As Medical Director, you will be a key member of the Executive Team, working alongside the Chief Executive, Chief Nurse, Executive Directors and clinical leaders to provide strategic leadership for clinical services across the Trust. You will be responsible for leading the Trust's quality, safety and clinical governance agenda, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and patient-centred care while driving continuous improvement in outcomes and patient experience.
This is an exceptional opportunity to play a central role in shaping the future direction of a high-performing and ambitious organisation. You will provide visible, credible and values-led medical leadership, leading the development and delivery of the Trust's clinical strategy.
Download the Recruitment Pack for further information.
We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are committed to increasing the diversity of our senior leadership. We want our Board to better reflect the communities we serve and the richness of experience within our workforce.
The standard Trac process does not apply. Please send your CV and covering letter to:
[email protected]
When submitting your application, please ensure that you include details of your current salary and notice period.
The interview process will take place w/c 14th September 2026.
You will be contacted regarding next steps.
Key Functions and Responsibilities
The Medical Director will provide professional leadership for the medical workforce and act as the Trust's most senior clinical leader, ensuring the highest standards of clinical quality, patient safety, governance and professional practice across the organisation. As a member of the Executive Team and Board, you will contribute fully to the strategic leadership of the Trust, providing expert clinical advice and supporting the delivery of organisational objectives.
A key responsibility is leading the Trust's clinical governance and quality agenda, ensuring effective systems are in place to support patient safety, clinical effectiveness, risk management, learning from incidents and continuous improvement. You will provide leadership for medical revalidation as Responsible Officer, oversee medical workforce strategy, including recruitment, retention, job planning and succession planning, and support the development of clinical leaders across the organisation.
You will lead the development and delivery of the Trust's clinical strategy, driving innovation, service transformation and performance improvement to enhance patient outcomes, access and experience.
With over 9,000 passionate and dedicated staff, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides a full array of acute and some community services to the local communities of Bedfordshire. Serving a diverse population of over 620,000 people, we are proud to be rated “Good” by the CQC, having successfully merged Bedford and Luton & Dunstable hospitals to create our Trust six years ago.
We have undertaken significant investment into our infrastructure and people in recent years, including the £168 million Acute Services Block build that opened in July 2026, and have created a shared set of values for our organisation, THRIVE, to unify the organisation and give a clear mission and pledge to those we serve. We have an annual turnover of £800 million, and as an anchor organisation and a very important employer within Bedfordshire, we are committed to combatting health inequalities and deprivation to support local education training and job opportunities.
We are a key partner within the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes which forms part of Central East ICB and we work closely with a range of health and social care partners to improve and better deliver outstanding care and reduce ill health through preventive measures. The health and wellbeing of our staff remains a fundamental priority within our strategic developments, and we recognise their commitment, passion and dedication to our patients and local population.
Clinical Leadership and Quality
- Provide visible, credible and compassionate medical leadership across the Trust, promoting a culture of safety, openness and continuous improvement
- Provide Medical Leadership in the development and delivery of safe, effective, high quality and patient centred care across all services
- Provide Medical Leadership within the clinical governance agenda, including patient safety, clinical effectiveness, audit and risk management ensuring lessons learned are embedded and sustained
- Ensure compliance with professional and regulatory standards including GMC Good Medical Practice and maintain high standards of clinical care across all services
- Provide professional leadership for the investigation of serious incidents, complaints and clinical concerns, ensuring timely action and organisational learning
- Promote a culture of innovation, research and evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes and experience
- Provide visible and accountable leadership delivering the national improvement agenda such as the maternity national improvement work and the Fuller review.
Clinical Care and Service Delivery
- Ensure that clinical services are delivered in line with best practice, national standards and patient need
- Work with Clinical Service teams to support the delivery of high-quality care, improving clinical outcomes and patient experience
- Support the development and implementation of new models of care including care closer to home and integrated pathways
- Ensure effective clinical input into service redesign, pathway development and transformation programmes
- Act as a senior clinical leader in major incidents and emergency planning arrangements
Medical Workforce and Professional Leadership
- Provide professional leadership for all medical staff fostering a culture of engagement, accountability and continuous development
- Act as Responsible Officer for medical revalidation, ensuring a robust appraisal and governance processes are in place
- Lead the development and implementation of medical workforce strategy including recruitment, retention, job planning and succession planning
- Oversee consultant job planning ensuring alignment with service priorities and organisational objectives
- Lead on performance management and disciplinary matters relating to medical staff in line with Maintaining High Professional Standards
- Work with the Director of Human Resources to ensure compliance with workforce standards, including Working Time Regulations
Research, Education and Training
- Lead the Trust’s research and development agenda, promoting innovation and ensuring research activity supports improvements in patient care
- Maintain strong relationships with academic partners, universities and training bodies
- Support the delivery of high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate medical education
- Work closely with medical education leads and colleagues within Workforce Services to ensure training standards are met and continuously improved
- Promote continuous professional development for all medical staff
Strategy and Performance
- Lead the development and delivery of the Trust’s clinical strategy ensuring alignment with system priorities and population health needs
- Drive service redesign to improve access, patient flow, productivity and outcomes
- Work with the Chief Operating Officer to ensure delivery of operational performance standards
- Use data, clinical intelligence and benchmarking to inform decision making and drive improvement
Leadership and Team Management
- Provide effective leadership to Deputy Medical Directors and the wider medical leadership team
- Support the development of Clinical Directors and Specialty Leads
- Responsibility for the Pharmacy function via the line management of the Chief Pharmacist
- Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusivity and high performance across clinical teams
- Ensure effective communication and engagement with medical staff and clinical leaders
- Chair the JLNC and contribute to wider organisational leadership forums
Governance, Risk and Compliance
- Ensure robust clinical governance systems and processes are in place and operating effectively
- Chair or support key governance committees including Quality Governance structures
- Ensure compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements including those of NHS England and the Care Quality Commission
- Oversee clinical audit programmes and ensure findings are translated into improvement actions
External and System Leadership
- Build and maintain strong relationships with partners across the Integrated Care System
- Work collaboratively with primary care, local authorities, commissioners and other providers
- Represent the Trust in regional and national forums, acting as an ambassador for the organisation
- Contribute to the delivery of system wide clinical strategies and integrated care models
- Maintain strong links with academic institutions and professional bodies
Administrative and Corporate Responsibilities
- Contribute fully as an Executive Director to the leadership and management of the Trust
- Provide expert clinical advice to the Chief Executive and Board
- Participate in the Executive on-call rota and major incident response
- Support the development and implementation of corporate policies and procedures
- Ensure effective use of resources and value for money in clinical services
Revalidation and Statutory Responsibilities
- Act as Responsible officer for medical revalidation, ensuring all statutory duties are met
- Ensure all doctors work within managed environment with appropriate oversight of performance and conduct
- Lead on compliance with all relevant legislation, regulatory requirements and professional standards
- Maintain oversight of clinical standards and professional practice across the Trust
Working Arrangements
The Medical Director is an Executive Director role and will be employed on Very Senior Manager (VSM) terms and conditions.
The role is predominantly strategic, and leadership focused with responsibility for providing clinical leadership across the organisation and wider system. Any clinical commitment will be subject to agreement with the Chief Executive and aligned to organisational priorities.
The post holder will be required to work flexibly across Trust sites and with system partners as required to fulfil the duties of the role.
The role includes participation in the Executive on-call rota and acting as a senior clinical leader in the event of major incidents
Appropriate professional and administrative support will be provided to enable the postholder to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
