Job summary
This role is only open to applicants that currently work within an NHS Trust within the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (HIOW ICS).
To work within the Legal Services Department handling a large and varied caseload covering a range of legal matters including healthcare, commercial and Court of Protection, but with an emphasis on coronial, clinical negligence and medico-legal matters. To provide advice, guidance, and support to the Trust in relation to legal proceedings and processes. This is a development role and would provide an excellent opportunity for any candidate looking to develop and expand their legal career.
Main duties of the job
- Under the management of the Head of Legal Services, to play a key role in providing professional legal support, advice and assistance on a Trust wide basis; to include interpreting various law and legal cases to provide advice and guidance.
- To support the Trust's involvement in inquest proceedings and support the medico-legal lawyers within the department by liaising with the Coroners Office, ensuring that documents are provided to the Coroner in accordance with deadlines, keeping administrative systems and processes up to date in terms of data recording, taking instructions from witnesses and drafting witness statements, preparing witnesses for giving evidence, attending inquest hearings in a supportive capacity and highlighting emerging risks to the legal department and preparing/suggesting strategies on how to mitigate risk
- To support with other general legal matters when required at the direction of senior members of the department, which may include assisting and advising on legal queries from other departments, taking instructions, reviewing records and reports, drafting witness statements for tribunals and courts, preparing bundles and managing other administrative processes as needed to support the lawyers. This may involve working in a number of legal disciplines, such as Court of Protection, employment law, commercial law, corporate law, civil litigation, criminal law, family law etc;
About us
Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.
Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.
We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.
The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Liaising with and supporting clinicians and other staff who are involved in inquest proceedings and keeping Clinical Directors, Medical Directors and other relevant personnel up to date with progress, being the first port of call for those inquests assigned to the post holder to manage;
- Researching legal topics in order to answer queries from internal stakeholders, to avoid having to take a query to a lawyer within the team where possible;
- Contribute to the development of the Trust wide legal policies and procedures and the delivery of the legal strategic plan;
- To work with Trust staff on the development and promotion of the relationship between the Legal Department and the rest of the Trust and represent the department in a professional manner at all times;
- To participate and where required, to lead, on specific legal projects;
- To learn, develop and maintain up to date knowledge of legal matters and conduct research for senior members of the Legal Department
- To liaise with external law firms and NHS Resolution when required;
- To plan and coordinate workload and requirements for self and within the legal services team to ensure correct documents and papers are distributed in accordance with case proceedings, hearings and relevant parties are able to attend.
- To retrieve medical and other records and taking responsibility for obtaining records and documents as requested by the lawyers;
- Maintain the document management system, ensuring records are kept up to date by opening, closing and updating files in a timely fashion;
- Opening up new files for the lawyers by logging new claims with NHS Resolution and acknowledging the claimant;
- Assisting with the preparation of risk management reports for the Head of Legal Services and other teams within the Trust as required;
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Liaising with and supporting clinicians and other staff who are involved in inquest proceedings and keeping Clinical Directors, Medical Directors and other relevant personnel up to date with progress, being the first port of call for those inquests assigned to the post holder to manage;
- Researching legal topics in order to answer queries from internal stakeholders, to avoid having to take a query to a lawyer within the team where possible;
- Contribute to the development of the Trust wide legal policies and procedures and the delivery of the legal strategic plan;
- To work with Trust staff on the development and promotion of the relationship between the Legal Department and the rest of the Trust and represent the department in a professional manner at all times;
- To participate and where required, to lead, on specific legal projects;
- To learn, develop and maintain up to date knowledge of legal matters and conduct research for senior members of the Legal Department
- To liaise with external law firms and NHS Resolution when required;
- To plan and coordinate workload and requirements for self and within the legal services team to ensure correct documents and papers are distributed in accordance with case proceedings, hearings and relevant parties are able to attend.
- To retrieve medical and other records and taking responsibility for obtaining records and documents as requested by the lawyers;
- Maintain the document management system, ensuring records are kept up to date by opening, closing and updating files in a timely fashion;
- Opening up new files for the lawyers by logging new claims with NHS Resolution and acknowledging the claimant;
- Assisting with the preparation of risk management reports for the Head of Legal Services and other teams within the Trust as required;
Person Specification
training and qualifications
Essential
- A Level education
- Law degree
Desirable
Experience and knowledge
Essential
- oExperience of working in a legal environment and supporting lawyers with their work.
- oEvidence of dealing with a variety of queries.
- oExperience of witness statement drafting in relation to at least one type of legal proceedings.
Desirable
- oExperience of working in a complex, multi-disciplinary organisation such as the NHS and knowledge of the political environment and frameworks in which they operate,
- oExperience of working as a paralegal with responsibility for own caseload,
- oWorking knowledge of coronial law/experience in inquest hearings.
- oWorking knowledge of Court of Protection legislation and process
Skills and ability
Essential
- oExcellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise and manage conflicting tasks to tight deadlines,
- oAbility to work under pressure and manage a large, varied, and unpredictable workload,
- oExcellent attention to detail and high level of accuracy.
- oExcellent verbal and written communication skills and being able to communicate effectively with all audiences and levels of seniority.
- oSound analytical reasoning skills.
Desirable
- oAbility to interpret and present legal information in lay terms
- oAbility to present ideas at a senior level,
- oAbility to make judgements in relation to complex legal matters
- oAbility to understand, analyse and interpret complex and sensitive clinical information
Person Specification
training and qualifications
Essential
- A Level education
- Law degree
Desirable
Experience and knowledge
Essential
- oExperience of working in a legal environment and supporting lawyers with their work.
- oEvidence of dealing with a variety of queries.
- oExperience of witness statement drafting in relation to at least one type of legal proceedings.
Desirable
- oExperience of working in a complex, multi-disciplinary organisation such as the NHS and knowledge of the political environment and frameworks in which they operate,
- oExperience of working as a paralegal with responsibility for own caseload,
- oWorking knowledge of coronial law/experience in inquest hearings.
- oWorking knowledge of Court of Protection legislation and process
Skills and ability
Essential
- oExcellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise and manage conflicting tasks to tight deadlines,
- oAbility to work under pressure and manage a large, varied, and unpredictable workload,
- oExcellent attention to detail and high level of accuracy.
- oExcellent verbal and written communication skills and being able to communicate effectively with all audiences and levels of seniority.
- oSound analytical reasoning skills.
Desirable
- oAbility to interpret and present legal information in lay terms
- oAbility to present ideas at a senior level,
- oAbility to make judgements in relation to complex legal matters
- oAbility to understand, analyse and interpret complex and sensitive clinical information
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.
