Consultant Obstetrician with special interest in Fetal Medicine

Job overview

We are delighted to be able to offer an opportunity for a highly motivated, ambitious individual to join our well integrated team. The appointee will be joining a team of obstetricians with special interests in all aspects of complex maternity care. We are looking for an individual with the clinical skills and enthusiasm necessary to join and make a significant contribution to this team. This is a replacement appointment to support the current establishment of 13 WTE consultants (on a 1:12 on call rota). Candidates should be aware that a further 3 posts have been approved by Trust Board with a view to expansion of the team over the next 2 years. The expansion will allow delivery of 52 week antenatal clinic services and support consultant roles in governance, quality improvement and teaching. Expansion of the team to 16WTE will enable team members to more easily take on regional/ national leadership roles, as well as giving the team resilience around pre-retirement career plans and supporting flexible working for colleagues.

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

We are looking for a highly motivated Consultant in Fetal Medicine. We are looking for an individual with the clinical skills and enthusiasm necessary to join and make a significant contribution to our Fetal Medicine and obstetric teams.

The new appointee will provide cover for the Delivery Suite, Maternity Day Assessment unit and antenatal / postnatal inpatients as well as Fetal Medicine clinic sessions. Support and mentoring will be provided in all aspects of work.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop (further) special interest skills and / or work in specialist clinics within Fetal Medicine.

For an informal discussion and further information regarding the opportunity and Directorate, please contact: Dr Marie Smith on 0191 2829247, or via email at [email protected]

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical: •    Provide expert opinions on patients with a wide range of complex obstetric problems, taking independent responsibility for the clinical care of patients referred to a tertiary centre. •    Provide consultant-based dedicated sessions (including elective Caesarean section lists) on the Delivery Suite in a flexible manner to ensure prospective cover at times of colleague’s absences – providing expert opinions on patients with a wide range of intrapartum complications, as expected in a tertiary unit. •    Deliver outpatient antenatal clinical care as well as contributing to ward rounds for antenatal and postnatal inpatients. •    Provide medical support to the workload in the Maternity Assessment Unit as well as contributing expertise in out-patient management.  •    Participate in the departmental (obstetric only) on-call rota.  The unit will provide 98-hour cover.  To do so the on-call rota will be a maximum of 1 in 10 but we are making appointments to further reduce this to 1 in 12  - with a 24-hour pattern (resident 8am to 10pm – including weekends, and “on-call” from 10pm overnight), and there will be no duties the following day. It is expected there will be a flexible approach to delivering the 98-hour cover to DS.  •    To undertake clinical duties in such a way that meets with Directorate and Trust aims and objectives. •    Undergo Continued Medical Education (CME) in accordance with guidelines stipulated by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). •    Undertake an annual appraisal and job plan review.  It is expected that objectives within job plan reviews will be based on Trust objectives such as fulfilment of fixed contractual commitments on the basis of a 42 week working year with due allowance for statutory holidays. •    Participate in all aspects of Clinical Governance, including audit projects, the formulation of guidelines and full involvement with risk management meetings and processes. •    Provide a major contribution to the work necessary for NHSLA / CNST assessments. •    Assist the Directorate Manager and Clinical Director in the timely investigation of complaints – working to provide reports within the timeframe set out by Trust policy. •    Contribute to the general organisation and running of the Obstetric and Gynaecological services within the Trust, working in collaboration with other colleagues. •    It is a condition of employment that so far as is reasonably practicable, all employees must minimise the risk of infection to themselves, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors and, in so doing, must: •    be familiar with, and adhere to Trust policies and guidance on infection prevention and control; •    attend Trust Induction Programme(s) and statutory education programmes in infection prevention and control; include infection prevention and control as an integral part of your continuous personal / professional development; •    take personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care acquired infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently by you and your colleagues. Administrative: •    Undertake administrative duties in relation to the care of his / her patients and in relation to the running of the Department of Obstetrics in co-operation with the Heads of Department, Directorate Manager and Clinical Director.  The appointee will also be a member of the Medical Staff Committee of the hospital. •    To undertake general administrative duties within a context of compliance with Directorate and Trust aims and objectives. •    Become involved with the financial management of the unit - at all times looking to ensure the delivery of high quality care to agreed standards, but at the same time reviewing working practices to provide the most efficient use of resources.

Research: •    The Trust welcomes and encourages research as a high profile activity that compliments the service provided.  The emphasis being on studies that fall within the National Institute of Health Research Portfolio.

Teaching: •    Make an active and appropriate contribution to undergraduate and postgraduate education and training as directed by the undergraduate lead or postgraduate college tutor.  Work with the team to facilitate new teaching methods and ideas. •    Work with the educational leads in undergraduate and postgraduate education to ensure that the programmes of teaching are provided to the required standard.   •    Participate in the teaching of undergraduate medical students from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in all parts of the course but specifically in stage 3 and 5 during the attachments in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.    •    Active involvement in the clinical supervision of all postgraduate trainees in the department with specific responsibility for a small number of individuals as educational supervisor under the direction of the college tutor. •    The incumbent will be expected to contribute to the teaching of ATSM trainees. •    Participate in the teaching and training of any other health care professionals within the Directorate.