (e.g. Police, Health and Safety Executive, MHRA).
   5. Investigation and drafting responses to Regulation 28 reports from HM Coroner, and other correspondence such as formal complaints relating to inquests, for approval and signature by the Chief Executive / Executive Directors.
3. Receive claims for compensation against the Trust and manage them in accordance with the Civil Procedures Rules and the NHSR Reporting Guidelines. Such management includes:
   1. Timely investigation, making or confirming decisions to repudiate or settle, and ensuring just resolution of claims as far as possible.
   2. Multifaceted, long‑term planning, for each claim, to ensure the Trust does not breach statutory protocols and to achieve timely and effective resolution. This may require both strategic thinking and frequent adjustment and modification of priorities to respond to legal developments with tight statutory deadlines.
   3. Liaison with NHSR staff and any Defence solicitors instructed on behalf of the Trust by the NHSR, or occasionally directly, to explore and resolve claims effectively.
   4. Liaison with the Trust Complaints department and directly with Claimants in person.
   5. Arranging and attending meetings, including between legal representatives and Trust staff, to provide support and plan the management of individual cases.
   6. Verifying and signing Statements of Truth on legal documents on behalf of the Trust.
   7. Advising staff of outcomes of claims and archiving files as appropriate.
   8. Providing information arising from claims, for Patient Safety and Governance purposes to triangulate learning across the Trust.
4. Receive and provide complex and sometimes highly sensitive or contentious information relating to adverse events and potential risks to the Trust where persuasive, motivational, negotiating, empathic or reassurance skills are required to attain agreement or co‑operation for effective resolution.
5. Highlight potentially high risk issues or events involving individual staff or teams, identify and notify senior managers as appropriate of remedial actions to reduce the likelihood of recurrence, thus increasing future safety for patients, staff and visitors.
6. Manage and/or redirect written or verbal enquiries from claimant solicitors, including in relation to third‑party matters; advise Trust staff on the management of such contacts.
7. Maintain claims management and inquest databases and files so they are fully up to date at all times.
8. Identify and arrange preservation, photography and/or copying as necessary, of relevant records and other items for legal purposes.
9. Attend and prepare reports for committees and staff groups as required, on numbers and types of inquests or claims and their progress, highlighting trends, root‑cause analysis and other issues which may need wider review and action. Provide teaching and training on Medico‑legal matters.
10. Liaise pro‑actively with staff throughout the Trust, including clinical and non‑clinical risk management, Complaints, PALS and the Communications team as necessary.
11. Provide wide‑ranging advice to staff and others on Medico‑legal issues (some of which may present as an emergency), including consent, clinical policies, mental capacity, confidentiality etc.
12. Undertake other duties appropriate to the post as required by the Service.

Communication

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including in highly stressful, emotional or contentious situations.
• High standard of literacy / written communication skills and oral skills.
• Ability to empathise and communicate well with emotional (distressed, angry, frightened etc.) people (patients, relatives, staff).
• Develops and maintains constructive relationships with a diverse cross‑section of people.
• Deals frequently with sensitive, in‑depth, confidential and distressing information (e.g. deaths), tactfully and discreetly in difficult circumstances.
• Negotiates and persuades staff to resolve differences of opinion and conflicts.
• Works well under pressure, dealing professionally and tactfully with a variety of people in difficult situations, and adjusting priorities to address changing needs.
• Identifies and liaises with relevant stakeholders in all aspects of the service.
• Good team player.
• Able to provide lay‑term explanation of clinical or legal advice and terminology given by others.

Service Delivery and Improvement

Contribute positively to the delivery of the Medico‑legal Services Teams objectives, and the wider Patient Safety Team to identify new / improved ways of working and find solutions to problems.

People Management and Development

Responsible for carrying out duties in line with the Trusts e‑rostering processes, including managing rosters, supporting staff allocation, and contributing to effective budget reconciliation and workforce planning.

Support the Head of Department in managing and training the team.

Patient Care Delivery

Contribute positively to improving patient safety by triangulation of learning from inquests and claims.

Learning and Development

• Attend mandatory training updates as required.
• Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager as part of the personal development process.
• Achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.
• Identify own learning needs and jointly plan training requirements with your line manager.
• Participate in the Trusts appraisal process to discuss how your role will help deliver the best possible care to our patients and help to deliver any changes in service.

Other Information

This role is eligible for visa sponsorship under the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route. Sponsorship can only be provided where applicants meet the specific requirements set by UKVI, including the relevant skill and salary thresholds, and any role‑specific criteria.

Person Specification

Experience of healthcare law

• Several years of healthcare law experience with inquests.

Desirable

• Experienced in oral legal submissions at inquest for an NHS organisation.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues.

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.

Employer Details

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

Martin House - St Mary's site

Eastern Road

Brighton

BN2 5JJ

https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/

Job Information

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 7

Salary: £47,810 to £54,710 a year Per annum

Contract type: Fixed term

Duration: 12 months

Working pattern: Full‑time

Reference number: 279-7691497-JAN26

Job location: Martin House - St Mary’s site, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5JJ