Job summary
We are delighted to be able to offer an opportunity for a highly motivated, ambitious individual to join our integrated adult congenital heart disease team.
The successful candidate will be an advanced cardiology trainee either specialising in Advanced Heart Failure or Adult Congenital Heart Disease. This is not a post for a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. They will be expected to be confident functioning as a member of the multi-disciplinary team in managing complex and challenging clinical situations. The post would ideally suit a candidate who wishes to pursue a career in ACHD with an interest in heart failure, although other sub-speciality interests particularly imaging (Echo/MRI) could also be facilitated.
This post is to commence June 2026 for 12 months.
In addition to the challenges of the role, we can offer you a commitment to teaching, education, research and audit.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Please read attached Job Description and Person Specification.
Main duties of the job
Adults with CHD, in particular those referred from elsewhere for assessment for transplant or mechanical support, are amongst the most complex patients dealt with in the Cardiothoracic Directorate. The purpose of this post is to provide experienced middle grade cover for this patient group thereby enabling continuity of care for patients and appropriate supervision to junior doctors through senior ward presence. The post holder will receive training in advanced heart failure management in this complex group of patients.
For an informal discussion and further information regarding the opportunity and Directorate, please contactDr Louise Coats on 01912137146 or via e-mail at l.coats@nhs.net or Dr Jayant Kakarla on 0191 21 38952 or via email at j.kakarla@nhs.net
Please read attached Job Description and Person Specification.
About us
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion. We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We're also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 1.84 million patients 'contacts' each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical:
Provide continuity of ward cover for complex ACHD patients on cardiology, cardiac surgery and intensive care wards
Perform the daily ACHD cardiology ward round either independently, together with an ACHD Nurse Specialist or with a more junior doctor, with direct or indirect ACHD consultant supervision
Join the multidisciplinary mechanical assist or transplant ICU ward round whenever ACHD patients have undergone these procedures.
Perform the initial assessment of all ACHD patients referred by other UK centres for cardiac transplantation and/or mechanical assist device.
Perform and report initial transthoracic echocardiogram on complex transplant referrals
Perform and report peri-operative transoesophageal echocardiogram on ACHD patients undergoing conventional surgical procedures with direct or indirect ACHD consultant supervision
Attend and present cases at various relevant multidisciplinary meetings (Fontan/FALD, joint cardiac surgical meeting, ACHD electrophysiology meeting, heart failure and transplant meetings)
Contribute to general ACHD and specialist outpatient clinics including ACHD heart failure, Fontan and combined obstetric-cardiac clinics.
Review and present Morbidity and Mortality cases at Clinical Governance
ACCORDING TO INTEREST: Perform catheters, cross-sectional imaging or electrophysiology procedures supervised and in a supported training role.
Administrative:
Co-ordinate the FALD MDT
Attend and contribute to the weekly team/planning meeting
Provide structured support to the programme of ACHD transplant and mechanical assist and act as central point of contact with other teams e.g. liver and lung teams or referring teams external to the Trust
Research:
Participate in opportunities with clinical academics in the congenital heart disease research group (https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/congenitalhearts/) according to interest.
Teaching:
Attend and contribute to weekly journal club and joint paediatric, ACHD and congenital surgical teaching
Contribute to formal core curricular training programmes and bedside teaching for junior cardiology doctors and nurse practitioners
Support and enable exposure to ACHD for medical students at various levels.
Flexibility:
In line with the Trusts core value of placing patients at the heart of everything we do, we are developing our service provision to be responsive to the needs of our patients. To meet those needs some staff groups will be increasingly asked to work a more flexible work pattern so that they can offer services in the evening or weekend. As a result any offer of employment to a consultant post will be subject to you agreeing to work a new more flexible pattern or working in the future if required, including evening and weekend work.
Please read attached Job Description and Person Specification.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical:
Provide continuity of ward cover for complex ACHD patients on cardiology, cardiac surgery and intensive care wards
Perform the daily ACHD cardiology ward round either independently, together with an ACHD Nurse Specialist or with a more junior doctor, with direct or indirect ACHD consultant supervision
Join the multidisciplinary mechanical assist or transplant ICU ward round whenever ACHD patients have undergone these procedures.
Perform the initial assessment of all ACHD patients referred by other UK centres for cardiac transplantation and/or mechanical assist device.
