Medical Director

We are recruiting a Medical Director for St John’s Hospice, Lancaster. The right candidate will provide strong clinical leadership to ensure patients and their families have the palliative care they deserve.



You will play an essential role in a much-loved hospice, rated ‘outstanding’ by CQC and highly valued by the community. You will work with a team of established consultants, specialty doctors, advanced nurse practitioners, specialist nurses and the wider Hospice team to make a positive difference every day.



Here’s what our current Medical Director, Dr. Simon Edgecombe, has to say about the role:



“After 7 wonderful years at St John’s it’s time for me to retire. I’ve been lucky to have this role, and it’s been humbling, thought provoking and most of all rewarding. I have been proud to come to work and do my utmost for patients and their families. I’ve been able to achieve something every day – there aren’t many jobs you can say that about."



This role is part of the Senior Leadership Team, which is supported by the Board of Trustees.



The postholder will fulfil the following broad requirements:

• To provide strong clinical leadership within the organisation, advising the Board as appropriate and serving on the SMT
• To oversee the quality of care and support provided, including audit activity
• To lead, develop and deliver our clinical education programmes
• To lead and develop research within the organisation
• To manage the medical team and its work
• To contribute to the delivery of end-of-life care in a broad range of settings
• To engage in key strategic relationships and partnerships in particular working alongside the UHMBT Specialist Palliative Care team.

Please click Apply now below to access full details and to download the Recruitment pack, which includes the full job description that outlines the principal responsibilities of the role.



About St John's Hospice



Since opening our doors in 1986, St John's has built a reputation for providing consistently high standards of specialist palliative care for patients and their families. Our dedicated staff are the hospice’s greatest asset in delivering compassionate care to our high standards. As a charity we rely on our reputation, and we welcome people to our team who understand the unique requirements of working for a charity and who are passionate about delivering a high standard of service regardless of their area of work within the charity.



St John’s provides specialist palliative care for the communities of North Lancashire, South Lakes and parts of North Yorkshire. Our services include pain and symptom management, as well as end of life care which is provided either onsite at the hospice or if the patient prefers in their own home. Our services, which include supporting individuals to plan their own care, are delivered by a carefully selected team of healthcare professionals.



St John’s Hospice has over 200 employees, and offers career opportunities in a range of professions. We provide a robust, bespoke induction programme and fund ongoing professional development through our appraisal process.



Our working conditions are excellent, with over 95% of our employees stating that they are proud to work for the charity (Staff Survey 2022). Our clinical teams are staffed to a high level to ensure a high ratio of staff member to patient, which supports the delivery of outstanding clinical care.



From its base in the historic University City of Lancaster, St John’s Hospice with its 214 staff and 400 volunteers supports over 1000 patients and their families every year. Its services include:

• Palliative care from specialist doctors and nurses on our in-patient ward
• Community facing services comprising: CNS, Hospice at Home, Night Sits and Respite at Home
• Social work and discharge support
• Day therapy services
• Complementary therapies
• Spiritual care
• Adult & children’s bereavement support
• Lymphoedema clinics

All St John’s services are provided free of charge. The organisation has an annual turnover of almost £6m pa; 30% of our funding comes from the NHS, while the remainder is secured by fundraising in the local community.



Alongside its care services, St John’s shares its skills, expertise and ethos by running training and education programmes for health care professionals. It also trains medical and nursing professionals, as well as providing in-house training for its own staff.



The St John’s medical staff currently consists of the following doctors:

• Medical Director
• 4 Specialty Doctors (2.2 FTE)
• 2 Advanced Nurse Practitioners
• 2 Honorary visiting Consultants in Palliative Care

These work as part of a broad, multi professional team.



Salary £85,000 - £115,000. The salary for the post is commensurate with the NHS and will be paid according to your experience and includes an on-call allowance. NHS Pension Scheme available subject to availability criteria; or 8% employer funded St John’s Hospice Pension Scheme.



Closing date: 18 November 2022

Interview date: 28 November 2022