Job summary
A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join a small, friendly and supportive Legal Team in a full-time post of Legal Services and Inquest Officer.
The successful candidate will need to be legally qualified or with suitable relevant experience to enable them to manage of a mixed case load of inquests, Court of Protection and clinical negligence cases and personal injury claims. There will be a high level of advocacy representing the interests of the Trust at Coroners Courts across the Trust's geographical location.
The successful candidate will ensure that that inquests and claims are effectively managed in accordance with the Trust's NHSR Scheme Rules, Civil Procedure Rules, Pre-action Protocols and Coroners Rules to minimise financial, reputation and other risks to the Trust.
The team is located within the Trust Headquarters based in Brockworth, Gloucestershire. You will be joining a forward thinking, innovative team dedicated to providing the trust with dedicated, professional legal support.
Main duties of the job
Alongside a variety of responsibilities, you will be single point of contact for all legal enquiries coming into the Trust from a variety of organisations such as the police, solicitors and NHS organisations.
Utilising the in-house case management system to accurately maintain and record all legal cases.
Provide advocacy on behalf of the Trust at inquests relating to the organisation. Offering advice and guidance on all aspects of the inquest process, claims and healthcare law, based on knowledge and experience, legislation, national, international and local guidelines and best practice.
To work with NHS Resolution and Trust solicitors in the instruction of barristers and independent experts where appropriate and required.
You will work closely with NHS Resolution and Trust Solicitors on new and on-going claims.
To assist with the preparing and delivery of legal training to staff and managers on processes associated with inquests and claims.
Liaise with the Trust management, clinical leads, Learning and Development teams, and national groups to ensure learning points from claims and inquests are developed into Trust practice and national practice.
To assist with the development, preparation of qualitative and statistical reports of a very high standard on legal matters and present to the Board of Directors, Quality Committee, Executive Directors Group and other groups.
About us
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.
Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:
- 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
- 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
- 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.
This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
The Trust is required to work in line with the Governments UK Visa and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information about sponsorship for certain roles, please visit-https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas
Job description
Job responsibilities
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
The Trust is required to work in line with the Governments UK Visa and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information about sponsorship for certain roles, please visit-https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level in law or ability to evidence a thorough understanding of the healthcare law, gained either in an NHS legal department or private practice environment.
- Postgraduate qualification in related field or equivalent experience and knowledge in healthcare law (e.g. inquest management, court of protection, Coroners)
Desirable
- Membership of CILEX or SRA and Law Society.
Experience
Essential
- Recognised para-legal level experience
- Experience of working within an NHS legal department or private practice with an understanding of Healthcare, Advisory/Public Law.
- Demonstrable experience in dealing with third party professional organisations and the public, along with sensitive and confidential information
- Working knowledge of Data Protection and GDPR in relation to the disclosure of data/information.
- Significant experience in carrying out complex legal and claims, investigations, evidence gathering, court preparation and advocacy.
- Experience of writing and presenting complex information at senior management level
- Experience of writing court reports and preparing case files.
Desirable
- Ability to use NHSLA case management system.
Professional Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice and civil claims systems and/or the Court of Protection
- Expert knowledge and understanding of the legal and claims process
- Detailed understanding of NHS Resolutions working practices and standards
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level in law or ability to evidence a thorough understanding of the healthcare law, gained either in an NHS legal department or private practice environment.
- Postgraduate qualification in related field or equivalent experience and knowledge in healthcare law (e.g. inquest management, court of protection, Coroners)
Desirable
- Membership of CILEX or SRA and Law Society.
Experience
Essential
- Recognised para-legal level experience
- Experience of working within an NHS legal department or private practice with an understanding of Healthcare, Advisory/Public Law.
- Demonstrable experience in dealing with third party professional organisations and the public, along with sensitive and confidential information
- Working knowledge of Data Protection and GDPR in relation to the disclosure of data/information.
- Significant experience in carrying out complex legal and claims, investigations, evidence gathering, court preparation and advocacy.
- Experience of writing and presenting complex information at senior management level
- Experience of writing court reports and preparing case files.
Desirable
- Ability to use NHSLA case management system.
Professional Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice and civil claims systems and/or the Court of Protection
- Expert knowledge and understanding of the legal and claims process
- Detailed understanding of NHS Resolutions working practices and standards
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.
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).
Additional 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.
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).
