• Job Description

  Req#: C9196-25-1301?language=en&page=146&sort=publicationDateDesc

  Job summary

  This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and talented healthcare lawyer to join our dynamic and busy in-house Clinical Legal Services team as the Senior Healthcare Lawyer leading the Trust's Coroners' Inquests team.

  You must be a qualified solicitor or barrister registered in England & Wales, experienced in advising the NHS on the wide range of medico-legal issues that arise in a busy acute hospital environment. You will support and work closely with senior managers, clinical and administrative staff, and with key external stakeholders, including Coroners and Coroners' Officers. Patient safety is core to every aspect of the job, which provides a great opportunity for a motivated individual to support improvements in the safety of care.

  You will need highly developed communication skills so as to be able to influence and effect change internally and when representing the Trust and supporting clinical staff in Coroners' Courts and other matters.

  Main duties of the job

  Supporting the Head of Clinical Legal Services in the day to day management of the Trust's portfolio of Coroners' Inquests by leading and managing the Trust's Inquest team, including the Inquest Manager and Paralegal Apprentice.

  Taking a leading role in relation to the Trust's Inquests portfolio, including liaising with Coroners, attending pre-inquest review hearings and inquest hearings and undertaking advocacy where appropriate.

  To provide general advice to the Trust upon a variety of healthcare issues, often on an urgent/emergency basis, including the management of Court of Protection and Inherent Jurisdiction proceedings.

  Ensuring that the Trust's staff are supported in relation to inquests and advisory matters, and to assist in the development and delivery of staff training on medico-legal topics as required.

  About us

  Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK's best known hospitals - Guy's, St Thomas', Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield - as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.

  We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and - as part of King's Health Partners - we are one of England's eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research's biomedical research centres, established with King's College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.

  We strive to recruit and retain the best staff as the dedication and skills of our employees lie at the heart of our organisation and ensure that our services are of the highest quality, safe and focused on our patients.

  Organisational Values :

  The post holder will be:

  Caring - we put patients first

  Ambitious -we innovate and strive for excellence

  Inclusive - we respect each other and work collaboratively

  Our values and behaviours framework describes what it means for every one of us in the Trust to put our values into action. The framework can be found on our Trust jobs pages and our intranet.

  Details

  Date posted

  18 July 2025

  Pay scheme

  Agenda for change

  Band

  Band 8b

  Salary

  £72,921 to £83,362 a year inc HCA

  Contract

  Permanent

  Working pattern

  Full-time

  Reference number

  196-COF10840-T

  Job locations

  Guy's Hospital (off-site)

  London SE1

  London

  SE1 9RT

  
  

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  Please see Job Description and Personal Specification for the specific requirements of the post attached.

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  Please see Job Description and Personal Specification for the specific requirements of the post attached.

  Person Specification

  Qualifications/ Education

  Essential

  • Bachelor's degree and qualified solicitor/barrister admitted/called in England & Wales and registered with the Solicitor's Regulation Authority (SRA) / Bar Standards Board (BSB)
  • Current SRA or BSB Practising Certificate (following completion of a training contract or pupillage).
  • Extensive relevant PQE in Healthcare Law and Litigation, for or on behalf of the NHS and other healthcare organisations

  Desirable

  • Knowledge of the NHS and interrelated systems
  • An in-depth understanding of NHS policy
  • Master's degree in Healthcare Law and Ethics

  Professional/ Statutory Registration

  Essential

  • Registration with SRA or BSB

  Previous experience

  Essential

  • Significant post-qualification experience of clinical negligence and personal injury claims, including complex/high-value claims; inquests, including contentious/multi-party cases; Court of Protection cases, including sensitive treatment cases; healthcare advisory matters.
  • Experience of appearing in court and representing healthcare professionals or organisations in contentious matters.
  • Significant experience of working with and developing solutions for complex problems involving internal and external stakeholders.

  Skills/Knowledge/ Ability

  Essential

  • Robust and specialised knowledge of law and practice as it applies in the NHS and healthcare sector.
  • Specialist knowledge of the law and practice in relation to clinical negligence, personal injury, inquests, Court of Protection and healthcare law topics.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development.
  • Knowledge of NHS specific provisions, structures and policies.
  • Strong track record of defending clinical negligence claims, including at trial.
  • Experience of negotiating external legal advisers' and medical experts' fees.

  Analytical and judgmental skills

  Essential

  • Highly developed analytical and problem solving skills; capable of interpreting and evaluating complex, multi-faceted information; ability to summarise complex information; ability to make judgements and advise on the best course of action.
  • Ability to present complex information to a wide range of audiences, with differing levels of understanding, in a suitable format and with appropriate explanation.
  • Ability to influence / persuade / motivate others and the ability to present reports / arguments effectively.
  • Strategic thinking - ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
  • Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions.
  • Strong advocacy skills, including the ability to elicit evidence in examination in chief and cross examination and make legal submissions

  Person Specification

  Qualifications/ Education

  Essential

  • Bachelor's degree and qualified solicitor/barrister admitted/called in England & Wales and registered with the Solicitor's Regulation Authority (SRA) / Bar Standards Board (BSB)
  • Current SRA or BSB Practising Certificate (following completion of a training contract or pupillage).
  • Extensive relevant PQE in Healthcare Law and Litigation, for or on behalf of the NHS and other healthcare organisations

  Desirable

  • Knowledge of the NHS and interrelated systems
  • An in-depth understanding of NHS policy
  • Master's degree in Healthcare Law and Ethics

  Professional/ Statutory Registration

  Essential

  • Registration with SRA or BSB

  Previous experience

  Essential

  • Significant post-qualification experience of clinical negligence and personal injury claims, including complex/high-value claims; inquests, including contentious/multi-party cases; Court of Protection cases, including sensitive treatment cases; healthcare advisory matters.
  • Experience of appearing in court and representing healthcare professionals or organisations in contentious matters.
  • Significant experience of working with and developing solutions for complex problems involving internal and external stakeholders.

  Skills/Knowledge/ Ability

  Essential

  • Robust and specialised knowledge of law and practice as it applies in the NHS and healthcare sector.
  • Specialist knowledge of the law and practice in relation to clinical negligence, personal injury, inquests, Court of Protection and healthcare law topics.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development.
  • Knowledge of NHS specific provisions, structures and policies.
  • Strong track record of defending clinical negligence claims, including at trial.
  • Experience of negotiating external legal advisers' and medical experts' fees.

  Analytical and judgmental skills

  Essential

  • Highly developed analytical and problem solving skills; capable of interpreting and evaluating complex, multi-faceted information; ability to summarise complex information; ability to make judgements and advise on the best course of action.
  • Ability to present complex information to a wide range of audiences, with differing levels of understanding, in a suitable format and with appropriate explanation.
  • Ability to influence / persuade / motivate others and the ability to present reports / arguments effectively.
  • Strategic thinking - ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
  • Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions.
  • Strong advocacy skills, including the ability to elicit evidence in examination in chief and cross examination and make legal submissions

  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).

  UK Registration

  Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

  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.

  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).

  UK Registration

  Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  Guy's Hospital (off-site)

  London SE1

  London

  SE1 9RT

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  Guy's Hospital (off-site)

  London SE1

  London

  SE1 9RT

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)

• About the company

  National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.

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