Head of Legal Services

Job summary

The post holder will lead the Legal Services Team at LNWH. They will be responsible for embedding the principles of continuous improvement to enable the legal services team to provide a responsive, resolution-focused and effective inquest and legal claims service at LNWH. The role supports us put Quality at our HEART.

The post holder will lead and actively seek opportunities to improve our inquest and claims management. The poster holder will review the current inquest and claims process and will identify and address any gaps in best practice. The post holder will implement best practice in management of inquests and claims.

You must have an engaging personality, a belief in the need to continuously improve and the methods to enable this. You will be responsible for overseeing improvement programmes and projects within the legal services team.

Main duties of the job

1. To provide a responsive, resolution-focused and effective inquest and legal claims service within the Trust.
2. Lead the legal team to ensure that the Trust management of legal claims and inquests is responsive, timely and effective and staff are supported with legal queries.
3. Ensure statutory and organisational requirements in respect of legal services are met.
4. Ensure that claims are managed with appropriate thoroughness and impartiality and that all claims receive a full, quality and timely response that delivers the best outcome for the claimant and for the service.
5. Manage all dealings with the Coroner and requests for reports for inquests and any subsequent summons of Attend and advocate at straightforward inquests and instruct external solicitors if risk to the Trust is high.
6. Advise staff on legal queries relating to patient treatment in a timely manner or escalate to the CMO Office when specialist legal advice is needed.
7. Embed a culture of continuous improvement and lead on the delivery of transformation and improvement projects to improve inquests and claims management at LNWH.
8. Map the legal services processes, develop improvement plans and oversee their delivery.
9. Work across a broad range of teams and functions - requiring the ability to create value and capability - working in partnership with clinical and non- clinical staff

About us

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.

Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.

We run major acute services at:

• Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country's top-rated hyper-acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper-acute rehabilitation units in the UK
• St Mark's Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease
• Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice
• Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.

We are a university teaching NHS trust, in recognition of the important role we play in training clinicians of the future and bringing the benefits of research to the public.