Senior Legal Services Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Claims Handling

Under supervision of more senior members of Legal Services, manage claims against the Trust for clinical negligence and employer/public liability in accordance with Pre-Action protocols, Civil Procedure Rules and NHS Resolution reporting requirements.

Liaise with other departments to obtain additional information where there has been a complaint, incident or internal investigation.

Identify links between claims, incidents, and Inquests and initiate any additional investigations via other relevant teams such as Risk or Patient Safety.

Responsible for notifying and requesting comments or statements from relevant members of staff on any claims matters, where panel has not already been instructed to do so.

To prepare updating briefs on claims for the approval of ADoL / HoL and provide reports on the claims as and when requested by ADoL / HoL

Liaise with claimants solicitors as necessary to elicit further information.

Review and analyse medical records and any other relevant documents and preparation of chronology/synopsis.

At the conclusion of the claims, to ensure that relevant clinicians and the department are updated with the conclusion of the matter and ensure that any lessons learned are identified and communicated across the Trust, in particular through contributing to Legal Services reports

Responsible for ensuring that all claims where complex issues arise are brought to the attention of ADoL / HoL for advice and direction as per relevant policies.

2. Inquests

To assist ADoL / HoL in the conduct of Coroners Inquest cases by completing tasks in the preparation of all such cases, including:

Acting as primary liaison point with the Coroners Office and maintaining a professional and amicable working relationship with the various Coroners Officers;

Management of frequent, unexpected and urgent requests for information and/or assistance from Coroners Officers which may require reprioritisation of work, exercising judgement having regard to the particular circumstances;

Opening case management files for all new Inquest matters and maintaining/updating these as the matter develops;

Retrieving medical records and identification of relevant witnesses, and requesting reports and/or statements from the witnesses, ensuring at all times that any time scales requested by the Coroners Office are met;

Identifying linked complaints and incidents and notifying ADoL / HoL;

Analysis and assessment of complex clinical and factual scenarios (which may be distressing) in the identification of relevant factual witnesses and any key legal, ethical or patient safety issues that may arise in the Coroners inquiry;

Escalating any potentially contentious issues and/or any problems in obtaining witness reports/statements to more senior members of the team and proactive identification of potential solutions;

Identifying where NHSR funding is required for an inquest hearing and requesting this;

Drafting briefs and instructions to panel and/or Counsel.

Co-ordinating Pre-Inquest Meetings and court hearing appointments for the Legal team and the relevant witnesses and, if appropriate, external Counsel;

Attending Inquest hearings in order to support relevant witnesses and / or conduct advocacy;

Ensuring that Record of Inquests and conclusions are promptly obtained following the conclusion of Inquests and ensuring that any learning identified has been escalated to ADoL / HoL the Case management files are updated and closed as appropriate.

At the conclusion of the Inquest, to ensure that relevant clinicians and the department are updated with the conclusion of the matter and ensure that any lessons learned are identified and communicated across the Trust, in particular through contributing to regular Legal Services reports.

3. Advice, Analysis and Data Management

Under supervision, to manage advisory queries and provide advice within their sphere of competence.

Responsible for maintaining the data within the Trusts inquests and claims database(s) (e.g. InPhase), ensuring that the data is accurate and up-to-date

Provide relevant information to ADoL / HoL as requested in order to form the wider Trust with regards to trends within the inquests and claims portfolio

Preparing draft reports under direction for review by more senior colleagues.

4. Supervisory role

Under supervision of ADoL /HoL to:

supervise and provide support to junior staff; and

guide work undertaken by junior staff, to support them in their day to day roles.

Person Specification

Qulifications / Education

Essential

• Legal qualification e.g. Law degree or accredited education or training in law or at least 3 years relevant experience
• Demonstrable experience of managing or assisting a Solicitor with a caseload of inquests and/ or claims and experience of assisting with advising on general health care law.
• Demonstrable evidence of investigating a high volume caseload of clinical negligence, personal injury and public liability claims and or inquests
• Demonstrable evidence of taking witness statements and providing support to witnesses called to give evidence at Court.

Desirable

• Qualified or part- qualified solicitor or barrister or legal executive
• Experience of working within an NHS Trust, or law firm environment defending claims, a Court environment or within barristers' chambers or NHS Resolution.
• Enthusiasm to conduct advocacy with training/supervision
• Knowledge of the law relating to Coroner's Inquests and Investigations. Good knowledge of clinical negligence and personal injury litigation.

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Coldharbour Works

London

SE5 9RS

Employer's website

https://www.kch.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)