Medical Director - Inpatient Pathways, Quality and Safety

We are seeking a Medical Director - Inpatient Pathways, and Patient Safety to provide senior medical leadership for the quality, safety and effectiveness of inpatient care across EKHUFT. Working from ward to Board, the post holder will provide medical leadership to trust wide improvement plans and embed a learning and improvement culture.They will ensure that national standards, learning from incidents, patient feedback and clinical intelligence are translated into reliable, compassionate and person-centred inpatient pathways.

Working closely with Care Group Medical Directors, Nursing and Allied Health Professional leaders and partners across Kent & Medway, the role will strengthen professional standards, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement across all inpatient services.

The post holder will support multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality care from admission to discharge, providing clear Board assurance on inpatient safety, experience and outcomes.

Main duties of the job

As the Medical Director - Inpatient Pathways, Quality & Safety you will:

About us

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for roles Band 5 and above.

Details

Date posted

12 October 2026

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£113,565 to £150,569 a year

Pro rata, per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

36 months

Working pattern

Part-time,

Flexible working

Reference number

344-2993CONCOR-D

Job locations

Kent & Canterbury Hospital

Canterbury

CT1 3NG

United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

For further details on the job description and person specification please see attached the job description.

Job responsibilities

For further details on the job description and person specification please see attached the job description.

Person Specification

Qualifications and training

Essential

• GMC registration with licence to practise
• CCT or equivalent Consultant status
• Postgraduate leadership/management training

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in leadership, management or healthcare improvement
• Formal training in quality improvement or patient safety
• Coaching or mentoring qualification

Clinical skills and experience

Essential

• Senior medical leadership experience (CD/AMD/DMD)
• Experience leading transformation aligned to NHS LTP or ICS priorities
• Proven delivery of governance, QI and improved outcomes
• Experience supporting Consultant and SAS development
• Experience of system-wide or networked leadership
• Experience in service reconfiguration or modernisation
• Strong knowledge of NHS LTP, EKHUFT Strategy, PSIRF, Core20PLUS5
• Strong communication, influencing, analytical and data interpretation skills
• Population health competence and quality improvement expertise
• Ability to build inclusive, multidisciplinary leadership cultures

Desirable

• Experience of leading cross-site or system-wide transformation
• Experience of working with regulators including CQC
• Evidence of using data to drive improvement in outcomes

Governance

Essential

• Demonstrable senior leadership in clinical governance and patient safety within an acute NHS organisation
• Experience of implementing and overseeing PSIRF and learning from incidents with evidence of system improvement
• Proven ability to translate risk intelligence, complaints and investigation findings into safer care pathways
• Understanding of CQC regulatory requirements and governance assurance to Board
• Experience of promoting Duty of Candour and a just and compassionate culture
• Ability to work with Care Groups to strengthen local governance, risk management and quality processes
• Experience of chairing or contributing to patient safety and governance forums
• Ability to develop meaningful safety dashboards and quality reporting to support decision making

Desirable

• Formal training in patient safety investigation or human factors
• Experience of representing an organisation within system safety networks (ICS/Kent & Medway)
• Track record of mentoring clinicians in investigation methodology and improvement science

Other requirements

Essential

• Ability to work flexibly within a 4 PA portfolio alongside clinical practice
• Commitment to Trust values and professional codes
• Ability to travel across Trust sites and Kent & Medway

Person Specification

Qualifications and training

Essential

• GMC registration with licence to practise
• CCT or equivalent Consultant status
• Postgraduate leadership/management training

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in leadership, management or healthcare improvement
• Formal training in quality improvement or patient safety
• Coaching or mentoring qualification

