Trans-catheter Valve Interventional Cardiology Fellow (ST6+)

Job responsibilities

This appointment will be based at the West Yorkshire Heart Centre, Leeds General Infirmary.

Leeds General Infirmary is the largest tertiary cardiac centre in the United Kingdom, providing services to a population of 2.8 million in West Yorkshire, with supra-regional services to the broader population of Yorkshire & Humber, constituting 5.8 million. The cardiology department consists of 2 inpatient wards (one acute admissions ward), a day case interventional ward, a day case radial lounge, 6 lab catheter suite and a 10 bed coronary care unit. Leeds is a high volume PCI centre performing 2200 PCI per annum, of which 1100 are primary PCI maintaining the centres status as the busiest PPCI centre in the UK.

The transcatheter valve intervention programme in Leeds is delivered by four interventional cardiologists: Professor Dan Blackman, Dr Chris Malkin, Dr Mike Cunnington, and Dr Noman Ali.

This Fellowship is aimed at interventional trainees who are nearing completion of, or have recently completed, their PCI training. The Fellowship would be focussed on transcatheter valve intervention, in particular transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Leeds performs approximately 600 TAVI procedures annually. Currently Evolut FX+, SAPIEN 3 RESILIA and Navitor Vision valves are used. Standard TAVI procedures are performed under local anaesthetic. More than 95% of procedures are trans-femoral, with percutaneous axillary access the alternate access route of choice. We have also performed trans-caval and BASILICA procedures. Leeds has a strong record of innovation in TAVI, having been the first centre in the UK to use Lotus, undertaken the first-in-human Evolut study, the first-in-human Triguard cerebral embolic protection study, and been at the forefront of cerebral embolic protection and subclavian/axillary access. We are one of only a few centres in the UK currently performing TAVI cases with Jena Trilogy Valve for aortic regurgitation. There is an active research programme supported by 4 research nurses, with multiple peer-reviewed publications in the field.

Leeds has an established mitral intervention programme and is the sole centre for provision of trans-catheter edge to edge repair (TEER) for the 5.8 million population of Yorkshire & Humber, with approximately 50 procedures expected to be performed annually. Leeds has also been involved in trials of a number of novel trans-catheter mitral valve repair and replacement devices including Intrepid, High-Life, Carillon, and Millipede. We also perform mitral valvuloplasty, TAVI-in-mitral valve / ring procedures, paravalvular leak closures, tricuspid TEER, TAVI-in-tricuspid valve / ring procedures, and transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement with the Evoque system.

The post is fixed term for one year, expected start date 7th September 2026.

MEDICAL STAFF IN THE DEPARTMENT

31 Consultants

11 Specialist Registrar (ST 3+)

22 LSTs working across cardiology and cardiac surgery

Skills & Behaviours

Essential

• Skilled in the basics of managing medical/surgical conditions, including emergencies
• Proficient in a range of medical procedures as an indication of manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination
• Skilled in management of acute cardiological emergencies
• Clarity in written/spoken communication & capacity to adapt language as appropriate to the situation

Desirable

• Skilled in use of femoral vascular closure devices
• Ability to conduct clinical research studies independently
• Ability to write and submit papers for peer-review publication independently
• Extensive understanding of PCI procedures, including pre and post-procedural management
• Capacity to operate under pressure, demonstrate initiative & resilience to cope with changing circumstances

Eligibility & Fitness to Practice

Essential

• Eligible for full registration with the GMC at time of appointment and hold a current licence to practice
• Eligibility to work in the UK
• Is up to date and fit to practise safely
• Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues.

Desirable

• Experience of working in the UK National Health Service
• Peer-reviewed publications in English-language medical journals

Qualifications

Essential

• MBChB or equivalent
• Current ALS certification or equivalent
• Evidence of achievement of Foundation and CT/ST competencies in medicine (as defined by the curricula relating to Core Medical training)

Desirable

• MD, PhD or equivalent
• Completion of a recognised training programme in Cardiology within the last 3 years, or within 18 months of expected completion date
• Completion, or nearing completion, of subspecialty training in PCI

Experience

Essential

• Extensive experience of general clinical cardiology
• Competent as independent operator in PCI
• At least 4 years experience in medical specialities
• Involvement in research
• Able to work in multi-professional teams & supervise junior medical staff

Desirable

• Involvement in TAVI procedures as second operator
• Training and experience in TAVI CT analysis
• Completion of a full-time research programme leading to an MD/PhD
• Peer-reviewed publications in the field of interventional cardiology
• Evidence of leading service improvement and audit projects

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).