Chief Medical Officer

Integrated Care System; Norwich; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

An opportunity has arisen for a Group Chief Medical Officer at a healthcare group in Norwich. The successful candidate will lead efforts to improve clinical outcomes, governance, and patient safety, while promoting a culture of innovation amongst medical staff. With a commitment to collaborative leadership, this role offers the chance to impact healthcare positively across a diverse community while enjoying a fulfilling lifestyle in Norfolk.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of strategic issues relating to Clinical Services.
• Substantial experience at consultant level in a large teaching NHS Trust.
• Outstanding track record as a clinician and clinical leader.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Group's plans to improve clinical outcomes and effectiveness.
• Ensure safe and compassionate care across all hospitals.
• Promote and maintain high professional standards across clinical teams.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical Governance

Patient Safety

Education

Medical degree

Management or leadership qualification

Job description

Professionally, the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group (NWUHG) presents a unique and exciting opportunity for executive leaders to influence meaningful, system-wide change. As part of a progressive and ambitious group operating across three acute hospital sites, you'll help shape high-quality, sustainable services for a population of over one million people.

The Group plays a central role in Norfolk and Waveney's Integrated Care System and is committed to collaborative, inclusive leadership. For those seeking to make a lasting impact on healthcare while enjoying the benefits of a truly enviable lifestyle, Norfolk is an outstanding place to lead, live, and grow.

As the NWUHG, well work together under a Group Board with a single Interim Group Chair, Group CEO, Prof Lesley Dwyer, and joint Executive and non-Executive Directors.

To apply, please visit: https://alumniglobal.com/job/nwuhg-cmo

Closing date: 14 August 2015

Final interviews: w/c 15 September - TBC

Main duties of the job

The Group Chief Medical Officer will be pivotal in this journey. You will shape and lead our approach to clinical outcomes, governance, and patient safety, working in close partnership with our Group Chief Nurse and other executive colleagues. Together, you will ensure that care across all three hospitals is safe, compassionate, and continuously improving, and that our services reflect the needs of our communities, including those whose voices are often hardest to hear.

You will also lead our research and education agenda, strengthening our academic partnerships and supporting the development of a medical workforce that is fit for the future. You will foster an environment in which innovation thrives, and where doctors, dentists, pharmacists and the broader clinical team are empowered to lead and deliver change.

Above all, you will provide visible, authentic leadership to a large and diverse group of clinicians. You will help us build a culture that is collaborative, ambitious, and open to learning. Beyond designing a new structure, we are setting a new standard for how hospital services are delivered, how clinicians are supported, and how patients experience care.

If you bring the credibility, vision and determination to deliver that standard, Group CEO Professor Lesley Dwyer would be thrilled to welcome you to our leadership team.

To apply, please visit: https://alumniglobal.com/job/nwuhg-cmo

About us

The Group was formed in May 2025 and brings together the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Trust, the James Paget University Hospitals Trust and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn.

Each Trust remains a separate statutory organisation with its own Executive Managing Director, who will be a full member of the Group board, and leadership team. Each hospital also remains focused on its community and local services and staff relationships will continue to be central to how we work.

Living and working in Norfolk offers the rare opportunity to enjoy both professional fulfilment and an exceptional quality of life. From its expansive coastline and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the historic city of Norwich and its surrounding market towns, Norfolk blends tranquillity with a strong sense of community. Whether you're relocating with family or seeking a change of pace, the region boasts excellent schools, accessible housing, and a lifestyle rooted in wellbeing, space, and balance. Its a place where you can truly switch off at the end of the day, whether that's a walk on Holkham Beach or dinner in a vibrant local pub.

To apply, please visit: https://alumniglobal.com/job/nwuhg-cmo

Job responsibilities

Job Description

Job Title: Group Chief Medical Officer

Accountable to: Group Chief Executive

Pay Band: Very Senior Manager

Job Purpose

The Group Chief Medical Officer (GCMO) has primary responsibility to lead the Group's plans to improve clinical outcomes and effectiveness, reduce health inequalities, and ensure that we provide safe and compassionate care to our patients. The post holder will work in partnership with the Group Chief Nurse to ensure we take a multi-disciplinary approach to our clinical care and that we make quality and patient experience of paramount importance.

Working with the Hospital Medical Directors and the Group Chief Delivery Officer, the GCMO is responsible for leading group wide clinical service programmes that accelerate care transformation, deliver improved integrated care and service improvement for our patient population, with an increased focus on preventative healthcare and Place-based care. The post holder will maintain strong working relationships with partners to facilitate the implementation of our strategic and operational plans.

Group Chief Nurse will play a leading role in the Groups academic mission. Working closely with colleagues from the University of East Anglia and research organisations the post will help lay some strong foundations for the Group becoming an academic health science system.

The post holder will understand and articulate the needs of the populations and communities served by the Group, identify trends, challenges and future opportunities that translate into a vision for future service delivery. The Group CMO will promote and implement strategies to address them, and provide professional leadership to our medical workforce, creating a culture of improvement and an aspiration to provide the best clinical services to our patients.

The post holder is responsible for promoting and maintaining high professional standards across medical, dental and pharmacy teams whilst promoting excellent multi-professional clinical engagement and enabling high quality patient care.

The post holder will lead the research and innovation function across the Group and promote an ambition to lead in this field. The GCMO will promote and lead the delivery of excellent undergraduate and post graduate medical education.

The Group CMO is the professional lead for Pharmacy.

