Job requirements
Essential
40 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Other
Able to travel to meet the requirements of the job
- Experience
Proven record in a Medical leadership role, including contributing to operational management of services.
- Experience
Experience of working in Community Paediatric Services at GP, SAS or Consultant Grade
- Experience
Experience in management of health services
- Experience
Experience of monitoring, analysing and assessing clinical operational performance across multiple services.
- Experience
Experience of managing performance across multiple services, including the drafting, implementation and monitoring of remedial action plans.
- Experience
Experience in contributing to service level business plans, local standard operating procedures, and policies.
- Experience
Experience of managing budgets.
- Experience
Significant experience of staff management, including recruitment and retention of staff, performance management and managing sickness absence and misconduct.
- Experience
Experience of managing staff including job planning, medical appraisal and personal development planning.
- Experience
Experience of partnership working with a range of statutory and non-statutory service providers.
- Experience
Experience of assessing risks across clinical services and developing risk management plans.
- Experience
Experience of managing multi-disciplinary teams.
- Skills and Knowledge
Word-processing and keyboard skills and ability to use Microsoft Office packages including Word, Powerpoint and Excel
- Skills and Knowledge
Strong patient focus.
- Skills and Knowledge
Knowledge of NHS Human Resource Policies and Procedures.
- Skills and Knowledge
Knowledge of clinical and operational governance, patient safety and complaint handling and its application to services.
- Skills and Knowledge
Knowledge of multidisciplinary team working and an understanding of differing professional roles boundaries.
- Skills and Knowledge
Knowledge of clinical operational processes, including budget management, target setting, and action planning and performance management.
- Skills and Knowledge
Knowledge of NHS targets and regulatory requirements.
- Skills and Knowledge
Ability to monitor and maintain standards of care across a range of clinical services.
- Skills and Knowledge
Ability to identify, assess and manage Clinical and Operational Risks.
- Skills and Knowledge
Able to translate complex information and make it meaningful to staff at all levels and across all professions both verbally and in writing.
- Skills and Knowledge
Ability to occasionally manage distressing and emotional circumstances with staff, patients and their carers.
- Skills and Knowledge
Ability to deal with competing demands, priorities and deadlines whilst managing operational imperatives and frequent interruptions.
- Skills and Knowledge
Ability to engage stakeholders through discussion, presentation and direct liaison.
- Skills and Knowledge
Well-developed Presentation skills
- Skills and Knowledge
A natural curiosity backed by excellent critical analytical skills.
- Skills and Knowledge
Ability to lead quality improvement and promote research.
- Skills and Knowledge
Able to effectively challenge poor conduct and behaviours.
- Skills and Knowledge
Skilled in writing clear and coherent operational business cases, reports, and service plans.
- Skills and Knowledge
Demonstrate understanding of the unique qualities and needs of a team and ability to provide a caring, safe environment to enable everyone to do their jobs effectively.
- Skills and Knowledge
Use and interpret varied information and data to generate new ideas and make effective plans for improvement or change.
- Skills and Knowledge
Excellent time management, prioritisation and organisational skills and ability to manage and deliver to agreed deadlines
- Qualifications and Professional Registration
Recognised Basic Medical Degree
- Qualifications and Professional Registration
Full GMC Registration and Licence to Practice
- Qualifications and Professional Registration
Entry on the GMC Specialist Register for Paediatrics (or expected within 6 months of the interview date)
- Qualifications and Professional Registration
OR Entry on the GMC GP Register and inclusion on the NHS England GP Performers List (England)
- Qualifications and Professional Registration
OR Specialty Doctor - completed at least four years’ full-time postgraduate training (or its equivalent gained on a part-time or flexible basis) at least two of which will be in a specialty training programme in a relevant specialty or as a fixed term specialty trainee in a relevant specialty; or shall have equivalent experience and competencies
- Qualifications and Professional Registration
OR Specialist Doctor - completed a minimum of 12 years’ medical work (either continuous period or in aggregate) since obtaining a primary medical qualification of which a minimum of six years should have been in a relevant specialty in the Specialty Doctor and/or closed SAS grades. Equivalent years’ experience in a relevant specialty from other medical grades including from overseas will also be accepted. Meet the Specialist Grade generic capabilities framework.
