Job summary
The Legal Team is a part of NHS England's Delivery Directorate and provides legal advice, support and expertise to the whole organisation to promote good decision making, controls and accountability to Parliament and to deliver better outcomes for patients. We provide an accessible, high quality legal service that enables NHS England to comply with the law, manage legal risk, make effective decisions and demonstrate itself as being a well-run leader of the NHS. The team is made up of a number of sub/mini teams known as Domains, each specialising in a particular area of law. This role sits within the Systems & Oversight Domain.
Main duties of the job
The Healthcare Lawyers is a key member of the Systems & Oversight domain, reporting into the Head of Public Law: Systems & Oversight.
The role of the Healthcare Lawyer is to ensure NHS England is a legally compliant organisation, in all internal and external undertakings, to advise upon and manage all aspects of legal risk and to make sure NHS England makes the most effective use of its legal powers for the benefit of patients.
You will advise on the underpinning legislation for NHS England, to senior decision makers often personally and at pace, as well as maintaining and improving an agile advice service for others in the organisation. This frequently means having a fast, solutions focus that is able to articulate risk and opportunity to facilitate informed and efficient decision making.
Candidates will also need a high degree of resilience, the ability to work without supervision and understand a broad range of complex information quickly, and highly developed communication skills. You will need to build good relationships with others in the team, the rest of the organisation and external lawyers.
The NHS is committed to building an inclusive personal, fair and diverse health and care system and a workplace where belonging, equity, diversity and inclusion are treasured. We
About us
NHS England leads the NHS in England to deliver high quality care for all. We support NHS organisations to deliver better outcomes for our patients and communities, work to get the best possible value for taxpayers, and drive improvement across the NHS. From April 2023, NHS England, Health Education England and NHS Digital became a single organisation, putting workforce, data, digital and technology at the heart of our plans to transform the NHS. Following the integration of those organisations the new NHS England is transforming how it works and this is an exciting time to join the Legal Team as a Healthcare Lawyer. For more information about this role please review the Job Description and Person Specification.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person
Job description
Job responsibilities
The main duties and responsibilities of the role are set out in the Job Description.
Candidates for the role will have significant experience of advising in or for the public sector across one or more relevant areas of legal practice, including public law, and evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development.
The post holder will need the ability to advise on public law in a health setting and to provide senior decision makers with pragmatic, facilitative advice at pace in the context of NHS Englands legal landscape. The Public Law domains advise on public and health care law, including the exercise of NHS England statutory functions and duties, across a range of different areas. In particular, the Public Law; Systems & Oversight Domain undertakes a range of legal work in relation to the operation, governance and oversight of NHS systems and local bodies (Integrated Care Boards, NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts), equalities and NHS workforce & appointments. Candidates will need to demonstrate they have, or are able to develop rapidly, an understanding of the legal framework within which NHS England operates and knowledge in more than one of the domains areas of work.
The large volume and breadth of legal advice provided by the Legal Team means the postholder will need to work dynamically and at pace, delivering against competing priorities and deadlines, ensuring the Head of domain is kept informed of new, key or high-risk matters. The post holder will need to maintain high levels of accuracy whilst working to tight and often changing timescales, and plan and deliver legal project and services on time.
The post holder will have oversight of their portfolio of work within the domain and be responsible for: outsourcing as well as providing legal advice personally; managing external legal advice and firms; meeting domain reporting requirements; securing the collation of domain data via our case management system to ensure quality and value for money legal advice.
The post holder will support the Head of Public Law; Systems & Oversight to lead the domain and work with them to assure the Deputy Director of Legal of the smooth running of the domain, escalating legal risk and domain issues swiftly and effectively and supporting the Head to deliver domain and wider team objectives and deliverables
The post holder will need to work well with, and learn from, others in the domain, the wider team, the wider organisation, external firms and others outside the organisation who we work with. The post holder will be a positive, supportive member of the domain and wider team, contributing to wider team projects and deliverables as required. The post holder will have a commitment to quality and the promotion of high standards in all they do. They will demonstrate self-awareness and consistently look to improve their work, seek feedback and develop themselves.