The Chief Group Medical Officer is a voting member of the Group Board.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Function

• To lead and support the Hospital Medical Directors to provide local medicalleadership to each of our sites
• Working with clinical and academic colleagues, play a leading role in developingthe academic mission to accelerate the integration of research, clinical services,education and training
• Advise the Group Board and Executive on key service and medical leadershipissues
• To play a key role in the development of our clinical strategy, engaging clinicians,and others to ensure that these strategies are owned across the Group and arealigned with the priorities set out in the Case for Change and aligns with prioritiesset by the ICB and other national NHS strategies
• Provide visible leadership for medical and dental colleagues on both professionaland leadership issues, encouraging the highest standards of medical and dentalcare and the engagement of medical colleagues in the strategic objectives of theGroup, supporting a multi professional workforce
• Working with the Group CEO and executive team to optimize opportunities for theimprovement of clinical shared services for the Group
• Ensure patients are cared for in the most appropriate settings and supportcolleagues in driving improvements in the Neighbourhood Health Model to improveequity of access, to appropriate and timely health services
• To ensure the needs and population health outcomes of our underservedcommunities are considered over the whole pathway of care
• To look outwards to the wider healthcare environment to anticipate nationalissues that may support or prevent delivery of our plans
• To harness best practice from across the NHS and beyond, to ensure that weadopt best clinical practice across the Group, learning from others and3incorporating the best practices from elsewhere and maximizing our use ofresources
• To identify clinical transformation opportunities that will help improve servicesand level up across the Group, leveraging the advantages of digital innovation andsupport delivery locally, ensuring our clinicians have ownership and buy-in
• Providing an active role in developing a model of care for preventative healthcare,including care planning, education, and self-management, aligned to bestpractice
• To work with other Group director colleagues to provide leadership to Group wideinitiatives, ensuring we are financially sustainable and have a clear plan tooptimize our resources
• To be the Group Board lead for Pharmacy.

Clinical Leadership

• Working with and through the Hospital Medical Directors to provide clinical leadership to the medical and dental professionals in the Group, building high calibre, high performing, multidisciplinary clinical teams, attracting and retaining the best clinical talent to our hospitals
• In conjunction with the Group Chief Nursing Officer and Group Chief Delivery Officer, lead the development of Specialty Clinical Networks ensuring adoption of clinical best practice, sharing of protocols and policies, and encouraging cross site working
• Jointly responsible with the Group Chief Delivery Officer, for delivering better patient experience and outcomes through evidence-based models of care and standardised protocols that reduce unwarranted variations
• Working with the Group Chief Delivery Officer to reduce duplication of low value activity, including focusing on minimising inappropriate spend against evidence-based intervention procedures
• To advise on all medical and dental matters ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements and managing our key clinical risks as a Group
• Working jointly with the Chief Nurse to ensure the Group provides safe and compassionate care, building a culture of continuous improvement and creating a governance framework to prioritise quality outcomes for patients
• Working in liaison with the Group Chief People Officer, lead the development and review of workforce plans for doctors and dentists, advising the Board on issues relating to safe staffing levels, skill mix, in the deployment and utilisation of clinical roles; Using innovative staffing models to tackle workforce shortages
• Working with the Group Chief Delivery Officer to develop systems of mutual aid that delivers a flexible workforce that can respond to changes in demand
• Ensure there are effective clinical safety, professional standards, and workforce management policy frameworks in place for doctors and dentists
• Ensure appropriate training and sound revalidation processes as is necessary to meet and exceed the safety and quality objectives of the Group.

Research, Innovation and Education

• Lead the development of a research and innovation strategy that builds theGroups research profile and engages with academic and other partners anddeveloping new research opportunities
• Ensure a robust approach to the development of undergraduate and post graduatemedical and dental education and training programmes, in collaboration with theNHSE, the GMC and relevant Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
• Work with the Deanery to ensure the effective delivery of the educational contractand the provision of high calibre clinical staff
• Encourage and environment where everyone can innovate and improve servicesfor patients and staff.

Clinical Quality and Governance

• Working closely with the Executive Hospital Managing Directors, and with the Hospital Medical Directors and the Group Chief Nurse, setting the clinical standards and ensuring that these are delivered across our hospitals, and providing challenge and support as required
• To support the Group to meet its statutory responsibilities in adherence to its constitution, national policy, and practise in all the post holders key areas of responsibility
• In conjunction with the Group Chief Nurse ensure that appropriate assurance is brought to the board in Quality, Patient Safety, and Safe Staffing levels, through regular audits, management, and investigation of incidents, and appropriate insight into available data
• Work with the Executive to promote and develop a culture which embeds clinical quality, governance and safe patient care and monitors its effectiveness and efficiency
• Promote and organisational culture committed to addressing inequality and to learn from complaints, incidents audit and research development.

Other

• Represent the Group at regional and national levels on professional medicalissues, developing partnerships, sharing best practise, and integrating thisknowledge within the Group
• To take part in the on-call rota, and provide practical leadership, advice, andguidance during specific periods.

The duties and responsibilities set out in this job description are subject to amendment from time to time.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for full details.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of strategic issues relating to Clinical Services
• across the Group and nationally
• Extensive knowledge of the NHS policy environment at local, regional an
• national level
• Extensive knowledge of NHS quality and regulatory issues and
• requirements
• Knowledge of the Quality and Assurance Governance agenda
• Knowledge of Quality Improvement Systems

Qualifications

• Medical degree and current registration with GMC
• Evidence of continuous professional and personal development
• Formal management or leadership qualification

Experience

• Substantial experience at consultant level in a large teaching NHS
• Trust
• An outstanding track record as a clinician and clinical leader, with a
• proven record of producing high quality clinical services for
• Significant senior medical leadership in a large NHS teaching Hospital
• preferably at Board Level
• Experience of leading significant change, quality improvements and
• addressing significant challenges within an NHS Trust
• Understanding how a Group model operates and the ability to lead
• within a group

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.