Job responsibilities
Here in Jersey, we have our own Health Care system, separate from the NHS. We are looking to develop and improve our healthcare services towards a modern, fully digitised and future-proof system, in advance of our new hospital (planned to open in 2029). To do so we need fresh eyes, new ways of working and the next generation of consultants to make our healthcare the best it can be. We aim to provide high quality, safe and effective care to the 110,000 people living on the Island and those who visit. The hospital benefits from a fantastic educational centre with a full SIM lab and dedicated time for all to learn.
Aligned to the Wessex Deanery, we support and develop Foundation trainees as well as Clinical Fellows and SAS doctors. We encourage all our consultants to fully engage with the education and training of our future generation of consultants.
Health and Care Jersey is seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and dynamic substantive Consultant in General Medicine with an Interest in Respiratory Medicine to join our already passionate consultant body.
Jersey is easily accessible from most regional airports in the UK and has good links with NHS tertiary centres especially in Southampton and London, which affords the successful candidates to maintain links within the NHS and the private sector working. To support your transition to Jersey, we can provide a generous relocation and remuneration package, which is benefitted by lower taxation than within the UK.
The Government of Jersey is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (to include children) and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As this position will work with vulnerable people, the selection process will involve safeguarding measures and include an enhanced DBS check.
On-Call Rota
The appointee will take part in the General Medicine on-call rota of one in eight however this will be in line with the development of the service provision according to the Medical Services Medical Model where the successful appointee may focus on respiratory medicine provision for the island of Jersey.
During the on-call the Consultant will cover all medical inpatients in the event of deterioration or medical emergencies. For weekday on-call a post take ward round is undertaken at 5pm, the following morning the on-call Consultant is only required to post-take patients who are not on the Emergency Assessment Unit. During weekends and bank holidays the Consultant will undertake post take ward rounds and discharge ward rounds in line the medical model at 8am and 5pm.
Weekday on-calls operate 8am-8am the following day. Weekend on-calls operate from 8am on Friday to 8am Monday.
The Specialty
The legacy of cheap tobacco in the past has resulted in a high incidence of smoking related illnesses. The Southwest Cancer Registry indicates that Jersey has an incidence of lung cancer 30% above the average for the U.K. There are an equivalently high number of patients with COPD. In 2019 Respiratory Medicine had 740 outpatient referrals and 49 bronchoscopy procedures were undertaken.
Current outpatient referrals average approximately 150 per month with approximately 5 procedures per month.
The department currently has a consultant establishment of Dr Sudheeram Alapati and this vacancy.
The Clinical Investigation Unit (Manager Andrew Norman, who is a Senior qualified Respiratory Physiologist) provides a comprehensive range of services for patients with respiratory illnesses incorporating:
1. Full lung function testing using body plethysmography
2. Sleep studies and provision of CPAP
3. LTOT and nebulizer services
4. A dedicated drop in Asthma clinic
5. Histamine/Methacholine challenge testing
The respiratory services are supported by a comprehensive radiological department offering CT and MRI. One of the Consultant radiologists, Dr Salman Zaman, have a special interest in respiratory disease offering expert opinion and biopsy services.
The Radiology Department provides CT, MRI, ultrasound, mammography and general X-Ray services. An on-call service is provided for CT, ultrasound and general x-ray.
The Specialty
Community outreach service supported by 1 full time and two part time respiratory specialist nurses who are providing care to patients with asthma/COPD. 1 T.B specialist nurse and 1 lung cancer nurse, continue to support patients in the community and support early discharge.
The respiratory department works closely with the Consultant Microbiologist in the Management and Control of TB and HIV.
Lung cancer surgery is performed in Southampton General Hospital. The Thoracic Surgeon, Dr Martin Chamberlain, visits four times each year. Surgery is provided to NSF guidelines. The hospital participated in the NLCA (National lung cancer audit) and our
performance ranks among the best performing centres nationally. PET-CT scans are performed at Southampton, and we have an electronic link for sharing x-ray and CT images. Weekly lung cancer meetings are held are attended by the following: Consultant Radiologists (Salman Zaman), One Consultant Histopathologist Miklos Perenyi or Bruce Lyons), Consultant Respiratory Physician (this post), Consultant Medical Oncologist (Mohammad Butt) Nicola Bailache Associate Specialist Palliative Care, MDT coordinator who helps organising the meeting and keep records. There are 3 Consultant General Histopathologists (as above) providing general histology and cytopathology, and there is full laboratory back up for immunohistochemistry. There is access to specialist referral centres for molecular and gene analysis of tumours.
