Job summary
We are delighted to be able to offer an opportunity for a highly motivated, ambitious individual to join the Newcastle Hospitals Palliative Care Service for a locum Consultant post. This is a trust wide service working as 4 teams across RVI, FRH, NCCC and Newcastle Community, including into Care Homes. The service includes medical, nursing and psychology specialists. The successful candidate will primarily be based within one of the palliative care teams for clinical and strategic work; however, they are expected to cover any of the hospital or community sites as needed.
The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills, highly developed skills in team working, and be able to liaise with other specialists to support the clinical care of patients referred to the service. They will have a flexible approach to service delivery and have a committed approach to development.
This locum post commences from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024, and attracts 6.0 PAs for in hours NUTH work.
The post also includes on call, with the post holder contributing to the second on call rota for St Oswald's Hospice, Gosforth alongside other Consultants in Palliative Medicine and Specialist Doctor. First on call is provided by Specialty Doctors, Speciality Trainees and GP Trainees. Second on call cover is renumerated with an additional 0.5 PAs and 2% intensity supplement.
Main duties of the job
Clinical:
- Provide direct clinical care to patients and their families
- Support the palliative care nurse specialists to deliver care to patients and families through MDT, advice and joint visiting
- Provide advice and support to referrers to the service
Managerial and Administrative:
- Record all consultations and accompanying data to monitor activity and quality within appropriate electronic record
- Share important information with referrers and/or healthcare professionals working in other care settings
- Take a role in management and administration within the service
Research and Audit:
- Participate in and/or lead local and national audit
- Encouraged to participate in research projects
Strategic:
- Participate in and/or lead palliative care service strategic initiatives which align with national, regional or trust priorities
About us
For an informal discussion and further information regarding this post, please contact: Dr Alexa Clark, Consultant and Clinical Director for Palliative and End of Life Care, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals on 0191 282 3289 (sec), or via email at alexa.clark@nhs.net
For an informal discussion and further information regarding the St Oswald's Hospice component of the post, please contact Dr Andrew Hughes, Consultant in Palliative Medicine and Medical Lead or Dr Jolene Brown, Consultant in Palliative Medicine on 0191 285 0063 Ext 2045 (Sec) or via email andrewhughes@stoswaldsuk.org or jolenebrown@stoswaldsuk.org
Closing Date: 11 December 2023
Interview Date: TBC
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will join a team of Palliative Medicine Consultants working within the NUTH Palliative Care Service. This is a liaison service, consisting of doctors, a senior nurse, nurse specialists, health care assistants, psychologists and admin staff, which supports the delivery of high quality palliative and end of life care to patients within Newcastle Hospitals and those living in Newcastle community.
The post holder will work with a variety of clinicians in caring for adult palliative patients with cancer and non-cancer diagnoses within the Newcastle hospitals and in Newcastle community. Working alongside other specialists working within Newcastle hospitals and General Practice, the service supports proactive planning as well as reactive treatment and care, aiming to improve the quality of life and death for patients and their carers across Newcastle. The post holder will also be involved in teaching, training, research, audit, and strategic work within the Trust and with partner organisations.
The post holder will also contribute to the second on call cover rota for St Oswalds Hospice, Gosforth, providing care and support for adult inpatients at a frequency of between 1 in 5 and 1 in 8. On call cover is non-residential and attracts an additional 0.5 PA and 2% on call supplement. St Oswalds is a purpose-built specialist palliative care unit in Gosforth, providing care and support for patients with progressive life limiting conditions. There are 15 adult inpatient beds, a large day services department and an 8 bedded children and young adults unit. There is a wide multidisciplinary team based at the hospice, comprising nursing staff, medical staff, HCAs, AHPs, Pharmacist, Spiritual Care Lead, Social Workers, Bereavement Support Team and many volunteers working in all aspects of the hospice.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will join a team of Palliative Medicine Consultants working within the NUTH Palliative Care Service. This is a liaison service, consisting of doctors, a senior nurse, nurse specialists, health care assistants, psychologists and admin staff, which supports the delivery of high quality palliative and end of life care to patients within Newcastle Hospitals and those living in Newcastle community.
