Fractional Chief Medical Officer · Hire a fractional chief medical officer, or hire a chief medical officer

What a fractional Chief Medical Officer / Medical Director does

Strategic medical leadership, not locum or clinical shift cover.

In scope — strategic medical leadership

Clinical governance & assurance — oversight of clinical protocols, patient safety frameworks, incident management

CQC registration & inspection readiness — named medical practitioner requirements, compliance frameworks

Regulatory liaison — MHRA submissions, UKCA marking, clinical evaluation

Prescribing & telehealth governance — remote prescribing models, clinical safety (DCB0129/DCB0160)

Clinical risk & incident frameworks — serious incident procedures, clinical audit programmes

Medical advisory board input — clinical strategy, product development, fundraising due diligence

Not this role — locum/NHS cover

Patient-facing locum work — consultant shifts paid by the hour

NHS trust executive cover — salaried/secondment interim posts

Clinical shift staffing — hourly clinical work, ward cover, clinic sessions

Chief Medical Officer vs Medical Director terminology

Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director are used interchangeably in smaller organisations. Clinical Director typically refers to departmental leadership within larger institutions. Medical Lead is common in digital health contexts. All describe strategic medical oversight rather than operational clinical delivery.

Fractional medical director — the same seat under a different name

Smaller providers and clinics usually advertise for a fractional medical director rather than a chief medical officer; the work is the same — clinical governance, safety and medical input to the business — on a part-time basis. The title matters less than the accountability: who the medical director reports to, which decisions they sign off, and what the provider's registration relies on them for.

For doctors taking on the role, medical leadership is a discipline in its own right. The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management works to raise the standard of clinical leadership, and its membership is one way to develop and evidence leadership experience alongside clinical standing. Keep scope and indemnity clear: a governance role is not clinical practice, and your cover should reflect what you actually do.

For providers, brief the role as you would any senior hire: the tier of engagement, the days a week, the sector and the regulator you answer to. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5 candidates — see how our vetting works. This page covers medical leadership; for other fractional roles, see fractional jobs UK.