About this role
Job summary
Shape the future of clinical excellence at The Air Ambulance Service.
We are looking for an exceptional Medical Director to provide strategic clinical leadership and help shape the future of our lifesaving services.
This is a rare opportunity to combine clinical expertise, strategic influence and operational medicine in a role where your leadership will have a direct impact on patient care. Working at the heart of our senior leadership, you will help set our clinical direction, influence decision-making at the highest level and ensure we continue to deliver safe, innovative and exceptional care.
Alongside your strategic leadership, you will remain connected to frontline delivery as an operational HEMS flight doctor, bringing clinical insight and experience directly into the organisations future direction.
Main duties of the job
As Medical Director, you will provide visible and credible leadership across our clinical services, ensuring clinical excellence, strong governance and continuous improvement remain central to everything we do.
You will work closely with senior leaders, clinicians and Trustees to shape our clinical priorities, develop our medical workforce and strengthen the systems that support safe, high-quality patient care. You will also act as our Responsible Officer, oversee key areas of clinical assurance and risk, and build influential partnerships across the wider pre-hospital and healthcare community.
Importantly, you will balance strategic leadership with operational practice, maintaining your competencies as a HEMS flight doctor and remaining connected to the realities of frontline care.
About us
At The Air Ambulance Service (TAAS), our people are united by a shared purpose and a commitment to making a meaningful difference for the patients and communities we serve.
You will join a passionate, collaborative and ambitious organisation where clinical excellence, learning and continuous improvement are actively encouraged. Working alongside our operational teams, clinicians, senior leaders and Trustees, you will be part of an environment where expertise is valued, ideas are welcomed and people are encouraged to challenge, innovate and develop.
We are committed to creating a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture, where people are treated with respect and our values are reflected in how we work together. For a senior medical leader, this offers the opportunity to use your expertise beyond the clinical setting, influencing our strategy, developing future talent and helping shape the long-term direction of an organisation dedicated to delivering outstanding patient care.
Job description Job responsibilities
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, with a secondary reporting relationship to the Chief Operating Officer.
Job Purpose
As the executive lead for clinical governance, the role holder provides clinical leadership, safeguards professional standards, with board level responsibility and accountability.
Key Responsibilities
Raise the profile of the organisation through partnerships, external networking, guest speaking and the sharing of expertise.Define, develop and promote a continuous improvement methodology to develop clinical standards for HEMS, including on-going skill, equipment (including evaluation), and resource assessments.Working in partnership with the operations management team, develop and maintain a paramedic/critical care paramedic development framework linking to annual personal development reviews.Design, implement and monitor the Clinical Governance Framework through the development & deployment of appropriate SOPs, education opportunities, CPD etc.Monitoring compliance with a range of regulations (CQC, JRLCALC, etc.) aiming to exceed requirements.Assess and manage strategic risk across clinical operations and ensure relevant mitigations are in place.Follow industry trends and market changes to influence future strategy.Ensure the regularity requirements of statutory bodies are met.Production and presentation of management information for clinical operations.Establish a strong working relationship with key stakeholders, by working in a collaborative manner.Develop, review and update policies, procedures, and guidelines and actively support wider organisational reviews.Provide Responsible Officer function for doctors employed by or contracted by TAAS ensuring appraisals are completed, making revalidation recommendations, providing evidence for doctors whole of practice appraisal, submitting reports and data as required and liaising with the GMC via the Employment Liaison Advisers.Linked to the charity business plan, jointly develop and deliver the clinical strategy in partnership with the Chief Operating Officer and Associate director of operations to ensure high-quality patient care and governance.Provide clinical advice to the Trustee Board, providing professional leadership and being a bridge between clinicians and the board.Provide clinical advice and leadership on legal/ coronial issues.Leadership and line management of Deputy Medical Directors and wider doctor team.Oversee clinical response to serious incidents.Be responsible for developing clinical networks and partnerships with other pre-hospital and hospital providers.Represent TAAS on the Immediate Care forums within East and West Midlands regions.Develop a long-term medical workforce plan and support the recruitment of clinical and support staff.Develop a robust succession plan for both the Medical Director and Deputy Medical Director positions.Attend quarterly Board Meetings.Attend annual Trustee/ELT strategy away days.Maintain competencies as an operational HEMS flight doctor.
Compliance Responsibilities
As a Director, you hold direct responsibility for the organisation complying with its responsibilities regarding
Health & Safety and Environment.SafeguardingData ProtectionEquality, Diversity, and InclusionQuality
Person Specification
Full registration with the General Medical Council.Senior Clinical Leadership experience.Demonstrable evidence of behaviour in line with the core values of TAAS throughout career to date.Strategic level experience within the charity sectorAbility to communicate complex information to all levels within the charityExperience of providing training, support, and advice to a multidisciplinary teamAn agile, flexible approach to deliver against the changing needs of the organisationGenuine passion and interest in TAAS work.Experience of leading a high-performing teams in an organisation with comparable complexities to TAASSuccessful track record of leading the formation and delivery of a departmental strategyStrong networking and relationship-building experienceExcellent communication skills including experience of high-level reporting, business case preparation and participation at board levelAbility to influence at all levelsExcellent planning and organisational abilities with long term focus
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Full registration with the General Medical Council. Senior Clinical Leadership experience. Demonstrable evidence of behaviour in line with the core values of TAAS throughout career to date. Strategic level experience within the charity sector Ability to communicate complex information to all levels within the charity Experience of providing training, support, and advice to a multidisciplinary team An agile, flexible approach to deliver against the changing needs of the organisation Genuine passion and interest in TAAS work. Experience of leading a high-performing teams in an organisation with comparable complexities to TAAS Successful track record of leading the formation and delivery of a departmental strategy Strong networking and relationship-building experience Excellent communication skills including experience of high-level reporting, business case preparation and participation at board level Ability to influence at all levels Excellent planning and organisational abilities with long term focus
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name The Air Ambulance Service
Address The Air Ambulance Service
Butlers Leap
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3RQ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk/our-work/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)