Deputy Medical Director - Quality and GovernanceNHS

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.

Job description

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.

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.