Job overview

Applications are invited for a substantive consultant post within the Department of Infection at Barts Health NHS Trust. This new post is based at St Bartholomew’s (SBH) the Royal London (RLH) and Whipps Cross University (WXUH) hospitals on a rotational basis, providing excellent opportunities to work in an academic tertiary referral centre, a large tertiary acute hospital and a busy district hospital in the East End of London. This post is suitable for consultants dually accredited in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a growing department of Microbiologists, Virologists and Infectious diseases physicians, as well as working in a Trust with an on-site diagnostic laboratory. The laboratory is part of the new East and South East London (ESEL) NHS Pathology Partnership that came into existence on 1st May 2021. It is an NHS pathology partnership between Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust pathology services, being hosted on site by Barts Health.

The successful candidate will work alongside colleagues to deliver an infection service for in and out-patients and the local communities and play an active role in the general workload of the department including overseeing the resident doctors

Main duties of the job

At SBH, a tertiary referral centre, the appointee will provide a consultant service primarily for the Haematology and Oncology departments of the Cancer Centre. They will also be expected to provide cover for their consultant colleagues at SBH in delivering a microbiology service to the Heart centre, Respiratory medicine service and the Intensive Care units as well as participating in delivering the OPAT service.

At RLH, a busy acute and tertiary care hospital delivering general and specialist services to the population of North East London and beyond, the appointee will provide consultant microbiology cover for medical, surgical and critical care specialties. There may be possibility to participate in both the inpatient and outpatient infectious diseases activity of the department.

Working for our organisation

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

At WXH, a busy district general hospital, a broad infection service, including OPAT, covering all departments of the hospital site will be delivered along with consultant colleagues.

During all times the post holder will work as part of an integrated Department of Infection, joining 16 permanent and 9 locum/honorary consultant colleagues across the Trust. It is expected the appointee will participate in delivery of diagnostic, clinical, antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control services to patients, staff and local general practitioners. The appointee will also participate in the on call commitments of the department.

The appointee is also expected to actively participate in departmental teaching activity, including training of clinical scientists and specialist registrars in Medical Microbiology, Medical Virology and Infectious Diseases.

Any candidate who would like to work less than full-time will be eligible for consideration for the post. If such a person is appointed, modification of the job content will be discussed on a personal basis in consultation with consultant colleagues.

This job description is intended to cover the main parts of the post only. An indicative plan of rotation can be discussed during informal discussions during any communication or visit. 

Across the rotations, this post has a workload that equates to a job plan of 8 DCC and 2 SPA.

Applicants are expected to have RCPath in Medical Microbiology and CCTs (or equivalent) in both Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (or be within 6 months of CCT on the date of interview). Applicants who are non-UK trained will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCTs. Successful candidates must be on the General Medical Council's specialist register in both Medical microbiology and Infectious Diseases, or be eligible for registration within 6 months of interview.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Registerable medical qualification (MBChB, MBBS or equivalent

Higher Qualifications

Essential criteria

MRCP (UK) or show evidence of equivalent qualification FRCPath (UK) (Medical Microbiology) or show evidence of equivalent qualification

Desirable criteria

MSc in Medical Microbiology DTM&H Other higher degree or diploma (e.g., MD or PhD) Infection Control qualification

Registration

Essential criteria

Full and Specialist registration in Medical Microbiology (with license to practice) with the General Medical Council or be eligible for specialist registration within 6 months of interview Full and Specialist registration in Infectious Diseases (with license to practice) with the General Medical Council or be eligible for specialist registration within 6 months of interview Applicants that are UK trained, must ALSO be a holder of Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or be within 6 months of CCT on the date of interview. Applicants that are non-UK trained will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT

Experience, knowledge and skills

Essential criteria

Broad experience in delivering a clinical and diagnostic Microbiology service Broad experience in delivering an Infectious diseases service Experience of working in, and able to deliver a clinical infection service to specialist haemato-oncology and solid oncology services Clinical experience and thorough knowledge of principles of Antimicrobial Stewardship Experience of working in an OPAT service Ability to organise and prioritise workload Broad range of IT skills and computer literacy

Desirable criteria

Experience of working in, and able to deliver a clinical infection service to cardiac and thoracic services Evidence of a special interest that complements those of other consultants

Leadership and Management

Essential criteria

Proven ability to manage and co-ordinate the day-to-day clinical Microbiology service Proven ability to manage and co-ordinate the day-to-day Infectious diseases service Experience of clinical leadership of multidisciplinary teams Able to take responsibility, show leadership, make decisions and respond appropriately to service needs Experience of implementing change

Audit and Quality Improvement

Essential criteria

Experience of participating in quality or safety improvement projects Awareness of the importance of Clinical Governance

Desirable criteria

Experience of leading quality or safety improvement projects

Teaching and Training

Essential criteria

Experience of supervising doctors in training Experience of teaching students and multi-disciplinary teams

Desirable criteria

Competencies as required for Clinical and Educational supervisors Experience of Educational Supervision Teaching skills course/qualification

Research and Publications

Essential criteria

Ability to apply research outcomes to clinical problems

Desirable criteria

Experience of research Publications in the chosen sub-specialty field

Personal Skills and attributes

Essential criteria

Effective communicator Ability to build rapport, work with others, persuade and negotiate Flexible approach to work and evidence of team working Empathy, understanding, listening skills and patience Able to change and adapt, respond to changing circumstances and to cope with setbacks or pressure Self-motivated with an enquiring, critical approach to work Caring attitude to patients Commitment to continuing medical education Reliable work record Honesty and integrity Appreciation of ethical dilemmas