Chief Medical Officer, Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAHT) is an ambitious acute hospital, with the vision of providing outstanding healthcare to the local population every time, and in partnership with the health and care partners in West Essex and East Hertfordshire.

It’s is an exciting time for PAHT. There is a bold ten year strategy, PAHT 2030, to support the delivery of their ambitions, at the heart of which is the once in a lifetime opportunity to build a brand new Princess Alexandra Hospital on a local green-field site as part of the Government’s new hospital programme. Alongside the planning and preparations for the new hospital is the implementation of specialty specific clinical strategies and new models of care.

Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in the role of Chief Medical Officer at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT). This is an exciting and pivotal leadership position at a time of transformation and opportunity for our organisation and the wider West Essex health and care system.
At PAHT, we are committed to delivering the highest standards of safe, effective, and compassionate care to every patient, every time. As our Chief Medical Officer, you will provide professional leadership to our medical workforce, ensuring that clinical excellence, innovation, and patient safety remain at the heart of everything we do. Your expertise will be critical in driving improvements in clinical outcomes, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and ensuring that PAHT remains a great place to practice medicine and develop as a clinician.
This role comes at a defining moment for PAHT and the wider West Essex system. While the construction of our new hospital has been delayed until 2032, our commitment to modernising services and improving patient care remains resolute. As we develop our new Clinical Strategy, your leadership will be instrumental in shaping the future of our services, strengthening system-wide collaboration, and ensuring that our clinical priorities align with the evolving needs of our communities.
As a key executive director and member of the Board, you will play a critical role in ensuring that quality and safety remain central to decision-making. You will lead on clinical effectiveness, champion the use of data to drive improvement, and ensure that our medical workforce is engaged, supported, and developed to meet the challenges of the future. Additionally, as the Trust’s Responsible Officer and Caldicott Guardian, you will uphold the highest professional and ethical standards, ensuring that our governance and regulatory responsibilities are met.
Beyond PAHT, you will play a vital leadership role in the broader West Essex health and care system, working closely with our partners to drive integration, improve population health outcomes, and develop sustainable models of care. Your ability to collaborate, influence, and inspire will be key in shaping the future of healthcare in our region, ensuring that we continue to deliver high-quality care both now and in the years to come.
We are seeking an exceptional clinical leader with a strong track record in medical leadership, quality improvement, and system collaboration. If you share our ambition to transform healthcare for our patients, staff, and communities, I would be delighted to receive your application.
With best wishes
Thom Lafferty
Chief Executive
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust provides a full range of general acute, outpatient and diagnostic services at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, the Herts and Essex Hospital in Bishop’s Stortford and St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping. We employ 4,000 people and serve a local population of around 350,000 people living in west Essex and east Hertfordshire, centred on the M11 corridor and the towns of Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford and Epping. Our extended catchment area incorporates a population of up to 500,000 and includes the areas of Hoddesdon, Cheshunt and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.
We have 414 general and acute beds at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and provide a full range of general acute services, including a 24/7 emergency department; an intensive care unit; a maternity unit and a neonatal intensive care unit. We also provide outpatient and diagnostic services across all three hospital sites.
Our values
Throughout everything we do we are guided at all times by our values; patient at heart, everyday excellence and creative collaboration
Patient at heart
Always holding the patient and their wellbeing at the centre of our thoughts and efforts.
Everyday excellence
Sharing and celebrating our successes, being honest when we get it wrong, giving us the ability to learn from both.
Creative collaboration
Knowing strength comes from diversity, we combine our experiences, skills and talents, working together to find new and better ways to care.
Click here for role description
All applications must include:
• A full curriculum vitae/resume
• Quoting the relevant role reference number: A040438
• A covering letter highlighting the aspects of the job description and The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust that particularly attract you to the post (Microsoft Word document)
• Contact details for three referees, these will not be contacted without your permission. (References should validate a minimum period of six years employment)
• A completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (which you will be redirected to once you have submitted your application) *
Right to work checks
If you are successfully shortlisted, our partner, Yoti, will contact you to complete an online right to work check. This is a quick and secure process, ensuring that all necessary legal requirements are met before proceeding further in the recruitment process.
Monitoring
One of Alumni Global’s and The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust’s objectives is to ensure that its workforce is reflective of the local community and therefore we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups. So that we can successfully achieve these aims, while it is not mandatory we would encourage every applicant to complete the “Equal Opportunities Monitoring form” so that we can measure the effectiveness of our efforts. The Recruiting Manager does not have access to the Monitoring Information Sections of the application form at any stage of the process and the information provided will be kept entirely confidential.
For a confidential discussion on this role please contact:
Thomas Patterson, Managing Director or David Heaton, Principal Researcher, on +44 7842 003 200.
Candidate adjustment
If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made as part of the recruitment process please can you advise us so that we can ensure this is accommodated.
Closing Date: 24th April 2025
Final Interview Date: 14th May 2025

Please take note of the reference number found under section “How to apply”. This is needed for us to process any application. Send your application as an email in below link “Apply”.

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