Deputy Head of Legal Services - Inquests

NHS; Oxford; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Oxford is seeking a Deputy Head of Legal Services to manage legal advice and oversee inquest management. Candidates must be a qualified solicitor with significant experience in healthcare law and leadership roles. The position offers a competitive salary ranging from £55,690 to £62,682 per annum pro rata. This role requires excellent communication skills and the ability to manage complex legal issues within the NHS context.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor authorized to practice in England and Wales.
• Significant specialist experience in managing inquests.
• Leadership experience in a complex environment.

Responsibilities

• Deputize for Head of Legal Services in department management.
• Conduct complex coroner's inquests as legal advocate.
• Provide expert legal advice on healthcare-related issues.

Skills

Legal advice on healthcare law

Inquest management

Strong communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Staff management

Education

Solicitor or Legal Executive qualification

Degree with LPC or equivalent

Job description

Deputy Head of Legal Services - Inquests

The closing date is 02 December 2025

• To deputise for the Head of Legal Services in the management of the Legal Services Department and Subject Access Request Team and to directly line manager the Claims and Inquest Officers;
• To provide cross-cover for the duties of the Deputy Head of Legal Services -Claims, as required;
• To act as a role model and provide positive, professional and accountable leadership to the legal team;

Main duties of the job

• Role and Leadership: The post involves deputising for the Head of Legal Services, managing the Legal Services Department and Subject Access Request Team, and directly line managing Claims and Inquest Officers, providing accountable leadership to the legal team.
• Inquest Management: The role requires independently conducting a portfolio of complex coroner's inquests, acting as legal advocate in court, liaising with coroners, instructing external legal representation, and preparing responses to Regulation 28 reports to ensure compliance and organisational learning.
• Patient Safety and Communication: Identifying and escalating patient safety risks from claims or inquests, and providing non-clinical information to patients and relatives about legal claims and inquest processes.
• Policy, Training, and Development: Advising on clinical and non-clinical policies, assisting in legal training development and delivery for staff, researching legal developments, leading inquest case management meetings, and supporting continuous professional development.

About us

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. For more information on OUH please view OUH At a Glance by OUHospitals - Issuu

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.

We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.

Job responsibilities

• Healthcare Legal Advice: Providing expert legal advice on healthcare law including patient consent, capacity, confidentiality, safeguarding, and regulatory matters, and briefing senior management on sensitive legal issues with potential operational or reputational impact.
• Safeguarding Responsibilities: Liaising with safeguarding leads on care proceedings, providing advice on disclosure and statements, supporting staff giving evidence in family courts, and advising on complex legal issues related to Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
• Police and Criminal Cases: Deputising in managing police requests for healthcare records and statements, ensuring compliance with GDPR and confidentiality, liaising with police and security, and advising on legal actions to protect patients and staff during violent or threatening incidents.
• Reporting and Administration: Assisting in preparing claims reports, managing inquest data audits, attending committees, and supporting complaint and incident report reviews, alongside developing operational procedures for efficient inquest management.

Person Specification

Professional Qualification & Specialist Experience in Inquests

• oMust be a qualified solicitor, Legal Executive, or Barrister admitted to practice in England and Wales, with relevant post-qualification experience.
• oEducated to degree level with the LPC or equivalent qualification.
• oSignificant specialist work experience in inquest management within an NHS Trust or similar environment.
• oSignificant leadership experience, with excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• oAbility to communicate with a wide range of audiences and establish credibility quickly.
• oAbility to analyse and process highly complex facts and information in respect to clinical negligence claims and devise appropriate management strategies.
• oPrevious experience working in health and social care law, beyond the essential NHS claims and inquest management background.
• oExperience working in a public sector, legal, or insurance environment, especially at a senior level in a large, complex, and dynamic organisation.
• oDemonstrated experience in staff management, training, teaching, setting objectives, and performance management, including holding people to account.
• oKnowledge of the Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act, and other associated general advice matters.

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.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum pro rata