The post holder will work with a variety of clinicians in caring for adult palliative patients with cancer and non-cancer diagnoses within the Newcastle hospitals and in Newcastle community. Working alongside other specialists working within Newcastle hospitals and General Practice, the service supports proactive planning as well as reactive treatment and care, aiming to improve the quality of life and death for patients and their carers across Newcastle. The post holder will also be involved in teaching, training, research, audit, and strategic work within the Trust and with partner organisations.
The post holder will also contribute to the second on call cover rota for St Oswalds Hospice, Gosforth, providing care and support for adult inpatients at a frequency of between 1 in 5 and 1 in 8. On call cover is non-residential and attracts an additional 0.5 PA and 2% on call supplement. St Oswalds is a purpose-built specialist palliative care unit in Gosforth, providing care and support for patients with progressive life limiting conditions. There are 15 adult inpatient beds, a large day services department and an 8 bedded children and young adults unit. There is a wide multidisciplinary team based at the hospice, comprising nursing staff, medical staff, HCAs, AHPs, Pharmacist, Spiritual Care Lead, Social Workers, Bereavement Support Team and many volunteers working in all aspects of the hospice.
Person Specification
Education, Qualifications and Specialist Skills
Essential
- Primary Medical Qualification.
- Full GMC Registration.
- Higher medical qualification: MRCP, FRCA, MRCGP
- Entry onto the GMC Specialist Register (within 6 months from the date of the AAC) or equivalent experience at a senior level.
Desirable
- Higher Degree.
- Special skills training in the specialty.
Clinical Experience
Essential
- Evidence of experience in palliative care in hospital, community and hospice settings.
- Evidence of a substantial commitment to the specialty.
- Ability to offer an expert clinical opinion within the speciality, and to liaise with other specialists to support the clinical care of patients referred to the service.
- Ability to take independent responsibility for the clinical care of patients within the hospice when providing on-call cover.
Management and Administration Experience
Essential
- Involvement with management and project leadership within the specialty.
- An understanding of Clinical Governance.
Desirable
- Proven management and administrative experience and understanding of management goals.
- Evidence of leadership / project management.
- Evidence of having implemented change.
- Evidence of involvement in authoring or reviewing clinical guidelines.
Teaching
Essential
- Experience of supervising junior medical staff.
- Experience of formal and informal teaching and training of undergraduate and postgraduate doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
- Ability to teach clinical / technical / practical skills
Desirable
- Attendance at courses to develop teaching skills.
- Postgraduate qualification in medical education.
Research
Essential
- Evidence of significant research commitment and experience.
Desirable
- Higher degree.
- Publications/presentations in the last five years.
- Research/critical review of literature.
Audit
Essential
- Evidence of participation in audit.
Desirable
- Evidence of having changed practice as a result of audit.
- Evidence of having revisited the audit to assess improvement.
Person Specification
Education, Qualifications and Specialist Skills
Essential
- Primary Medical Qualification.
- Full GMC Registration.
- Higher medical qualification: MRCP, FRCA, MRCGP
- Entry onto the GMC Specialist Register (within 6 months from the date of the AAC) or equivalent experience at a senior level.
Desirable
- Higher Degree.
- Special skills training in the specialty.
Clinical Experience
Essential
- Evidence of experience in palliative care in hospital, community and hospice settings.
- Evidence of a substantial commitment to the specialty.
- Ability to offer an expert clinical opinion within the speciality, and to liaise with other specialists to support the clinical care of patients referred to the service.
- Ability to take independent responsibility for the clinical care of patients within the hospice when providing on-call cover.
Management and Administration Experience
Essential
- Involvement with management and project leadership within the specialty.
- An understanding of Clinical Governance.
Desirable
- Proven management and administrative experience and understanding of management goals.
- Evidence of leadership / project management.
- Evidence of having implemented change.
- Evidence of involvement in authoring or reviewing clinical guidelines.
Teaching
Essential
- Experience of supervising junior medical staff.
- Experience of formal and informal teaching and training of undergraduate and postgraduate doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
- Ability to teach clinical / technical / practical skills
Desirable
- Attendance at courses to develop teaching skills.
- Postgraduate qualification in medical education.
Research
Essential
- Evidence of significant research commitment and experience.
Desirable
- Higher degree.
- Publications/presentations in the last five years.
- Research/critical review of literature.
Audit
Essential
- Evidence of participation in audit.
Desirable
- Evidence of having changed practice as a result of audit.
- Evidence of having revisited the audit to assess improvement.
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
