Designated Doctor for Child death | Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Great Western Hospitals NHS FT; Swindon; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 78,000; Part time

Job summary

The Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Designated Doctor for Child Death to provide expert clinical leadership and strategic input for safeguarding and learning from child deaths within the BSW ICS and Swindon area.

You will chair key child death review processes, support safeguarding teams, and work with local authorities, police, and NHS partners to embed learning into commissioning and clinical practice.

Responsibilities

• Chair the Child Death Review Meeting monthly
• Chair the Perinatal Mortality Review meeting monthly
• Chair a Joint Agency Review meeting within 72 hrs of a death where a JAR is identified
• Attend the BSW CDOP meeting every other month
• Attend the BSW CDOP doctors meeting every other month
• Attend regional Joint Agency Review Meetings every other month
• Attend Trust learning from Deaths quarterly meeting
• Attend the South West Operational Delivery Network Mortality Forum quarterly

Job description

Designated Doctor for Child death | Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The post holder will work as a key member of the ICB safeguarding team and will support the ICB in meeting their statutory duties as both commissioners and employers (Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023), Section 11 Children Act 2004, Care Act 2014, Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked After Children (HM 2015), Child Death Review Statutory and Operational Guidance: England (HM 2018) and support the continual improvement and development of the child death review partnership agenda.

The post holder will be expected to work with other BSW designated professionals for Child Death Reviews, CDOP Co-ordinator, Named Nurse for Child Death Reviews and safeguarding, Acute and community professionals, Lead for Learning from Child Deaths and the wider BSW ICB Safeguarding team to ensure that learning from the overview process is embedded into the commissioning strategy and that NHS providers embed learning into daily practice and that this is monitored.

The role is for 1 PA per week and salary is per session.

The Designated Doctor for Child Death is a clinical expert and strategic leader, taking a strategic, professional lead on all aspects of the health service contribution to the child death service and processes across BSW, focussed particularly on the Swindon area.

The post holder will provide support in relation to child death to all providers and linking particularly with Named Child Protection and Safeguarding Children health professionals, local authorities, Police, local safeguarding partnerships (LSPs) and NHS England.

This role will be working across the Integrated Care System (ICS) and closely with the ICB Safeguarding Team (including Children in Care Team, Special Educational Needs and Disability Team and Child Death Service Team) to provide expert advice and guidance and ensuring all services under BSW meet the statutory requirements.

The role has a key function of providing independent scrutiny and challenge in the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) within the overall BSW Child Death Review Partnership Process.

This post will provide expert strategic leadership, independent scrutiny and challenge in all aspects relating to the overview of child deaths across Swindon

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

• The post holder is expected to chair the Child Death Review Meeting monthly
• The post holder is expected to chair Perinatal Mortality Review meeting monthly
• The post holder is expected to chair a Joint Agency Review meeting when required within 72 hrs of a death where a JAR is identified as being needed.
• The post holder is expected to attend the BSW CDOP meeting every other month
• The post holder is expected to attend the BSW CDOP doctors meeting every other month
• The post holder is expected to attend regional Joint Agency Review Meetings every other month
• The post holder is expected to attend Trust learning from Deaths quarterly meeting
• The post holder is expected to attend the South West Operational Delivery Network Mortality Forum quarterly

This advert closes on Friday 23 Oct 2026