In addition to the provision and management of legal work, the role holder may be involved in a variety of corporate activities across the domain or the wider Legal Team more generally, for example supporting business partnering relationships with the domains clients or participating in workstreams to develop and implement the Legal Teams operating model.
You can find further details about the job, organisational structure, recruitment profile, expected outcomes and benefits information in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
Salary Progression Applicants will commence at the bottom of Band 8b with a full-time starting salary of £58,972, with a pay step increase after 5 years service. For posts based in Inner London, the above salaries will include the additional supplement of 20% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £5,132 per annum and a maximum payment of £7,746 per annum. This is offered in accordance with NHS Terms and Conditions and is based on office location.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The main duties and responsibilities of the role are set out in the Job Description.
Candidates for the role will have significant experience of advising in or for the public sector across one or more relevant areas of legal practice, including public law, and evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development.
The post holder will need the ability to advise on public law in a health setting and to provide senior decision makers with pragmatic, facilitative advice at pace in the context of NHS Englands legal landscape. The Public Law domains advise on public and health care law, including the exercise of NHS England statutory functions and duties, across a range of different areas. In particular, the Public Law; Systems & Oversight Domain undertakes a range of legal work in relation to the operation, governance and oversight of NHS systems and local bodies (Integrated Care Boards, NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts), equalities and NHS workforce & appointments. Candidates will need to demonstrate they have, or are able to develop rapidly, an understanding of the legal framework within which NHS England operates and knowledge in more than one of the domains areas of work.
The large volume and breadth of legal advice provided by the Legal Team means the postholder will need to work dynamically and at pace, delivering against competing priorities and deadlines, ensuring the Head of domain is kept informed of new, key or high-risk matters. The post holder will need to maintain high levels of accuracy whilst working to tight and often changing timescales, and plan and deliver legal project and services on time.
The post holder will have oversight of their portfolio of work within the domain and be responsible for: outsourcing as well as providing legal advice personally; managing external legal advice and firms; meeting domain reporting requirements; securing the collation of domain data via our case management system to ensure quality and value for money legal advice.
The post holder will support the Head of Public Law; Systems & Oversight to lead the domain and work with them to assure the Deputy Director of Legal of the smooth running of the domain, escalating legal risk and domain issues swiftly and effectively and supporting the Head to deliver domain and wider team objectives and deliverables
The post holder will need to work well with, and learn from, others in the domain, the wider team, the wider organisation, external firms and others outside the organisation who we work with. The post holder will be a positive, supportive member of the domain and wider team, contributing to wider team projects and deliverables as required. The post holder will have a commitment to quality and the promotion of high standards in all they do. They will demonstrate self-awareness and consistently look to improve their work, seek feedback and develop themselves.
In addition to the provision and management of legal work, the role holder may be involved in a variety of corporate activities across the domain or the wider Legal Team more generally, for example supporting business partnering relationships with the domains clients or participating in workstreams to develop and implement the Legal Teams operating model.
You can find further details about the job, organisational structure, recruitment profile, expected outcomes and benefits information in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
Salary Progression Applicants will commence at the bottom of Band 8b with a full-time starting salary of £58,972, with a pay step increase after 5 years service. For posts based in Inner London, the above salaries will include the additional supplement of 20% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £5,132 per annum and a maximum payment of £7,746 per annum. This is offered in accordance with NHS Terms and Conditions and is based on office location.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with extensive post-qualification experience and educated educated to master's level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Experience of advising in or for the public sector across one or more relevant areas of legal practice (including public law)
Desirable
- Experience of one or more of the relevant areas covered by the Systems & Oversight domain
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Developed legal advisory and drafting skills
Desirable
Skills
Essential
- Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales.
Values
Essential
- Works well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with extensive post-qualification experience and educated educated to master's level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Experience of advising in or for the public sector across one or more relevant areas of legal practice (including public law)
Desirable
- Experience of one or more of the relevant areas covered by the Systems & Oversight domain
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Developed legal advisory and drafting skills
Desirable
Skills
Essential
- Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales.
Values
Essential
- Works well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others.
Additional information
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).
