Job summary
The Deputy Medical Director for Clinical Quality & Governance (DMD-QG) provides strategic clinical leadership to ensure that care across all physical, community, and virtual settings is safe, effective, and shaped directly by the voices of patients.

As a key member of the Chief Medical Officer's senior team, the post holder bridges corporate safety assurance and front-line clinical practice, ensuring that the Trust systematically transitions from a culture of compliance to a proactive, continuous culture of learning and improvement.

The DMD-QG will support the Chief Medical Officer with the integration of clinical services and processes across the Trust and a vital role in leading quality governance across health and care boundaries as the Trust expands its neighbourhood models, introduces specialised elective facilities, and integrates systems within the wider Integrated Care Board (ICB).

The DMD-QG will provide medical leadership to the Clinical Risk Manager for serious incidents/matters relating to PSIRF and inquests.

Main duties of the job
Key Strategic Responsibilities

• Clinical Governance & Patient Safety Leadership: Champion the Trust-wide integration of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), while providing senior clinical oversight for complex professional standards (MHPS) and high-profile incident investigations.
• Regulatory Excellence & Compliance: Lead institutional readiness programs for Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections to systematically improve and maintain quality ratings across all registered and virtual Trust domains.
• Modern Service Frameworks (MSFs): Direct the Trust-wide adoption of national MSFs, utilizing clinical data, mortality metrics, and peer benchmarking to eliminate unwarranted variation in high-volume, high-risk clinical pathways.
• Data Transparency & Accessibility: Drive corporate transparency by transforming complex safety and mortality data into accessible, front-line dashboards that empower clinical teams and ensure public accountability.
• Patient-Centric Co-Production: Oversee the structural evolution of the Patient & Public Voice Partnership, structurally shifting patient engagement from reactive feedback into systematic service co-design alongside patients and families.
• Executive Deputising & Strategic Representation: Actively partner with and deputise for the Chief Medical Officer, maintaining a senior, non-clinical medical presence on-site, chairing pivotal safety and mortality committees, and acting as Medical Co-ordinator during Major Incidents.

About us
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is a large, complex organisation serving a diverse population across multiple sites. We are committed to delivering high quality, safe and effective care, with a strong focus on continuous improvement and clinical leadership.

You will be joining a supportive and collaborative senior leadership community, working closely with clinical and corporate colleagues to address key priorities and challenges. This role offers a unique opportunity to make a rapid, visible difference at a critical time,improving care, strengthening standards, and embedding a positive, accountable culture.

Job responsibilities
Core Leadership & Medical Management

• Compassionate Leadership: Provide inclusive, professional, and visible leadership for medical, dental, and clinical staff across all Trust sites, serving as an active role model.
• Culture & Accountability: Pivot front-line teams away from a checklist compliance mindset toward a culture of continuous learning, psychological safety, and compassionate accountability.
• Line Management: Directly manage, mentor, and support the professional development of the Associate Medical Directors for Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety.
• Diversity Champion: Actively promote race, gender, and wider diversity across medical services, recruitment, and career development pathways.

Clinical Governance, Quality & Safety Oversight

• Committee Chairmanship: Serve as the Chair for pivotal Trust-wide groups, including the Mortality Surveillance Committee, the Patient Safety Insight, Involvement and Improvement Committee, and the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee (DTC).
• Policy Sign-Off: Take corporate responsibility for reviewing, approving, and signing Patient Group Directives (PGDs), clinical policies, and best-practice guidance.
• Performance & Incident Reviews: Conduct formal reviews into clinical performance, safety, and mortality, while actively driving Trust-wide learning from serious incidents and thematic reviews.
• Data Translation: Act as an analytical coach, translating complex safety metrics, mortality data, and CQC standards into actionable, front-line clinical behaviours.

Professional Standards & Strategic Support

• CMO Deputising: Formally deputise for the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in their absence, which includes taking command as the Medical Co-ordinator during a Major Incident.
• Workforce & Strategy: Partner with the CMO to embed front-line clinical opinions into corporate decision-making and advise on the Trusts overarching clinical and care quality strategies.
• MHPS Frameworks: Support the CMO and Divisional Directors with professional standard concerns, acting as Case Investigator or Case Manager for Maintaining High Professional Standards (MHPS) investigations.
• External Representation: Serve as an ambassador for the Trust with external bodies, including the Integrated Care Board (ICB), universities, Royal Colleges, and the GMC.

Person Specification
shortlisting
Essential

• Full registration and license to practise with the GMC or GDC and inclusion on the Specialist Register. Be practicing at a Consultant, Specialist or Specialty Doctor level
• Successful leadership of a major clinical quality or patient safety portfolio at directorate or divisional level.
• Proven track record of leading a cross-boundary, multi-agency clinical pathway redesign initiative including experience of co-designing a clinical service or improvement initiative directly alongside patients and families, demonstrating a practical focus on patient experience
• Experience of translating complex clinical data, mortality metrics, and regulatory standards into front-line actions.
• Strong collaborative mindset, evidenced by experience of successfully building consensus to drive safety standards across teams.

Desirable

• Higher qualification in Medical Leadership, Healthcare Governance, or Quality Improvement
• Formal training in Human Factors, patient safety science, or advanced healthcare informatics
• Experience of utilising recognized Quality Improvement (QI) methodologies to solve complex clinical variation problems.

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.

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).

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