Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a solicitor (or other suitable professionally qualified individual) to join an established Legal Services team to provide direct advice and support to the Trust in relation to both claims and inquests. Working closely with the Head of Legal Services, the Legal Services department, and the whole Trust you will ensure that claims and inquests are dealt with quickly and fairly, and that (where appropriate) lessons are learned and actions taken to drive improvement across the organisation.
Please note, we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high amount of applications.
Interviews for this position will be held on Friday 23rd January 2026.
Main duties of the job
- Preparing the Trust for inquests, by liaising with staff, the coroner, and other interested parties.
- Assisting the Trust in the investigation of clinical negligence and personal injury claims.
- Representing the Trust at Coroner's inquests.
- Act as joint deputy to the Head of Legal Services in their absence.
- Acting as a point of contact for the Trust for basic legal queries.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.
You will be expected to undertake the Trusts' commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will be jointly responsible for ensuring the effective response of the Trust to claims and inquests. This will include some advocacy in the Coroner's court, and some line management.
Please see the attached Job Description for details of main tasks and responsibilities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will be jointly responsible for ensuring the effective response of the Trust to claims and inquests. This will include some advocacy in the Coroner's court, and some line management.
Please see the attached Job Description for details of main tasks and responsibilities.
Person Specification
Our Values
Essential
- We are Kind
- We are Open
- We are Inclusive
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level in law
Desirable
- Educated to masters level degree or equivalent experience in law
- Clinical Risk and claims Management Diploma
- Qualified solicitor/barrister/legal executive or equivalent
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience of working within legal services - OR
- Experience of working with coronial services - OR
- Experience of working in a clinical negligence (or equivalent) setting
Desirable
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Evidence of liaison and partnership working with service users / carers, members of the public and a wide range of stakeholders
- Experience of effective liaison with both clinical and non-clinical staff
Skills
Essential
- Writing and implementing policy
- Self-motivated, able to work unsupervised
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Able to use a variety of computer packages ie Office
- Able to present information easily in a comprehensive manner
- Able to work autonomously to tight deadlines
- Able to handle and defuse conflict situations and react calmly
- Well organised
- Tact and diplomacy required
- Able to influence others
- Experience in negotiation
- Staff management - including supervision, appraisals, training and teaching
- Basic advocacy - the ability to make submissions in a court setting
Other
Essential
- Light physical effort required, sitting and standing
- Work pattern unpredictable, frequent disruptions for more than half the shift, telephone, emails. Interruptions to report writing and complaint response letters
- Occasional exposure to emotional circumstances
- Office environment/access to transport
- Attendance in person at court in a variety of settings
- Cross site meetings
- Confidentiality
Person Specification
Our Values
Essential
- We are Kind
- We are Open
- We are Inclusive
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level in law
Desirable
- Educated to masters level degree or equivalent experience in law
- Clinical Risk and claims Management Diploma
- Qualified solicitor/barrister/legal executive or equivalent
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience of working within legal services - OR
- Experience of working with coronial services - OR
- Experience of working in a clinical negligence (or equivalent) setting
Desirable
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Evidence of liaison and partnership working with service users / carers, members of the public and a wide range of stakeholders
- Experience of effective liaison with both clinical and non-clinical staff
Skills
Essential
- Writing and implementing policy
- Self-motivated, able to work unsupervised
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Able to use a variety of computer packages ie Office
- Able to present information easily in a comprehensive manner
- Able to work autonomously to tight deadlines
- Able to handle and defuse conflict situations and react calmly
- Well organised
- Tact and diplomacy required
- Able to influence others
- Experience in negotiation
- Staff management - including supervision, appraisals, training and teaching
- Basic advocacy - the ability to make submissions in a court setting
Other
Essential
- Light physical effort required, sitting and standing
- Work pattern unpredictable, frequent disruptions for more than half the shift, telephone, emails. Interruptions to report writing and complaint response letters
- Occasional exposure to emotional circumstances
- Office environment/access to transport
- Attendance in person at court in a variety of settings
- Cross site meetings
- Confidentiality
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.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
