Chief Medical Adviser

Organisation: British Horseracing Authority
Salary: Competitive
Location: Holborn London, Hybrid Working available
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 16 May 2025
Job Description: ROLE PURPOSE:

1. Provide expert strategic and operational advice to BHA in relation to overall medical standards
and the health and safety of riders, including anticipating and addressing future developments.

2. Act as BHA’s representative and liaison with stakeholders on medical matters, including
building relationships and ensuring clear messaging at all times.

3. Act as BHA’s representative and liaison with external bodies on medical matters including other
sports, UK Gov Departments and other racing jurisdictions

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Medical Standards

• Provide a 24-hour, 7 days per week, on-call service for specialist advice and assistance to
Racecourse Medical Officers (“RMOs”), and toriders, outside of normal business hours.
• Regularly review the Medical Standards for Fitness to Ride,.
• Regularly review medical standards and BHA General Instruction 11 to ensure they are relevant,
appropriate, and sufficiently robust.
• Oversee the racecourse medical audit and inspection process to ensure minimum medical
standards are met, provide advice and guidance to racecourse medical staff, and liaise with
racecourse management directly regarding any issues or concerns.
• Oversee the register of RMOs, ensuring RMOs satisfy the requirements to be registered.
• Initiate, oversee, and drive projects, including implementation of recommendations relating to
changes in medicine or health and safety of riders on behalf of BHA.
• Ensure that BHA is kept up to date with any advances in medical science and health and safety
matters which are relevant to racing.
• Advise on updates to standards for safety equipment worn by riders
• Chair the BHA Medical Advisory Committee.

Clinical Responsibilities

• In conjunction with other staff, notably those employed by the Injured Jockeys Fund, case manage
the care of injured riders, whose injuries occur when holding a current BHA issued licence, from the
point of injury to their return to riding or retirement. Oversee the operation of the online riders’ injury
reporting system, ensuring appropriate reporting, and advising on clearing riders to return to race
riding following any serious illness, injury or suspected injury, where necessary.

• Enable clinical leadership: oversee and manage the concussion protocol and implement any changes in the management of repeated traumatic brain injuries.

• Carry out medical examinations of riders as necessary in a clinical setting.

• Support and facilitate relevant research into the health and safety of riders including Injury Surveillance reporting

Licensing and Compliance

• Make recommendations to the Licensing Committee in relation to medical aspects of riders’ licence
applications.

• Provide advice and evidence as required for proceedings involving BHA including Disciplinary Panel and Licensing Committee hearings.

Attendances and Presentations

• Attend, and represent BHA, at domestic and international medical conferences.

• Speak at riders’ seminars and other education programmes.

• Attend relevant internal/external meetings associated with the delivery of good medical care to riders holding a BHA Licence

QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION

• MBBS Graduate.

• Registered medical practitioner with a licence to practise in the UK with proven experience as a GP or specialist.

• Sports & Exercise Medicine qualification highly desirable.

• Relevant registrations permitting clinical practice including GMC and any other statutory requirements

• Up to date appraisal and revalidation

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• Experience and training in pre-hospital trauma care.

• Experience of working within professional sport.

• Experience of management of medical teams at major events is desirable.

• Understanding of good clinical governance particularly in a non-clinical setting

• Experience of working with sensitive and highly confidential information.

• Project implementation and management.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Strong resilient and adaptable management style with diplomacy and tendency to lead by example;

• Strategic thinker, with capability to translate strategy into actionable programmes, opportunities or activities;

• Ability to interpret and analyse data for the purpose of policy development;

• Excellent inter-personal, motivational, leadership, and team working skills, with a proven ability to form and work successfully in partnerships;

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to listen, articulate and present ideas, issues, systems and procedures successfully at all levels to a variety of audiences;

• Ability to multi-task and manage several projects at various stages whilst remaining calm and professional;

• An ability to initiate, implement and drive change;

• Ability to exercise effective judgment within constrained time-scales and resources in the light of competing pressures, and to solve problems and disputes in a constructive manner;

• Ability to recognise any personal limitations in skills and knowledge and strategies to address these limitations and to prevent clinical and professional isolation.

• Understanding of the regulation and administration of British Horseracing is desirable;

• Competent in the use of Microsoft office packages;

CIRCUMSTANCES

• Full valid driving licence (preferably clean);

• Travel to all British racecourses required;

• Stay away for several days, for major meetings or conferences;

• It may be necessary to prepare work outside of the normal working day;

• The nature of horseracing dictates that duties will be performed during weekdays, evenings, weekends and bank holidays;

• Available for 24-hour, 7 days per week, on-call duties.

As the needs of the business change rapidly this role will change accordingly, therefore this document should be viewed as guidelines which are subject to change.
How to apply: Please apply by completing this Application Form here:(https://www.cognitoforms.com/britishhorseracingauthority/bhaemploymentapplicationform) , only candidates who have applied via the form will be considered. Our applications are anonymised in-line with our D&I initiatives and supporting documents are only provided to recruiting managers at interview stage.