Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) - Clinical DirectorNHS
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to lead the Gloucester and Swindon SARC service as a Clinical Director.
The role entails taking on clinical oversight for the service and the postholder is responsible for the clinical and forensic care delivered within the SARC including adequate documentation and that processes remain compliant with regulatory and best practice guidelines.
The post is a part-time at a senior medical level 2 days per week (15.5 hours / 4 PAs). The role is hybrid with on-site working and some working from home. We expect the candidate to be available on-site fortnightly as a minimum.
The applicant must be able to attend the SARC within the 120-minute response time when on call.
The applicant needs to hold MFFLM and must have at least five years' experience in sexual offence medicine.
The applicant must be a current member of the FFLM and be in good standing with the GMC.
The applicant should have experience of teaching, training and mentoring staff.
The service is a 24/7 adult (18+) SARC service with both nurse and medical sexual offence examiners providing cover.
We are working towards UKAS accreditation to the FSR code and ISO15189 and the applicant needs to have good awareness of the relevant guidance that applies to SARC.
All senior medics with relevant experience are welcome to apply.
Main duties of the job
The Clinical Director is professionally responsible for the clinical leadership, governance, quality assurance and strategic development of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services across Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.
The post holder will ensure delivery of safe, effective, trauma-informed and patient-centred forensic healthcare services that comply with national standards, including those of the:
- Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine (FFLM)
- Forensic Science Regulator (FSR)
- British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH)
- College of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH)
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- NHS England SARC Service Specification
The Clinical Director will provide visible clinical leadership across the SARCs, promoting excellence in forensic practice, safeguarding, medicines management, clinical governance, staff development and multi-agency partnership working.
The post holder will support the strategic development of SARC services in collaboration with commissioners, police, partner agencies and regional forensic healthcare networks.
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
Job description
Clinical Leadership and Governance
Provide professional and clinical leadership for SARC services across Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.Ensure delivery of high-quality forensic healthcare services that are safe, evidence-based, trauma-informed and compliant with national standards and regulatory requirements.Lead and oversee robust clinical governance systems, including:
Audit and quality improvement
Clinical incident review
Risk management
Peer review
Patient safety processes
Learning from complaints and feedback
Clinical outcomes monitoring
Ensure effective systems are in place to identify, escalate and mitigate clinical and forensic risks.Provide oversight of forensic medical examination standards, ensuring forensic integrity and adherence to FSR Codes of Practice and relevant guidance.Lead on development, implementation and review of clinical policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), pathways and governance frameworks.Ensure safe and effective medicines management within the SARC service.Ensure safeguarding responsibilities are embedded throughout service delivery and that staff maintain compliance with safeguarding legislation, policy and inter-agency procedures.Provide professional oversight of:
Emergency interventions following rape and sexual assault
Forensic medical examinations
Sexual health assessment and management
HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
Emergency contraception
Mental health risk assessment
Follow-up pathways and onward referrals
Safeguarding processes
Ensure compliance with all relevant clinical, forensic and information governance standards.
Strategic and Service Development Responsibilities
Contribute to the strategic planning and development of SARC services across Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.Work collaboratively with commissioners, police, NHS organisations, voluntary sector agencies and regional SARC networks to improve patient pathways and service delivery.Support delivery of the NHS England SARC specification and wider commissioning priorities.Promote the SARC service through partnership working, education, professional networking and stakeholder engagement.Contribute to service reviews, inspections, accreditation processes and external quality assurance activities.Support innovation, research and quality improvement initiatives relevant to forensic healthcare and SARC provision.Work collaboratively with regional paediatric SARC services and Centre of Excellence pathways where appropriate.
Leadership and Workforce Responsibilities
Provide leadership, supervision and professional support to Sexual Offence Examiners and other clinical staff working within the SARC.Lead and facilitate:
Clinical supervision
Peer review meetings
Appraisal processes
Competency assessment
Continuing professional development (CPD)
Support recruitment, retention and professional development of the forensic healthcare workforce.Contribute to training programmes for healthcare professionals, police and partner agencies.Support staff involved in statement writing, court attendance and expert witness work.Review forensic statements and documentation where appropriate to ensure quality and professional standards are maintained.Foster a culture of continuous improvement, psychological safety and reflective practice.
RESEARCH, AUDIT AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Lead and support clinical audit and quality improvement activity within the SARC service.Ensure audit findings and governance outcomes inform service development and patient safety improvements.Promote evidence-based practice and support research activity where appropriate.Ensure the service maintains effective clinical outcome measures and quality indicators aligned with commissioning and regulatory requirements.
The Trust is required to work in line with the Governments UK Visa and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information about sponsorship for certain roles, please visit - https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas
About us
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.
Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:
- 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
- 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
- 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.
This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.