Job Summary

The Head of Clinical Practice provides senior, strategic clinical leadership across a national portfolio, shaping the clinical direction and assurance arrangements for Forensic Healthcare (custody healthcare and Sexual Assault Referral Centres), Primary Care and Community Services.

Main Duties of the Job

• Lead the design and standardisation of clinical models, pathways and professional practice standards, driving continuous improvement in quality, safety, workforce capability and outcomes across all services.
• Strengthen clinical quality, risk and workforce resilience within custody healthcare services, ensuring consistently delivered, evidence-based and legally compliant care in complex, high-risk environments.
• Work within a robust clinical governance framework, supporting the Group Medical Director by providing clear assurance on clinical quality and safety, influencing senior operational leaders and system partners.

About [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] Ltd

[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] was founded in 2009 by a team of experienced General Practitioners and commercial partners, driven by a clear vision to deliver high-quality healthcare services that positively impact local communities. Led by an experienced team of clinicians and healthcare leaders with extensive expertise across urgent and primary care settings, [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] operates a wide range of services across the UK and internationally, including Integrated Urgent Care, GP Practices, Custody Healthcare, ADHD services, Home Visiting, and Wait Time Support. At the heart of everything we do are our core values Truly Care, Team First, and Pioneering Innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the clinical vision and standards for forensic healthcare services, acting as the senior clinical authority across custody healthcare teams and SARCs.
• Provide clinical assurance that care in custodial environments is safe, lawful and aligned to equivalence principles, national expectations and contractual requirements.
• Define and maintain organisation-wide forensic clinical practice standards in line with Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM) guidance.
• Lead clinical preparedness for external scrutiny, ensuring services can evidence compliance with CQC, HMICFRS, IOPC and other oversight expectations.
• Champion high-quality clinical decision-making and professional standards in custody settings.
• Direct the clinical risk agenda for forensic services, using insight from incidents, claims and themes to reduce harm and improve custody safety.
• Embed trauma-informed and compassionate approaches across forensic pathways.
• Set the clinical direction and standards for Primary Care services, assuring safe, accessible and high-quality care aligned to NHS expectations.
• Develop clinical leadership capacity within Primary Care and ADHD directorates through professional leadership, coaching and a strong learning culture.
• Assure safe clinical systems across Primary Care, including prescribing governance, long-term condition pathways, continuity of care and effective escalation of clinical risk.
• Provide strategic clinical leadership for ADHD services, ensuring alignment with NICE guidance, national standards and best practice.
• Develop and deliver an integrated clinical workforce strategy across forensic healthcare, Primary Care and Community Services.
• Partner with the Group Medical Director to shape medical workforce strategy, clinical leadership structures and standards of practice.
• Strengthen governance maturity and consistency across the portfolio, with particular emphasis on high-risk forensic environments.

Person Specification

Essential Experience

• Strong working knowledge of FFLM guidance and custody healthcare systems
• Clinical governance, risk management and patient safety expertise
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary clinical teams, including FMEs, HCPs and doctors
• Ability to lead workforce stabilisation and service improvement in complex environments

Essential Qualifications

• Registered healthcare professional (NMC, HCPC, or GMC)
• Significant senior clinical leadership experience in forensic healthcare, custody medicine or similarly high-risk environments

Desirable

• Experience in SARCs, ADHD services or neurodevelopmental care
• Experience working with police, justice or forensic system partners
• Experience across NHS and independent healthcare sectors

Additional Information

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a DBS check will be required. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer Details

Employer name: [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] Ltd

Address: Onyx, 12 Little Park Farm Road, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 5TD

Website: https://www.phlgroup.co.uk/

Contact

For questions about the job, contact Recruitment Partner Marie Winch at [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] or [contact hidden].