We have close links with Southampton to coordinate the management of interstitial lung disease and severe Asthma; the successful applicant will have the opportunity to develop further tertiary links.
The respiratory service is supported by the ambulatory care service located and supported by the acute medicine physicians delivering ultrasound guided pleural procedures including pleural aspirations, ambulatory drainage and pleurex drains.
An Endoscopy unit is based at Jersey General Hospital consisting of two procedure rooms, the Respiratory Medicine service has dedicated bronchoscopy sessions within this unit. Respiratory Medicine has access to the Medical Day Unit providing day case treatments Monday Friday consisting of 5 treatment couches. The island has a dedicated chemotherapy unit with clinical oncologist and medical oncologist support on island.
Palliative care facilities are provided by a charitably funded body called Jersey Hospice Care and operates from an independent facility called Clarkson House. Jersey Hospice Care provides in-patient beds for respite services both hospital discharges and in the community. An Associate Specialist in Palliative Care with nursing support has recently been appointed with responsibility and funding split between the Hospice and Hospital.
Management Structure
Health and Care Jersey is a directorate of the Government of Jersey that is responsible for the delivery of specialist health care and the running of the general hospital. The directorate is led by a Chief Officer, Tom Walker who leads an executive team including a Director of Clinical Service, Claire Thompson, and a Medical Director, Simon West who is also Medical Responsible Officer/Suitable person with the GMC for appraisal and revalidation. Health and Care Jersey is organised as a series of care groups, each with leadership team led by a chief of service as detailed below. This post sits within the medical care group.
Leadership Teams
Surgical - Scheduled Hospital Services
Chief of Service: Dr Simon Chapman
Planned Care Lead: Jemma Hammond
Assistant General Managers: Wayne Quenault and Tracey Wilkinson
Lead Nurses: Claire Ash and Stacey Bell
Medical - Primary and Unscheduled Hospital Services
Chief of Service: (Interim) Dr David Hopkins
General Manager: (Interim) Emily Hoban
Assistant General Managers: Natalia Miller and (Interim) Stuart Cannonier
Lead Nurses: (Interim) Jane Phillips and Lyndsey Mann
Social Care
Director: Andy Weir
General Manager: Darren Bowring
Principal Social Worker: Paul Rendell
Head of Learning Disability Services: Robert Gardner
Children's Services
Chief of Service: Caroline Jenkins
Lead Nurse: Alex Watt
General Manager: Tracey Martin
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Chief of Service: Caroline Jenkins
Head of Midwifery: Roslyn Bullen-Bell
Lead Midwife: Jan Auffret
General Manager: Tracey Martin
Medical Services Care Group
The Respiratory Department sits within the Medical Services Care Group which comprise the following range of services, a full structure chart of the care group can be found in the appendix:
Ambulatory Emergency Care
Cardiology
Diabetes
Emergency Admissions Unit (EAU)
Emergency Department
Haematology
Medical Day Unit
Medical Outpatients
Medical Wards - Plemont, Bartlett, Corbiere and Rozel Wards
Neurology
Oncology
Palliative Medicine
Pathology
Rehabilitation Ward Plemont Ward (Interim Rehabilitation Unit)
Renal Medicine
Respiratory
Rheumatology
Sexual Health
SAS doctors are responsible for the day-to-day management of their patients on the wards with the help of clinical fellows, FY1 or FY2 doctor whom they closely supervise.
On call, the SAS doctor is responsible for seeing patients referred by the Emergency Department and reviewing patients admitted to the AAU by GPs in conjunction with the Acute Medicine team. A core responsibility of the Medicine Care Group is the provision of a safe acute medical service. The Care Group always provides named Consultant supervision for non-Consultants and ensures that prompt review and treatment is provided for acute medical emergencies referred by General Practitioners or the Emergency Department.