Job summary
- Main area
- Legal Services
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 32 hours per week
- Job ref
- 318-26-T0710
- Employer
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
- Town
- Gloucester
- Salary
- £49,387 - £56,515 (pa, pro rata if part-time)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/11/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 04/12/2026
Employer heading
Legal Officer, Band 7
Band 7
At Gloucestershire Hospitals, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As the county’s largest employer, we are proud to provide high-quality acute, elective, and specialist services to more than 650,000 people across our county. Our care is delivered across Gloucestershire Royal, Cheltenham General and Stroud Maternity Hospital.
With over 9,000 employees representing more than 95 nationalities, bringing together a mix of cultures and experiences to the care that we deliver. Whether you’re beginning your NHS journey or looking to take the next step in your career, this is an exciting time to join us. We’re investing heavily in innovation, research, and transformation, with more than 100 active clinical studies and major developments underway across our hospitals.
We take pride in working as one team, driven by a shared ambition to grow, develop, and continually improve. Every contribution is valued and by combining our collective strengths, we support not only our diverse communities but one another. You can expect a warm, supportive culture and colleagues who are passionate about teamwork, professional development and delivering exceptional care. We offer structured development programmes, mentoring and leadership opportunities to help you progress in your career.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from a comprehensive package that includes flexible working opportunities, generous annual leave, the NHS pension scheme, competitive bank rates, local discounts, access to on-site nurseries, reduced public transport costs, reward and recognition schemes and a wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
Be part of Gloucestershire Hospitals, explore your future with us today.
Job overview
Legal Officer, Band 7 (32 hours a week)
The role of the Legal Officer is to support the Legal Services team in the provision of a dedicated in-house legal service which includes the following core areas:
- Claims – management of clinical negligence and third-party claims, in line with NHSR’s schemes. To work closely with clinicians and Trust Divisions to robustly defend claims and protect the interests of the Trust
- Inquests: support and representation of staff in the Coroner’s Court, working closely with local Coroner’s Officers on a large portfolio of inquests
- Healthcare advice: including advice for clinical and non-clinical situations
- Disclosure requests: assisting the Coroner, Police, Local Authority, and any other authorized third party as required.
- Training: providing internal and external training on core work areas.
We are looking for a Legal Officer who shares our passion to support staff in the delivery of outstanding healthcare and demonstrates the Trust’s values to achieve that aim.
We recognise that working in-house is a niche role and would be keen to hear from candidates with relevant experience who have an interest in developing a fulfilling career in the NHS. We pride ourselves on providing all our advice and inquest representation in-house where possible, being accessible to all Trust staff for advice and support, and for our ability to get the best outcome on claims.
The proposed interview date is: 4th December
Main duties of the job
Clinical Negligence Claims
Third Party Claims
Inquests
Disclosure requests
Other Court cases
Healthcare Advice
Reporting
Training
To assist with any other reasonable request by the Head of Legal Services, as appropriate
Working for our organisation
We take pride in placing people at the centre of everything we do, working together as a united team. Driven by a shared ambition to continually grow, develop, and learn, we recognise and value every contribution. By combining our experience and skills, we not only support our vibrant, diverse communities, but also support one another.
With a team of over 9,000 employees, we are proud to be the largest employer in Gloucestershire. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from an excellent package that includes exclusive benefits, flexible working opportunities and the chance to gain valuable experience in one or both of our innovative hospitals.
As well as generous annual leave allowance, you will have access to the excellent NHS pension scheme, competitive bank rates, discounts at local shops and restaurants, access to two on-site nurseries, discounted public transport, reward and recognition and a range of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see Job Description and person specification for full description of role and main responsibilities.
Contact Details
Caroline Pennels (Head of Legal Services)
0300 422 3555 or 0300 422 3160
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Law degree or equivalent
- Experience managing claims
- Experience of working in a legal environment (e.g solicitors, local authority, insurance
Desirable criteria
- Master's Degree or completion of LPC
- Admission to Law Society or equivalent professional/regulatory body
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Experience in at least one of the team's core values
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively interact with internal and external stakeholders and provide pragmatic advice
- Excellent written, verbal, communication and negotiation skills, including the ability to draft legal correspondence and explain complex legal issue to lay people sensitively
- Ability to work collaboratively within an in-house legal team working across sites
- Ability to manage competing priorities in a stressful environment, displaying resilience
- Be a reliable point of contact for clinicians who require support
- Display initiative, flexibility and a keenness to learn
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in at least one of the team's core areas of work
- Experience managing claims
Desirable criteria
- Experience in preparing for inquests and other court cases
- Experience of providing healthcare legal advice clinic and/or non-clinical
- Ability to supervise junior team members
- Experience of working in-house for a large NHS organisation
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Caroline Pennels
- Job title
- Head of Legal Services
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 422 3555
- Additional information
0300 422 3160
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