The Team Lead may be required to coordinate multiple organisations across different countries, time zones and healthcare systems and must therefore possess excellent organisational and communication skills.

Medical Liaison & Bed Coordination

The postholder will work closely with healthcare professionals involved in specialist transfers and repatriations.

This may include liaison with:

• Consultants and doctors.
• Registered nurses.
• Paramedics and other pre-hospital clinicians.
• Mental health professionals.
• Bed managers and patient-flow teams.
• Hospital discharge and transfer teams.
• Psychiatric units.
• Independent hospitals.
• NHS hospitals and NHS Trusts.
• Specialist rehabilitation services.
• Secure and forensic healthcare services.
• International medical assistance teams.
• Other health, social care and specialist professionals.

The Team Lead will support the operational coordination of appropriate bed and receiving-facility arrangements, including liaison with NHS and independent-sector hospitals, psychiatric units and specialist services.

This may include:

• Establishing whether an appropriate receiving facility and bed have been formally identified and accepted.
• Confirming operational acceptance and transfer arrangements with relevant teams.
• Coordinating estimated arrival times and transport requirements.
• Confirming appropriate clinical and operational handovers.
• Identifying specialist transport requirements.
• Coordinating additional staff or equipment requirements.
• Escalating delays, failed transfers or changes in patient requirements.
• Maintaining accurate records of communications and operational decisions.

The postholder will not independently make clinical decisions or determine clinical suitability for admission outside their professional scope of practice. Clinical acceptance, admission and treatment decisions remain the responsibility of appropriately authorised healthcare professionals and receiving organisations.

Recruitment, Selection & Personnel Management

The Team Lead will be responsible for developing a credible pool of appropriately qualified personnel.

Responsibilities will include:

• Identifying workforce requirements.
• Recruiting and selecting suitable personnel.
• Assessing CVs, qualifications and operational experience.
• Verifying employment and deployment histories where appropriate.
• Supporting competency assessments and selection processes.
• Identifying suitable combinations of security and medical personnel.
• Maintaining standards of professionalism, discretion and operational conduct.
• Supporting training, mentoring and continuing professional development.
• Identifying individuals suitable for specialist or leadership responsibilities.
• Supporting deployment and rostering of specialist personnel.
• Managing performance and raising concerns through appropriate company governance processes.

The postholder must understand that holding an SIA Close Protection licence alone does not necessarily demonstrate suitability for specialist operations.

Clinical & Regulatory Governance

The Special Projects Team Lead will work within Ambulance Rescue Limited’s established clinical and corporate governance structures.

They will be expected to ensure that operations remain compliant, where applicable, with:

• CQC requirements and Ambulance Rescue’s regulated activities.
• Company clinical governance arrangements.
• Relevant SIA requirements.
• Applicable UK legislation.
• Data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Health and safety requirements.
• Safeguarding arrangements.
• Medicines and medical equipment governance.
• Company SOPs and operational policies.
• Recognised professional close protection principles and appropriate international standards.

International operations must additionally take account of applicable local legislation, licensing, immigration, customs, aviation, healthcare and security requirements.

Clinical decisions remain subject to the appropriate professional scope of practice, governance and clinical leadership arrangements.

Commercial Development

This is a significant component of the position.

The Team Lead will actively develop the Special Projects capability commercially, including:

• Identifying prospective clients.
• Establishing relationships with existing close protection companies and teams.
• Developing relationships with international repatriation and medical assistance companies.
• Establishing relationships with insurers, healthcare organisations and specialist providers.
• Developing Ambulance Rescue as a specialist medical support partner rather than simply competing with established protection teams.
• Identifying opportunities within HNWI/UHNWI, corporate, diplomatic, media, international assistance, repatriation and specialist healthcare markets.
• Attending meetings with prospective clients and operational partners.
• Supporting tender, proposal and quotation development.
• Developing service specifications and deployment packages.
• Supporting appropriate marketing of the capability.
• Maintaining relationships with existing clients.
• Identifying opportunities for repeat and expanded business.
• Protecting patient and client confidentiality and maintaining the discretion expected within both healthcare and protective-security environments.

Quality Assurance & Audit

The Team Lead will establish and maintain appropriate assurance arrangements for Special Projects operations, including:

• Operational file audits.
• Deployment readiness checks.
• Equipment audits.
• Personnel competency reviews.
• Route and reconnaissance plan audits.
• Risk assessment reviews.
• Patient transfer and repatriation documentation audits.
• Post-operation debriefs.
• Incident and near-miss reviews.
• Lessons identified and lessons learned processes.
• Continuous improvement of SOPs and operational procedures.

Significant concerns will be escalated to the Operations Manager, Managing Director and/or appropriate clinical governance lead.

Essential Experience & Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate a minimum of three years’ credible close protection experience, supported by a CV and checkable employment or operational history.

Applicants should have demonstrable experience of:

• Operational close protection.
• Planning and risk assessment.
• Deployment of personnel and operational assets.
• Working within structured operational teams.
• Managing complex or higher-risk deployments.
• Maintaining discretion and confidentiality.
• Working professionally with clients, principals and other protection personnel.

Experience may have been gained within civilian close protection, military service, policing or specialist law-enforcement environments, or an appropriate combination of these backgrounds.

A current SIA Close Protection licence is the minimum licensing requirement.

Desirable Qualifications & Experience

Particularly desirable experience and qualifications include:

• FREC 5 / FREUC 5 or equivalent appropriate qualification.
• Associate Ambulance Practitioner.
• IHCD Ambulance Technician.
• HCPC Registered Paramedic.
• Registered Nurse or other credible healthcare qualification.
• Training through a recognised civilian close protection provider.
• Royal Military Police Close Protection training.
• PADP or equivalent military protective-security training.
• Police National Close Protection Officer course or equivalent.
• Military or police service.
• Emergency services experience.
• NHS or independent ambulance experience.
• International repatriation or medical-assistance experience.
• HNWI/UHNWI operational experience.
• Experience coordinating complex patient transfers.
• Recognised emergency response driving qualification.
• Teaching, assessing, coaching or mentoring qualification.