Legal Services Manager

Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust; Gateshead; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust seeks an experienced healthcare legal professional to lead its Legal Services function. You will provide expert leadership, judgement and strategic advice across clinical negligence, liability claims and inquests.

The postholder will advise on consent, Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act and complex medico-legal matters, identifying risks and driving organisational learning. Flexible working is considered.

Qualifications

• Law Degree or equivalent legal qualification.
• Current practising certificate or professional registration as a solicitor, barrister, or chartered legal executive.
• Extensive specialist knowledge and experience of clinical negligence, public and employers’ liability claims, inquests and healthcare law.
• Experience of working in healthcare legal settings.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to healthcare legal services.
• Substantial experience of managing complex clinical and non-clinical claims and inquests in a healthcare setting.
• Experience of liaison with NHS Resolution, HM Coroners and Coroners' Officers, panel solicitors, counsel, regulators and partner agencies.
• Experience of providing authoritative legal advice and assurance to executive directors, senior managers, clinicians and governance committees.
• Experience of representing an organisation at inquests, case conferences or mediations within professional competence, status and delegated authority.
• Experience of instructing and managing external legal advisers and monitoring legal costs and financial exposure.
• Experience of leading Trust-wide policy development, implementation, review, audit, training and organisational learning.
• Experience of claims-performance monitoring, trend analysis and triangulation with incidents, complaints, inquests, and patient-safety intelligence.
• Experience of managing staff, including workforce planning, recruitment, induction, appraisal, performance management, development and workload allocation.
• Experience of budget management, authorised expenditure and effective use of resources within agreed limits.
• Experience of communicating and working effectively with bereaved or distressed families and staff involved in serious incidents or litigation.
• Postgraduate or Master’s-level study in a relevant legal, healthcare or governance subject, or equivalent specialist knowledge acquired through substantial relevant experience.
• Legal Practice Course, Bar training or equivalent professional legal training.
• Qualification or specialist training in patient safety, healthcare governance, the Mental Health Act or Mental Capacity Act
• Experience of Mental Health Tribunal, Hospital Managers' hearing, Court of Protection or High Court matters
• Experience of contributing to mortality or Learning from Deaths assurance
• Experience of working with Communications, Finance and Corporate Governance functions on legal, media, insurance or indemnity matters

Responsibilities

• Lead the Trust's Legal Services function, providing specialist legal advice, governance, and assurance across the organisation.
• Manage clinical negligence and liability claims, coordinating with NHS Resolution, solicitors, counsel, and clinical teams.
• Oversee inquests, respond to HM Coroners, support witnesses and represent the Trust where appropriate.
• Provide specialist advice on consent, Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act and complex medico-legal matters.
• Identify significant legal, regulatory, financial, reputational and patient-safety risks and ensure learning informs improvement.
• Develop Trust policies, staff training and governance guidance.
• Lead and develop the Legal Services Team and manage the service budget and external legal expenditure.
• Provide assurance and learning reports to governance committees.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Influencing skills

Governance

Healthcare law

Judgement

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Law Degree or equivalent

Practising certificate or professional registration (solicitor/barrister/chartered legal exec)

Postgraduate/ Master’s study in legal/healthcare/governance subject

Legal Practice Course / Bar training or equivalent

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced legal professional to lead the Legal Services function at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust.

This senior, Trust-wide role provides specialist leadership, advice and assurance across a broad range of healthcare legal matters. The postholder will lead the management of clinical negligence, public and employers' liability claims and inquests, while providing specialist advice on consent, Duty of Candour, mental capacity, mental health law and complex medico-legal matters.

Working closely with the Associate Director of Patient Safety and Risk, Executive Directors, senior clinicians and managers, you will identify and elevate legal, regulatory, financial, reputational and patient-safety risks and ensure learning from claims, inquests and Prevention of Future Deaths matters informs organisational improvement.

You will lead and develop the Legal Services Team and work with colleagues across the Trust and external partners including NHS Resolution, HM Coroners, solicitors and counsel.

We are seeking an experienced healthcare legal professional with excellent leadership, judgement, communication and influencing skills.

This is a full-time post, but flexible working will be considered.

Main duties of the job

The Legal Services Manager will:

• Lead the Trust's Legal Services function, providing specialist legal advice, operational leadership and governance assurance.
• Manage clinical negligence, public and employers' liability claims, working with NHS Resolution, solicitors, counsel and clinical teams.
• Lead the management of inquests, coordinating responses to HM Coroners, supporting witnesses and representing the Trust where appropriate.
• Provide specialist advice on consent, Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act, deprivation of liberty, disclosure, safeguarding, Duty of Candour and complex medico-legal matters.
• Identify and elevate significant legal, financial, regulatory, reputational and patient-safety risks.
• Lead learning from claims, inquests and Prevention of Future Deaths Reports, linking themes with incidents, complaints and patient-safety intelligence.
• Develop relevant Trust policies, guidance and staff training.
• Lead and develop the Legal Services Team and manage the service budget and external legal expenditure.
• Provide assurance, performance and learning reports to Trust governance committees.

About us

Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.

Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.

We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.

Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronymICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.

We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.

Job responsibilities

The Legal Services Manager will provide Trust-wide leadership and specialist expertise for the Legal Services function, ensuring the effective management of clinical and non-clinical claims, inquests, Duty of Candour, consent and complex medico-legal matters. The postholder will provide authoritative advice to clinicians, managers and senior leaders and ensure significant legal, regulatory, financial, reputational and patient-safety risks are identified, escalated and appropriately managed.

The Legal Services Manager job description outlines in detail the main responsibilities of the job.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Experience

• Law Degree or equvilant legal qualification
• Current practising certificate or professional registration as a solicitor, barrister, or chartered legal executive
• Extensive specialist knowledge and experience of clinical negligence, public and employers' liability claims, inquests and healthcare law
• Experience of working in healthcare legal settings
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to healthcare legal services.
• Substantial experience of managing complex clinical and non-clinical claims and inquests in a healthcare setting.
• Experience of liaison with NHS Resolution, HM Coroners and Coroners' Officers, panel solicitors, counsel, regulators and partner agencies.
• Experience of providing authoritative legal advice and assurance to executive directors, senior managers, clinicians and governance committees
• Experience of representing an organisation at inquests, case conferences or mediations within professional competence, status and delegated authority
• Experience of instructing and managing external legal advisers and monitoring legal costs and financial exposure
• Experience of leading Trust-wide policy development, implementation, review, audit, training and organisational learning
• Experience of claims-performance monitoring, trend analysis and triangulation with incidents, complaints, inquests, and patient-safety intelligence
• Experience of managing staff, including workforce planning, recruitment, induction, appraisal, performance management, development and workload allocation
• Experience of budget management, authorised expenditure and effective use of resources within agreed limits
• Experience of communicating and working effectively with bereaved or distressed families and staff involved in serious incidents or litigation
• Postgraduate or Master's-level study in a relevant legal, healthcare or governance subject, or equivalent specialist knowledge acquired through substantial relevant experience
• Legal Practice Course, Bar training or equivalent professional legal training.
• Qualification or specialist training in patient safety, healthcare governance, the Mental Health Act or Mental Capacity Act
• Experience of Mental Health Tribunal, Hospital Managers' hearing, Court of Protection or High Court matters
• Experience of contributing to mortality or Learning from Deaths assurance
• Experience of working with Communications, Finance and Corporate Governance functions on legal, media, insurance or indemnity matters

Other

• Access to transport to enable fulfilment of travel requirements

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.

Associate Director for Patient Safety and Risk