Oswestry Foot and Ankle Fellowship (BOFAS approved)

Job overview

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is a leading orthopaedic centre of excellence. A specialist hospital with a reputation for innovation, the Trust provides a comprehensive range of musculoskeletal (bone, joint and tissue) surgical, medical and rehabilitation services; locally, regionally, and nationally.

We are now recruiting for our Foot and Ankle Fellowship for February 2025. The post will be fixed term for 6 months.

The Fellowship is designed to accommodate an orthopaedic surgeon, who has attained CCT (or equivalent) in Trauma and Orthopaedics (or who will be within 2 months of attaining their CCT at the commencement of the Fellowship) or who is already on the specialist register and who would like to gain a further period of development in the sub-speciality of Foot and Ankle Surgery in preparation for a consultant role.

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. Job seekers should be aware that not all roles will be eligible for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.  For further information visit UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Main duties of the job

Applicants must be able to demonstrate within their application satisfactory level of independent operating in the main Foot and Ankle surgical procedures.

The post offers, subject to satisfactory assessment, the opportunity to develop independent surgical practice. The role also gives exposure to specialist Foot and Ankle clinics and theatre lists, and participate in audit and research.

As a hospital our overriding objective is to deliver outstanding patient care and we pride ourselves in the standards we achieve and in the feedback from our patients on the quality of services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Post

This Fellowship post is designed to accommodate an orthopaedic clinician, who has attained CCT (or equivalent) in Trauma and Orthopaedics, or who is on the GMC’s specialist register, who would like to gain a further period of development in the sub-speciality of Foot and Ankle Surgery in preparation for a consultant role.

The post offers, subject to satisfactory assessment, the opportunity to develop independent surgical practice.  The role also gives exposure to specialist Foot and Ankle clinics and theatre lists and the opportunity to engage in research and audit programmes.   BOFAS has approved the fellowship having review the previous fellows’ logbooks and other fellowship outputs.

The Department

The post-holder will join the following surgeons with an interest in Foot and Ankle surgery:- Mr Simon Hill, Mr Nilesh Makwana, Mr Andrew Bing,  Mr Christopher Marquis, Mrs Catriona Heaver

The Trust

The hospital has nine inpatient wards, including a private patient ward.  There are twelve operating theatres, including a short stay surgery unit and full out-patient and diagnostic facilities.

The Trust provides a comprehensive range of Musculoskeletal services including orthopaedic surgery, spinal injuries, bone disorders and medicine, and as one of the UK’s leading specialist hospitals, provides services on a local, regional and national basis.

The Trust is a single site based in Oswestry, close to the border with Wales.  The surrounding geographical area includes Shropshire, Wales, Cheshire and the Midlands, As such, we serve the people of both England and Wales, as well as a wider national catchment. Our services are provided predominantly to the people of Shropshire, Cheshire and North Wales and our specialist services serve a much broader population across the Midlands, North West and Wales.

The Surgeons are divided into the following units:

• Arthroplasty
• Spinal Surgery
• Musculoskeletal Oncology
• Sports Injuries
• Lower Limb
• Hand and Upper Limb
• Arthroplasty
• Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery
• Professorial

There is an outstanding Musculoskeletal Radiology Department with MRI, ultrasound and CT scanning.

There is an excellent Department of Pathology with research facilities.

There is also a specialist department dealing with Metabolic Bone Disease and provides both clinical and investigative services.

In the Arthritis Research Centre there are full-time scientists, extensive research laboratories, as well as a Department of Anatomy.

The junior staffing at Oswestry consists of 18 Specialty Registrars who will usually be in the more senior years of training (ST5 – ST8).  Orthopaedic Service Registrars also support the complement of Specialty Registrars in Orthopaedics.

Library Facilities

The Francis Costello Library provides a high-quality multidisciplinary service to improve patient care and support clinical effectiveness research, education and lifelong learning for all, encouraging use of the evidence base in all aspects of RJAH activity to support the Trust to be the leading orthopaedic centre in the UK. The library offers over 4000 books and journals covering all health-related disciplines but with a specialist emphasis on orthopaedic and musculoskeletal medicine. Specialist journals are also available, many electronically via ATHENS password, and the library also provides an article request service for papers which are not available within our own stock. Mediated literature searches, help and advice and a comprehensive information skills training programme are also available. The library works in close alliance with other health libraries within the area and in a recent survey of educational resources for doctors in training the Trust scored highly

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The post-holder will undertake out-patient clinics, theatre lists and any related pre-and post operative work.

Weekly Programme

The postholder will be required to participate in the duty rota for the Orthopaedic Specialist Registrars, which includes the following full shifts on rotation with their colleagues (illustrated below)

Between the hours of 5pm to 8.30pm on the Late Twilight Shift, and the Night Shifts and weekends, the doctor will be responsible for the care of the orthopaedic in-patients, undertaking regular ward rounds to ensure appropriate clinical input and acting as the sole bleep holder for orthopaedics.  The doctor will also be part of the emergency response team during these times.

On normal working days, the actual allocation of the following regular commitments will be aligned to the rotation to the foot and ankle consultants.  Where possible, parallel operating lists with the supervising consultant will be scheduled.   The following gives an indication of the normal weekly commitments for Out-Patients and Theatres, during weeks where out of hours duties are not scheduled.

Main Conditions of Service

The post holder will be employed on the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Locally Employed Doctors.

The post holder will be required to participate in the appraisal process of the Trust.

Subject to the provisions of the terms and conditions of service, the post holder will be required to observe the Trusts agreed policies and procedures drawn up in consultation with the profession of clinical matters and to follow the local and national employment and personal policies and procedures.

The appointment will be subject to NHS Employment Standards Checks prior to an unconditional offer of appointment being made