West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Locum Consultant Respiratory Medicine

The closing date is 22 March 2026

Job summary

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking to appoint a fixed-term (6-month) Consultant in Respiratory Medicine to support the delivery of acute respiratory services. This post is particularly suitable for a clinician working towards CESR accreditation in Respiratory Medicine, including overseas-trained specialists holding full GMC registration with a licence to practise.

You will join a friendly, supportive department of 12 respiratory consultants, delivering high-quality inpatient, outpatient, and virtual hospital care across Watford General Hospital, Hemel Hempstead Hospital, and St Albans City Hospital. The department is committed to supporting your professional development, including the CESR application process.

This is an excellent opportunity to gain consultant-level experience in acute respiratory medicine within a busy NHS teaching hospital, work within a supportive multidisciplinary team, and build valuable evidence for your CESR portfolio. The role provides broad exposure to acute respiratory care, procedures, outpatient clinics, and on-call commitments at consultant level.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will:

Provide consultant-level care on the respiratory ward and ARCU, managing patients with acute respiratory failure including non-invasive ventilation (NIV)

Participate in bronchoscopy and pleural procedure lists as part of the departmental procedural rota

Deliver urgent respiratory ("hot") clinics and general respiratory outpatient clinics

Contribute to the NIV on-call rota (1 in 12 weekday overnight; 1 in 10 weekend)

o Support and supervise junior doctors and medical students

o Engage in clinical governance, audit, and quality improvement

o Attend departmental educational meetings including Journal Club and M&M

o Contribute to teaching and continuing professional development

Work collaboratively with acute medicine and critical care teams, providing specialist respiratory advice across the Trust

Build valuable CESR portfolio evidence through consultant-level acute respiratory, procedural, and outpatient experience in an NHS teaching hospital

Join a collaborative department with a strong focus on education, governance, and service development

Access mentorship and support from experienced consultant colleagues throughout the post

Benefit from excellent facilities, administrative support, and access to postgraduate education

About us

A new hospital has been planned for Watford. A new four roomed Endoscopy Unit at St Albans has been planned with a completion date of 2026.

We are building on the success of our award-winning virtual hospital and re-imaging models of care, working ever more closely with partners and making the most of advances in digital healthcare.

Staff wellbeing and development are a priority at West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, as is the role of innovation in improving clinical care, outcomes and patient experience.

We are a flexible working employer

At West Herts we recognise the importance of a good work life balance and the ability to work flexibly. We are delighted to offer a variety of flexible working options for all staff. Please check out our web page for more information.

https://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/flexibleworking/

We encourage and welcome people with disabilities. If you need help, please ask.

We reserve the right to close this advert early due to the volume of applicants. Please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you do not hear back within 3 weeks of your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Details

Date posted

16 March 2026

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£109,725 to £145,478 a year PA

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

6 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

360-A-1178

Job locations

Watford General Hospital

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Watford

WD18 0GS


Job description

Job responsibilities

The management responsibility of the post-holder will be to the clinical lead for Respiratory (Dr Matthew Knight who is responsible to the Divisional Director (Dr. Niall Keenan), the Medical Director (Dr Michael van der Watt) and Chief Executive and Trust Board.

The detailed job description and person specification are available as a separate document. For an informal discussion, please contact Dr Matthew Knight, Clinical Lead for Respiratory Medicine.

Programmed Activities: 10 PAs standard (up to 12 negotiable).

On-call: 1:10 weekend NIV and 1:12 weekday NIV.

Sites: Watford General Hospital (main base) and Hemel Hempstead Hospital; occasional attendance at St Albans City Hospital.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The management responsibility of the post-holder will be to the clinical lead for Respiratory (Dr Matthew Knight who is responsible to the Divisional Director (Dr. Niall Keenan), the Medical Director (Dr Michael van der Watt) and Chief Executive and Trust Board.

The detailed job description and person specification are available as a separate document. For an informal discussion, please contact Dr Matthew Knight, Clinical Lead for Respiratory Medicine.

Programmed Activities: 10 PAs standard (up to 12 negotiable).

On-call: 1:10 weekend NIV and 1:12 weekday NIV.

Sites: Watford General Hospital (main base) and Hemel Hempstead Hospital; occasional attendance at St Albans City Hospital.

Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • Full GMC

Desirable

  • Candidates actively working towards CESR in Respiratory Medicine are particularly encouraged to apply.
Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • Full GMC

Desirable

  • Candidates actively working towards CESR in Respiratory Medicine are particularly encouraged to apply.

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).

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.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Watford General Hospital

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Watford

WD18 0GS


Employer's website

http://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Watford General Hospital

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Watford

WD18 0GS


Employer's website

http://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Lead

Dr Matthew Knight

matthewknight@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

16 March 2026

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£109,725 to £145,478 a year PA

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

6 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

360-A-1178

Job locations

Watford General Hospital

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Watford

WD18 0GS


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)