Newcastle Falcons are recruiting for the role of head of medical services. Please see below for a job description and details of how to apply.

HEAD OF MEDICAL SERVICES

Salary: Competitive, to be discussed at interview.

Hours: Full-time (including evenings and weekends).

Reporting to: Performance manager.

Based at: Kingston Park Stadium, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 8AF.

About us:

We are Newcastle Falcons, North East England’s only Gallagher Premiership rugby team. We are setting our sights on a new, exciting future and are looking for an experienced sports physiotherapist with excellent leadership qualities to drive the standards within the medical department towards achieving our organisational goals. The successful candidate must be very organised with excellent communication skills and be capable of making difficult decisions under pressure.

The role:

As head of medical services you will act as clinical governance lead and manage the medical department as part of a multi-disciplinary team. You will lead the injury prevention and rehabilitation process by setting consistently high standards of medical care and player welfare as you deliver comprehensive physiotherapy support and elite-level clinical management to first-team players.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the medical department in line with agreed objectives and KPIs. Work in conjunction with other departments as part of a multi-disciplinary team to drive performance standards.
• Make accurate injury assessments and clinical diagnoses based on sound medical and ethical judgement to support the health, fitness and well-being of players, including considering relevant risk factors.
• Liaise with the club doctor on cases requiring specialist referrals or scans, attend appointments where appropriate and create comprehensive rehabilitation plans for their return to fitness alongside other staff.
• Plan, deliver and review injury prevention and rehabilitation programmes for players that are aligned with their individual needs, based on objective markers and have accurate return-to-play time frames.
• Manage players’ initial medical examinations and oversee screening assessments to inform injury prevention strategies and support decision making, reporting insurance matters to the head of rugby operations.
• Provide pitch-side medical cover for players at all fixtures and through the week for training sessions, making critical decisions regarding player fitness and availability and providing accurate triage assessments.
• Provide daily injury reports and medical updates to the director of rugby and heads of departments to assist with planning and programming, working closely with S&C staff to transition players back into training.
• Oversee the central database of medical records, ensuring all staff maintain accurate and up-to-date notes on each player and communicate these to relevant staff in a timely manner.
• Provide all staff in the department with ongoing support and in-service training to ensure high levels of performance and adherence to minimum standards, managing staff alongside the performance manager.
• Manage the medical suite and its equipment to maintain high standards of professionalism as well as controlling budgetary spend on consumables in the department and overseeing audit submissions.
• Uphold and promote adherence to all PRL, RFU and World Rugby regulations, standards and ethical practices to represent the club professionally and transparently, including any industry-specific regulations.
• In addition to these duties which this job normally entails the employee may from time to time be required to undertake reasonable additional or other duties or participate in research and development projects.

Key performance Indicators:

• Improvements towards reducing the number of training days missed through injury.
• RFU and PRL Medical Audit feedback, including quality of medical notes on Kit Man Labs.
• Development of sustainable practices across the medical department.
• Feedback from players / stakeholders on the quality of service provided.

Essential requirements:

• BSc (Hons) degree in physiotherapy.
• Must be HCPC and CSP registered.
• Minimum 5 years of experience working in elite sport.
• Experience in a leadership or managerial role.
• Full UK driving licence and access to own car.
• Ability to work unsociable hours, including evenings and weekends.
• Eligible to work in the UK.
• Enhanced DBS clearance.

Desirable requirements:

• Post-graduate qualification in physiotherapy or sports science.
• RFU Level 3 PHICIS qualification.
• Currently working within a full-time sporting environment.
• Previous experience working in elite-level rugby.
• UK Anti-Doping Clean Sport Advisor certification.

Safeguarding:

Newcastle Falcons takes safeguarding very seriously and is committed to ensuring the safety of all children and adults when engaging in club activities or services. The club has safeguarding policies and best practice guidelines to support this and expect all employees to adopt such policies and procedures at all times. We adhere to strict guidelines and policies in our recruitment process and expect all staff to undertake safeguarding training appropriate to their role and share our commitment to safeguarding.

Equal opportunities:

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of sex, age, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, ethnicity or national origin.

The post holder’s duties must be carried out in compliance with the club’s equal opportunities policy, with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and subsequent Health and Safety Legislation.

This post requires an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS). This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). Information on all convictions including spent convictions must be declared, in line with the new Government Filtering System.

If you wish to see our candidate privacy notice, please click here.

Employment is subject to satisfactory professional references, the provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK as well as a successfully cleared enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check and clearance of RFU safer recruitment procedure.

Please apply with a CV and a cover letter to:

Mark Laycock (performance manager) at mark.laycock@newcastle-falcons.co.uk .

Applications close at 5pm on Friday September 27, 2024.

Applicantsmust be available to attend an interview in the week commencing Monday October 7, 2024.