Fractional & Part-Time Chief Medical Officer / Medical Director (UK)

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 hourly shifts (£90–£175/hr, FACTS 114) NHS trust executive cover — salaried/secondment interim posts (FACTS 113) Clinical shift staffing — hourly clinical work, ward cover, clinic sessions

Chief Medical Officer vs Medical Director terminology

Chief Medical Officer (Chief Medical Officer) and Medical Director are used interchangeably in smaller organizations. 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.

Digital health / telehealth

CQC registration for online services — ensuring compliance with CQC regulations for digital care Remote prescribing governance — protocols for safe online consultations and prescription Clinical safety standards — DCB0129/DCB0160 compliance for digital clinical systems Example pattern: AIOS hires fractional UK Medical Lead at £90–£120/hr for prescribing-model safety, governance, edge-case review (FACTS 112)

MedTech / medical devices

Clinical evaluation oversight — post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF), clinical data collection MHRA & UKCA compliance — medical device regulations, clinical investigation oversight Clinical affairs strategy — evidence generation, regulatory pathway planning

Private clinics / CQC-regulated providers

Registered/named medical practitioner — CQC requirement for regulated activities Clinical governance & audit — policies, procedures, clinical effectiveness monitoring Complaints & serious incidents — investigation, learning, regulatory reporting

Biotech / pharmaceutical

Medical affairs strategy — clinical development, evidence generation, publication planning KOL engagement & advisory — thought leader relationships, advisory board management Safety & pharmacovigilance — adverse event reporting, risk-benefit assessment

Full-time medical Chief Medical Officer salaries vary significantly by sector:

NHS Band 9 Medical Director: £105k–£150k base salary Private healthcare/MedTech/digital health: £150k–£280k Biotech/pharmaceutical: £200k–£400k+ True first-year cost: £220k–£520k loaded (including NI, pension, recruitment, management overhead — FACTS 111)

Standard fractional Chief Medical Officer (2 days/week): £8k–£14k/mo = £96k–£168k annually, typically 40-60% less than permanent equivalent while providing senior-level expertise.