Perform and report initial transthoracic echocardiogram on complex transplant referrals
Perform and report peri-operative transoesophageal echocardiogram on ACHD patients undergoing conventional surgical procedures with direct or indirect ACHD consultant supervision
Attend and present cases at various relevant multidisciplinary meetings (Fontan/FALD, joint cardiac surgical meeting, ACHD electrophysiology meeting, heart failure and transplant meetings)
Contribute to general ACHD and specialist outpatient clinics including ACHD heart failure, Fontan and combined obstetric-cardiac clinics.
Review and present Morbidity and Mortality cases at Clinical Governance
ACCORDING TO INTEREST: Perform catheters, cross-sectional imaging or electrophysiology procedures supervised and in a supported training role.
Administrative:
Co-ordinate the FALD MDT
Attend and contribute to the weekly team/planning meeting
Provide structured support to the programme of ACHD transplant and mechanical assist and act as central point of contact with other teams e.g. liver and lung teams or referring teams external to the Trust
Research:
Participate in opportunities with clinical academics in the congenital heart disease research group (https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/congenitalhearts/) according to interest.
Teaching:
Attend and contribute to weekly journal club and joint paediatric, ACHD and congenital surgical teaching
Contribute to formal core curricular training programmes and bedside teaching for junior cardiology doctors and nurse practitioners
Support and enable exposure to ACHD for medical students at various levels.
Flexibility:
In line with the Trusts core value of placing patients at the heart of everything we do, we are developing our service provision to be responsive to the needs of our patients. To meet those needs some staff groups will be increasingly asked to work a more flexible work pattern so that they can offer services in the evening or weekend. As a result any offer of employment to a consultant post will be subject to you agreeing to work a new more flexible pattern or working in the future if required, including evening and weekend work.
Please read attached Job Description and Person Specification.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Primary Medical Qualification.
- Full GMC registration or eligibility to obtain this within 3 months.
- MRCP (or equivalent)
Clinical Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Good history & examination skills
- Able to formulate a working diagnosis
- Able to order appropriate investigations
- Able to independently undertake Transthoracic Echocardiography
- Image interpretation relevant to practice
- Knows when to appropriately seek assistance from a senior colleague
Desirable
- Transoesophageal Echocardiography
- Temporary Pacemaker Management
Maintaining Clinical Competence
Essential
- Written evidence of satisfactory training to date e.g. workplace assessments
Teaching
Essential
- Experience of teaching undergraduate medical students & Foundation Doctors
Desirable
Clinical Governance, Audit and Research
Essential
- Experience or understanding of audit projects.
Desirable
- Research Degree or Evidence of Formal Research Training
Communication, Relationships and Working with Colleagues
Essential
- Ability to communicate and liaise effectively with patients and other people within a team.
- Ability to work as a team with professional colleagues in all disciplines.
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Alignment with the Trust's Values.
- Flexible approach to service delivery and committed approach to development.
- A commitment to personal / unit CPD
- IT literate.
- Time management skills
- Honesty, integrity, awareness of ethical dilemmas, respect for confidentiality
Desirable
- Evidence of leadership skills.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Primary Medical Qualification.
- Full GMC registration or eligibility to obtain this within 3 months.
- MRCP (or equivalent)
Clinical Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Good history & examination skills
- Able to formulate a working diagnosis
- Able to order appropriate investigations
- Able to independently undertake Transthoracic Echocardiography
- Image interpretation relevant to practice
- Knows when to appropriately seek assistance from a senior colleague
Desirable
- Transoesophageal Echocardiography
- Temporary Pacemaker Management
Maintaining Clinical Competence
Essential
- Written evidence of satisfactory training to date e.g. workplace assessments
Teaching
Essential
- Experience of teaching undergraduate medical students & Foundation Doctors
Desirable
Clinical Governance, Audit and Research
Essential
- Experience or understanding of audit projects.
Desirable
- Research Degree or Evidence of Formal Research Training
Communication, Relationships and Working with Colleagues
Essential
- Ability to communicate and liaise effectively with patients and other people within a team.
- Ability to work as a team with professional colleagues in all disciplines.
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Alignment with the Trust's Values.
- Flexible approach to service delivery and committed approach to development.
- A commitment to personal / unit CPD
- IT literate.
- Time management skills
- Honesty, integrity, awareness of ethical dilemmas, respect for confidentiality
Desirable
- Evidence of leadership skills.
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).
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