Locum Consultant in Critical Care

Job overview

A recent vacancy has created the need for a Consultant in Adult Critical Care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. The posts emphasis will be on Adult Critical Care for clinical work,, however there will be opportunities for teaching, administration and development.

The contract will be for 10.0 PAs, split into 8.5 DCC PAs in Critical Care and 1.5 core SPAs. The option of utilising up to 2 of the 8.5 DCC PAs within an allied base specialty will be considered as part of flexible job planning.

The new consultant will join the existing Team NUH workforce of 34 Critical Care consultants who work closely together and act as a very supportive group with a determined team ethos. This contributes to the provision of an ideal supportive environment for new consultant appointments into the advertised post.

New consultants will be able to choose a mentor from the existing Critical Care consultant team.

Applicants must be fully registered with the GMC, and hold a license to practice and be on the Specialist Registrar or within 6 months at the time of interview.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be expected to undertake formalised critical care rotations and must be able to work flexibly across the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) and Nottingham City Hospital (NCH) campuses.

A successful candidate will only be expected to take part in the adult critical care out of hours duty roster.

Provision of reciprocal cover for periods of leave is expected as part of the normal working job plan and 1.5 PAs are allocated for this to allow consultant cover at all times.

The successful applicant will also be expected to carry out teaching duties as required.

Working for our organisation

Critical Care is part of the Clinical Support Division, critical care is part of the Acute care directorate with theatres, anaesthesia, acute pain, CCOT, spiritual and pastoral care. The other directorates in the clinical support division are: Science and technology directorate, Therapies & Rehabilitation directorate, Pharmacy directorate and Radiology directorate,

Within NUH there are three distinct Adult Critical Care areas: Adult Intensive Care and Adult High Dependency on the Queen’s Medical Centre campus and Intensive Care on the Nottingham City Hospital campus. Current Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC) data shows that our critical care outcomes are very good compared to trusts with similar size and case mix.

Critical Care at NUH is a key member of the East Midlands Critical Care Network (EMCCN). Alongside other local hospitals we have developed robust care pathways and education initiatives through shared learning to ensure the best care for critically ill patients within the East Midlands. A network meeting is held yearly to showcase work in the region. Alongside our Network links, NUH became the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre in April 2012.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The appointee will be expected to fulfil the following duties with the agreed Job Plan.

Clinical

• Responsibility for the management of patients admitted under their care. This will be a full range of surgical and medical emergency patients.

• Provision with Consultant colleagues of a comprehensive elective and emergency service.

• Provision of reciprocal cover for periods of leave.

• Continuing responsibility for the care of patients in their charge and the proper functioning of the department.

• Cover for short term absences or periods of sick leave.

These duties are subject to review in the light of the changing requirements of the service. If alterations to the described duties are required these will be mutually agreed between the appointee, their consultant colleagues and the Trust.

The person appointed will be required to devote substantially the whole of their time to the duties of the post and give them priority at all times.

Governance and Audit

Each consultant is expected to take an active role in clinical governance activities including (but not restricted to) clinical audit, incident reporting, review of complaints, risk management, coroners referrals and reports, CPD and Evidence-Based Practice. Each directorate has a Consultant Clinical Governance lead.

Teaching

Both main campuses of the Trust are major centres for undergraduate and postgraduate education and teaching. The successful candidate will be expected to play a significant role in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.

The Trust works to ensure the best possible placements and training for both undergraduates and junior doctors and to ensure consultant trainers & teachers are developed and supported. The Trust facilitates this through agreeing appropriate job plans, a clear framework for the delivery of medical education, and the opportunity to enhance clinical and teaching skills through Continuing Professional Development.

Research

The Trust has extremely close links with Nottingham University, and has academic departments in the majority of its clinical specialties. There are University and Trust research facilities. The Trust has a research strategy and management framework which aligns its funding for research with the research and innovations activities it supports. Consultants who wish to undertake research require the approval of the Trust R&I Department and relevant ethical approval, and must adhere to the National Framework for Research Governance.

Other Duties as Agreed

The appointee may wish to take on other roles alongside their clinical role. Any positions offered by bodies outside the Trust, (e.g. Training Programme Director, Regional College Advisor, Royal College Representative etc,) must be discussed and agreed by the Head of Service in advance of the position being accepted, so that the impact upon the specialty can be fully considered and any job plan amendments undertaken should the additional role be accepted.