Medical Director

Central And North West London Nhs Foundation Trust; Greater London, Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

CNWL is seeking a Divisional Medical Director for the Diggory Division to share accountability with the Managing Director and Director of Nursing. You will provide strong clinical leadership, shape strategy, culture, and future direction of mental health services across the division.

The role focuses on advancing clinical quality, embedding research and innovation, representing CNWL in system forums, and delivering high-quality, inclusive care across sites in London, Milton Keynes, and Surrey.

Qualifications

• On the GMC Specialist Register or the GMC GP Register.
• Experience at senior management level with clinical operations responsibility.
• Proven track record of delivering high performance to meet targets.
• Experience leading innovation and service improvement with measurable outcomes.
• Experience managing large-scale change in a complex environment.
• Experience working in partnership with other organisations.
• Clear ability to influence and lead cross-organisational teams.

Responsibilities

• Share accountability for all aspects of the Diggory Division alongside the Managing Director and Director of Nursing.
• Provide clinical leadership and strategic direction to ensure high-quality, sustainable services.
• Develop a clinical vision to inform service improvement and NHS 10-year plan alignment.
• Represent CNWL with system partners, commissioners and external organisations across a broad geography.
• Oversee medical governance, recruitment, appraisal, revalidation and performance management.
• Support development of medical and clinical leadership within the Division.
• Work with the Director of Medical Education to support resident doctors and medical students.
• Ensure governance and quality improvement across services, including handling incidents and engagement with external bodies.
• Ensure safe, effective patient flow and timely care across inpatient and community pathways.

Skills

Senior management experience

Leadership and strategic direction

Clinical governance experience

Interpersonal and communication skills

Change management

Strategic and operational leadership

Education

GMC Specialist Register or GMC GP Register

Job description

Closing date: 29 November 2026

Job summary

As Divisional Medical Director, you will share accountability for all aspects of the Diggory Division alongside the Managing Director and Director of Nursing. You will provide strong, compassionate clinical leadership, helping to shape the strategy, culture, and future direction of mental health services within the Directorate.
You will be central to our transformation journey, ensuring clinical quality, developing the next generation of clinical leaders, and embedding research and innovation across services. You will represent CNWL in key system forums, influence regional strategy, and champion the delivery of high-quality, inclusive care.
Interviews will be held mid-January 2027

Main duties of the job

The postholder will be based in London but will be expected to maintain a regular and visible presence across the full geographical footprint of Diggory Division, including services in Milton Keynes and Surrey.
This is a fundamental requirement of the role, ensuring accessible clinical leadership, effective engagement with staff and service users, and strong relationships with local partners.
The postholder must therefore be willing and able to travel regularly between sites as required.

About us

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) is one of the largest and most diverse community and mental health Trusts in the country. We have received a rating of "good" from the CQC; we care for people across the life course, from preconception through to the end of life. We have a wide range of outstanding partners and work across vibrant and expansive geography.
Our Trust is structured into three Operational Divisions, working alongside centralised corporate support services. Each Division is made up of borough teams and cross-boundary specialised Directorates. Each Division is managed by a team of three - a Managing Director, Director of Nursing and a Medical Director. These three report, respectively, to the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Nurse and the Chief Medical Officer.
The Divisional teams work closely, along with their Borough and Service line leaders, with the local authority, public health, PCNs and other statutory and non-statutory partners.
We operate across two Integrated Care Systems (ICSs): West North London (WNL) and Central East.

Job responsibilities

• The Diggory Medical Director will be jointly responsible and accountable for all aspects of the Diggory Division alongside the Diggory Managing Director and Director of Nursing.
• The Diggory Medical Director will provide clinical leadership and strategic direction for the Division and will ensure, alongside the Diggory Managing Director and Director of Nursing, that services are delivered with high quality, financial and operational sustainability and consistent with the Trust values.
• The Diggory Medical Director has a key role in providing a clinical vision to inform service improvement and development across the Division, in keeping with the NHS 10-year plan. You will provide strong clinical leadership to shape and improve care across mental health, community, addictions, health and justice, and sexual health and HIV services.
• Diggory is a diverse division delivering mental health, community and addiction services in Milton Keynes, alongside addictions, health and justice, and sexual health and HIV services across London, Milton Keynes and Surrey. The Medical Director therefore has a significant role representing CNWL with system partners, commissioners and external organisations across this broad geography.
• The Diggory Medical Director is responsible, through line management and professional leadership of Clinical Directors and for ensuring all aspects of medical governance are adhered to, including effective recruitment, job planning, annual appraisal and revalidation, and management of performance concerns relating to medical and dental staff within the Division.
• The Diggory Medical Director will support the development of medical and clinical leadership within the Division.
• The Diggory Medical Director will work closely with the Director of Medical Education to support resident doctors and medical students and embed a culture of learning within the Division.
• The Diggory Medical Director will, alongside the Diggory Director of Nursing, have responsibility for clinical governance of the Division. You will actively engage in quality improvement, in responding to and learning from incidents, as well as supporting the divisional relationship with external organisations including the CQC.
• The Medical Director will work alongside the Managing Director and Director of Nursing to ensure safe, effective and timely care across Diggory services, including effective patient flow through inpatient and community mental health pathways, using quality improvement and clinically led processes and systems.
• CNWL is a strong research organisation and the Diggory Medical Director is expected to actively support development of research within the Division.
• The Medical Director will have corporate responsibilities which will vary from time to time and scope.

Person Specification

Essential

• On the GMC Specialist Register or the GMC GP Register
• Experience at senior management level with responsibility for clinical operations in complex health care setting (clinical director or equivalent).
• Experience and evidence of delivering high standards of performance to achieve national and local targets within a complex healthcare setting
• Demonstrable track record of leading innovation and service improvement, translating new ideas into measurable improvements in quality, outcomes, access, experience or productivity.
• Experience of managing large-scale change in a complex environment
• Experience of delivering efficiency and productivity targets at operational level
• Experience of working effectively in partnership with other organisations
• Experience of dealing with difficult situations including the resolution of conflict and influencing others to accept demanding outcomes
• Strategic and operational leadership skills
• Understanding of the work and priorities of a NHS trust and a good grasp of current policy direction in respect of clinical services in mental health
• Solid understanding of all governance issues
• Highly developed operational management skills
• Highly developed operational performance improvement skills
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills necessary to establish and maintain effective working relationships across and between a variety of diverse interest groups, and the ability to communicate effectively where there may be significant barriers to acceptance
• Proven visionary leadership / ability to set out a clear vision for services, to persuade others of the benefits and requirements of the plan for the future, and overcome obstacles
• Ability to create a culture in which staff and service users are empowered to identify, test and implement new approaches to care.
• Demonstrate an ability to lead and motivate

Desirable

• Evidence of continued professional development
• Qualification in Business/Medical Management
• Experience of business planning in complex organisations
• Demonstrable experience of financial and budgetary management, including using financial, workforce, activity and quality data to redesign services and deliver sustainable models of care.
• Experience of working with commissioners and partners, with an understanding of different NHS and local authority commissioning and contracting arrangements, including Integrated Care Boards and NHS England
• Experience of contributing to successful tenders, service bids and/or the mobilisation of new or significantly redesigned services
• Experience of leading service redesign and remodelling in a complex healthcare environment, demonstrating the ability to improve quality and outcomes while delivering financial sustainability and value

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. Apply through our website for further details.

Contact

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Cornelius Kelly, [e-mail]