Consultant Medical Microbiologist

Job responsibilities

The Department

The roles of Head of Department, Antimicrobial Lead and Infection Control Doctor rotate over agreed periods by mutual agreement of the consultant body.

Clinical Microbiology LiaisonThe post holder will work closely with colleagues to continue to deliver a well-regarded liaison service to clinicians within the Trust and the local community.

This post will enable further development of the current microbiology service, increasing our ability to deliver more clinical input and specialty ward rounds, bringing expertise in the management of infection directly to a patients bedside early in their admission. This will result in timely, appropriate and cost effective use of the diagnostic services, guiding appropriate antibiotic prescribing and providing regular education for all grades of staff in the diagnosis, management and control of infection.

The post holder will take part in routine laboratory activities including authorisation of laboratory results; bacteraemia, admission unit and intensive care ward rounds; participation in various MDTs, including those provided for Infective Endocarditis, Haematology, Diabetic Foot Infections, Infected Prosthetic Joints, C.diff Infection, OPAT; provision of telephone advice and out of hours cover. The post holder will be expected to work on both sites (Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital). Remote access to the laboratory system is available. Out of hours work is designated as category A.

LaboratoryAll consultants will be expected to contribute to the following:

• Authorisation and interpretation of results
• Day-to-day supervision of diagnostic methods with input at pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical stages
• Contribution towards mandatory reporting of infections to the Department of Health
• Contribution to trust-wide demand management programmes
• Involvement in drafting guidelines, policies and SOP preparation
• Responsibility for quality assurance performance within the department, including taking part in all relevant national external quality assurance (NEQAS) programmes
• Business planning, including the assessment and introduction of new methods, and forward planning for staff and equipment requirements.
• Monthly Microbiology Departmental meetings and weekly consultant/handover meetings
• Compliance with health and safety, security requirements, agreed SOPs and investigational algorithms is expected.

Antimicrobial StewardshipAlongside the Antimicrobial Lead, the other Consultant Medical Microbiologists are expected to contribute to antimicrobial stewardship and educational activities as members of the Trusts Antimicrobial Management Team. The post-holder would also be expected to work with colleagues to develop an expanded service of antibiotic ward rounds and to contribute towards antimicrobial stewardship governance activities.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)Alongside the duties of the Infection Control Doctor, the other Consultant Medical Microbiologists are expected to provide clinical IPC advice when on duty, to work closely with the IPC team and to take up the ICD role on a rotational basis.

Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT)An OPAT service has recently been developed alongside Virtual Ward and Hospital at Home services. The service operates across UHD and is run in collaboration with 4 enhanced clinical practitioners, with a weekly MDT via Teams and a clinic planned for the future.

One Dorset Pathology

This is an exciting time to join the pathology team in Dorset. We are making great progress with our vision to create a first class, integrated pathology service for the whole county. One Dorset Pathology is transforming and aligning pathology services across the two main acute trusts within the Dorset Integrated Care System (ICS). The ICS serves a population of around 800,000 people and includes four hospitals, Dorset County Hospital (DCH), The Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH), Poole Hospital (PH) and Christchurch Hospital (CH).

A brand new Pathology Hub is nearing completion at the RBH site and the service uses a single LIMS (WinPath Enterprise) which will later be rolled out across the Southern Counties Pathology Network. This will bring significant benefits in terms of patient care, cost efficiency and collaborative opportunities whilst providing patients and clinicians with an excellent and integrated pathology service across the area.

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation

This is also a great time to join our hospitals in Dorset. We have received significant investment to help transform our services and redevelop Poole Hospital and the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals, now merged as University Hospitals Dorset (UHD). We have been able to access these national funds because we have such a good plan in Dorset.

Our vision is to join up our services so they can be delivered in a more integrated way. We have a great opportunity together to improve outcomes for patients, make better use of all our resources, and ensure our services can be provided on a sustainable basis.

For developing our workforce, the aim is to establish modern, well-equipped centres of excellence with sustainable roles for staff, standardisation of education and training so that we can attract and retain skilled clinical and non-clinical staff to Dorset. This is a great opportunity for you to be part of the transformation as our two hospital trusts also merge.

UHD received university hospital status in 2020 in recognition of the depth of research, education and practice that exists between UHD and Bournemouth University (BU). Both organisations are committed to helping people live better, for longer, with UHD actively engaged in supporting the learning of BU students through a series of clinical placements for nursing, midwifery and students on allied health courses.

In addition, a number of research projects are taking place in fields such as orthopaedics and medical imaging, while BU also provides training and professional development opportunities for UHD staff. Drawing on this collective expertise creates opportunities for students and university and hospital staff and, crucially, promotes better patient outcomes.

For further information or to arrange an informal visit, interested candidates should contact:Dr. Pasco Hearn, Consultant Medical Microbiologist, Head of Department (0300 019 4849)

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• MBBS or equivalent
• FRCPath or equivalent
• Entry on GMC Specialist Register (or GMC-confirmed eligibility) with a license to practice
• Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Medical Microbiology
• Evidence of being up to date and fit to practice safely, and aware of own training needs

Desirable

• MRCP or equivalent
• Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Medical Microbiology with Virology or Infectious Diseases
• GMC recognised supervisor
• Post graduate degree

Experience

Essential

• Broad experience in general medical microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship and management of infections
• Wide experience in infection prevention and control
• Experience in audit, evidence-based practice and clinical quality improvement initiatives

Desirable

• Experience of OPAT service provision
• Experience of supervising undergraduates, doctors in training and other colleagues
• Experience in organising educational activities
• An interest in and experience of infection prevention and control

Skills, Knowledge and Aptitude

Essential

• Meet requirements of GMC's Good Medical Practice
• Engagement with clinical governance, identification of and learning from errors
• Commitment to Continuing Medical Education
• Adequate computer/IT skills
• Ability to prioritise workload and use initiative
• Ability to show situational awareness and application of good decision making
• Good organisational skills
• Honesty and reliability

Desirable

• Effective teaching skills
• Established research skills

Interpersonal Skills

Essential

• Effective communication with consultant colleagues, hospital clinicians, GPs, nurses, other healthcare workers, patients and relatives
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary team
• Active involvement in departmental activities

Desirable

• Team player
• Caring attitude
• Approachable manner

Other

Essential

• Fluent in both written and spoken English
• Able to embody the Trust's values every day
• Able to lead by example in actively developing a culture that recognises and promotes equality and diversity

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).