Clinical skills and experience

Essential

• Senior medical leadership experience (CD/AMD/DMD)
• Experience leading transformation aligned to NHS LTP or ICS priorities
• Proven delivery of governance, QI and improved outcomes
• Experience supporting Consultant and SAS development
• Experience of system-wide or networked leadership
• Experience in service reconfiguration or modernisation
• Strong knowledge of NHS LTP, EKHUFT Strategy, PSIRF, Core20PLUS5
• Strong communication, influencing, analytical and data interpretation skills
• Population health competence and quality improvement expertise
• Ability to build inclusive, multidisciplinary leadership cultures

Desirable

• Experience of leading cross-site or system-wide transformation
• Experience of working with regulators including CQC
• Evidence of using data to drive improvement in outcomes

Governance

Essential

• Demonstrable senior leadership in clinical governance and patient safety within an acute NHS organisation
• Experience of implementing and overseeing PSIRF and learning from incidents with evidence of system improvement
• Proven ability to translate risk intelligence, complaints and investigation findings into safer care pathways
• Understanding of CQC regulatory requirements and governance assurance to Board
• Experience of promoting Duty of Candour and a just and compassionate culture
• Ability to work with Care Groups to strengthen local governance, risk management and quality processes
• Experience of chairing or contributing to patient safety and governance forums
• Ability to develop meaningful safety dashboards and quality reporting to support decision making

Desirable

• Formal training in patient safety investigation or human factors
• Experience of representing an organisation within system safety networks (ICS/Kent & Medway)
• Track record of mentoring clinicians in investigation methodology and improvement science

Other requirements

Essential

• Ability to work flexibly within a 4 PA portfolio alongside clinical practice
• Commitment to Trust values and professional codes
• Ability to travel across Trust sites and Kent & Medway

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

NHS Careers website .

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

NHS Careers website .

Employer details

Employer name

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Kent & Canterbury Hospital

Canterbury

CT1 3NG

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.ekhuft.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Kent & Canterbury Hospital

Canterbury

CT1 3NG

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.ekhuft.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job responsibilities

For further details on the job description and person specification please see attached the job description.

Qualifications and training

Essential

• GMC registration with licence to practise
• CCT or equivalent Consultant status
• Postgraduate leadership/management training

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in leadership, management or healthcare improvement
• Formal training in quality improvement or patient safety
• Coaching or mentoring qualification

Clinical skills and experience

Essential

• Senior medical leadership experience (CD/AMD/DMD)
• Experience leading transformation aligned to NHS LTP or ICS priorities
• Proven delivery of governance, QI and improved outcomes
• Experience supporting Consultant and SAS development
• Experience of system-wide or networked leadership
• Experience in service reconfiguration or modernisation
• Strong knowledge of NHS LTP, EKHUFT Strategy, PSIRF, Core20PLUS5
• Strong communication, influencing, analytical and data interpretation skills
• Population health competence and quality improvement expertise
• Ability to build inclusive, multidisciplinary leadership cultures

Desirable

• Experience of leading cross-site or system-wide transformation
• Experience of working with regulators including CQC
• Evidence of using data to drive improvement in outcomes

Governance

Essential

• Demonstrable senior leadership in clinical governance and patient safety within an acute NHS organisation
• Experience of implementing and overseeing PSIRF and learning from incidents with evidence of system improvement
• Proven ability to translate risk intelligence, complaints and investigation findings into safer care pathways
• Understanding of CQC regulatory requirements and governance assurance to Board
• Experience of promoting Duty of Candour and a just and compassionate culture
• Ability to work with Care Groups to strengthen local governance, risk management and quality processes
• Experience of chairing or contributing to patient safety and governance forums
• Ability to develop meaningful safety dashboards and quality reporting to support decision making

Desirable

• Formal training in patient safety investigation or human factors
• Experience of representing an organisation within system safety networks (ICS/Kent & Medway)
• Track record of mentoring clinicians in investigation methodology and improvement science

Other requirements

Essential

• Ability to work flexibly within a 4 PA portfolio alongside clinical practice
• Commitment to Trust values and professional codes
• Ability to travel across Trust sites and Kent & Medway