Desirable
1 listedAdditional qualities the employer would prefer.
- Qualifications and Professional Registration
Qualification in Business/Medical Management
Job overview
Are you passionate about improving the quality of care, access, experience and outcomes for patients? Chailey Clinical Services offer a range of highly specialist multidisciplinary services supporting children, and young people with complex neurodisability and complex or fluctuating health needs. Child Development Services provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary child development and disability services, largely focused on children and young people with neurodisability and neurodevelopmental disorders.
We are seeking a medical Head of Service to provide clinical leadership, alongside the operational, healthcare science and AHP Heads of Service, to shape and develop our Chailey service’s offer. Alongside the leadership responsibilities which are 2 PAs / sessions, this role includes a further 4 PAs / sessions to deliver direct clinical care within SCFT's Child Development Centres.
Depending on the clinical background of the successful applicant, this could include initial health assessments for Children Looked After, or general caseload responsibility in community paediatrics.
This is an exciting opportunity to further transform our pathways of care for patients working closely with our clinical and operational leaders to address unwarranted clinical variation, use a data driven approach to identifying and tackling health inequity, strengthen evidence-based care and enhance personalised care.
Main duties of the job
The successful post-holder would be based at Chailey Clinical Services but travel to other sites may be required for clinical activities.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- a) The Chailey services Medical Head of Service will demonstrate strong professional clinical leadership and provide medical advice across the services within their portfolio. Acting in support of the Planned Care Divisional Medical Director, the post holder will be a key member of the Divisional leadership team and work as a triumvirate with the Clinical, Health Care Science and Operational Head of Service. b) The post holder will support the Divisional Medical Director to continually improve equitable patient care, experience, access and outcomes for their service and assist with the implementation of national and Trust initiatives working closely with the Operational, Healthcare Science and Clinical Head of Service. c) The postholder will play a key role in developing the service to meet the population's needs at locality and regional level and will have a service development portfolio and clinical leadership role. They will ensure services provide safe, effective, personalised and evidence-based clinical interventions and holistic care. d) The post holder will demonstrate highly visible clinical and professional leadership behaviours, which are underpinned by the values of the Trust, and be a role model for leadership, training, coaching, and facilitating staff development at all levels. The post holder will be expected to provide a medical perspective to Divisional planning and decision-making, interpreting national guidance in relation to all aspects of clinical care delivered by the Trust and advise on implementation within the modernisation and changing environment of all service areas. e) The post holder will be required to be/become skilled in improvement methodology and practice, role modelling leadership for improvement behaviours, supporting the building of Quality Improvement capability and capacity in the Division and using information to initiate and deliver improvement programmes which result in improved outcomes for patients, efficiency and productivity.
f) Working with the Operational Head of Service, the post holder will support medical recruitment and retention, measuring and improving standards of care and patient experience in accordance with agreed objectives, targets, quality standards, controls and resource constraints.
- g) The postholder will, working with the Operational Head of Service and other clinical Heads of Service, be responsible for clinical governance including the identification, reporting, management and mitigation of risk and patient safety.
Entry on the GMC Specialist Register for Paediatrics (or expected within 6 months of the interview date or Entry on the GMC GP Register and inclusion on the NHS England GP Performers List (England) or Meet the minimum contractual entry requirements for the Specialty grade or Meet the minimum contractual entry requirements and Generic Capabilities Framework for the Specialist Grade.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
WhatsApp job alerts
Get instant WhatsApp alerts for Consultant, Senior, General practitioner Doctor roles in Brighton
Create your Job Clerk account first. We'll collect your alert preferences during onboarding and help you turn on WhatsApp notifications for matching healthcare roles.
Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Medical Head of Service - Chailey Clinical Services with Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust in Brighton, England. It is listed as a Consultant, Senior, General practitioner Medical doctor Paediatrics role. The advertised salary is £63,696 - £150,569 Basic salary pa pro rata, + £4,000 Add. Responsibility Payment. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 25 Oct 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (12 Oct 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
For more context, review related Job Clerk pages for the same profession, band or location where they exist, then use the application-support guides to tailor your statement and prepare for interview.