Chief Registrar

Job overview
Chief Registrar - minimum 12-month fixed term Out of Programme Experience (OOPE) from 06/08/2025 to 04/08/2026
Trust Grade ST4-ST8 Trainee Doctor
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated senior doctor in training (ST4 and above or equivalent) with an interest in leadership, management and quality improvement to join KMPT as a chief registrar.
The chief registrar role provides senior trainees with 40% protected time to develop skills and confidence in leadership, management and quality improvement. Learning that chief registrars gain from the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP's) bespoke development programme will be put into practice in a supported environment that provides autonomy, flexibility and support to develop and support projects that address key local challenges and priorities. This may include service improvement, engagement and morale, education and training, workforce, and sustainability.

Main duties of the job
The chief registrar role will suit trainees who:

• Want to learn about leadership and gain senior leadership experience
• Are comfortable working in uncertain environments and across traditional boundaries
• Relish the opportunity to develop their own ideas and initiatives
• Are committed to and passionate about improving the NHS.

The chief registrar will be mentored by a senior clinical leader within the organisation and gain a unique insight into NHS leadership and management processes, as well as deeper knowledge of NHS structures and stakeholders.
The chief registrar will be expected to attend modules delivered as part of the RCP's bespoke development programme, which will cover, for example, change management, team culture and development, quality improvement, leadership, influencing and personal resilience.

Working for our organisation
Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.
We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people across the county.
The Trust (rated Good overall by the CQC and Outstanding for care) has 3,283 staff working in 66 buildings across 33 locations, covering an area of 1,450 square miles.
You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.
The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Applications are open to senior trainees:

• National Training Number (NTN) ST4 level or above
• Locally Employed Doctors (LED) at equivalent experience of ST4 or above
• Working full time or less-than-full-time
• Who have full GMC registration.

This is a fixed-term role for a minimum of 12 months. For those with an NTN, the role can be undertaken out of programme (experience) and must be discussed with your educational supervisor and training programme director (TPD), and permission to apply must be granted by the TPD.
JOB PURPOSE
The chief registrar role is a leadership role for senior speciality trainees. The role provides 40% protected time to develop and implement local initiatives focusing on, for example, service improvement, engagement and morale, education and training, workforce and sustainability.
Chief registrars benefit from access to a bespoke taught development programme provided by the Royal College of Physicians, which runs from September 2025 to June 2026 and comprises five 2-day modules that chief registrars are expected to attend.
REPORTING, MENTORING AND EDUCATIONAL SUPERVISION
The chief registrar will ideally report to and be mentored by the medical director, a nominated deputy, or other senior clinical leader. The mentor role requires a minimum time commitment of monthly 1 hour meetings with the chief registrar, and this commitment should be taken into account when nominating a suitable mentor.
The chief registrar will also have a named educational supervisor for their clinical role, who may or may not be the same as their clinical supervisor.
There will be formal educational oversight of the role, with an induction, educational agreement, personal development plan and regular appraisals.
APPOINTMENT
By interview. Composition of interview panel to be decided locally but should ideally involve HEE representation (training programme director (TPD) / Director of Medical Education), senior medical manager, and ideally a lay/patient representative.
Due diligence should be applied to equality and diversity.
TRAINING STATUS
NTN trainees must discuss applications for chief registrar roles with their education supervisor and TPD in advance of applying. Permission to apply for the role must be obtained from the TPD.
The principle requirement of the GMC is that the chief registrar role should be undertaken at a site approved by the GMC for training in the applicants' specialty.
For Locally Employed Doctor's, local discussion should occur with the Trust chief registrar lead and educational supervisor to ensure suitability for the programme. Local assessment of prior experience to be at ST4 or above will be made within the Trust.
POST DESCRIPTION
KEY RESULT AREAS
The chief registrar job description is broad in scope in order to allow chief registrars and recruiting organisations to have autonomy and flexibility over the work the chief registrar undertakes. Chief registrars should focus on addressing key local challenges and priorities, which may include some or all of the following:

• Providing a 'bridge' between senior clinical leaders, managers and the wider trainee workforce to improve communication, engagement and morale.
• Service improvement, for example redesigning pathways, implementing new technology and establishing new services to improve flow and outcomes for patients.
• Improving the quality of clinical and non-clinical education and training activities, and supporting/mentoring other trainees to engage in quality improvement.
• Involvement in workforce planning and improving the deployment of trainees to meet service needs and improve morale.
• Improving efficiency and reducing waste.
• Working across teams and boundaries to engage stakeholders in quality improvement and influence change.

The chief registrar should attend departmental and divisional management meetings to gain an understanding of management and the wider social, political and economic influences on healthcare delivery.
Where possible and appropriate, chief registrars should attend Board meetings. They should lead any sessions on service development, improvement and transformation for which they have direct responsibility.
CLINICAL DUTIES
Continuing clinical work