Legal Services Manager

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 escalate 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.

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 escalate 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.

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 acronym ICORE; 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.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Kate Clark Job title: Associate Director for Patient Safety and Risk Email address: kate.clark12@nhs.net Telephone number: 0191 445 6042

Steven Wade (Current Legal Services Manager)

steven.wade@nhs.net