Specialty Doctor (SAS) In Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Job responsibilities

DUTIES OF THE POST

This is a new post created to support the consultant team and middle grade rota

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The post is required to maintain a full range of services within the department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. As a unit we have encouraged speciality doctors to develop their own areas of special interest. This would be helpful for career progression to consultant grade by applying via CESR route.

The post will be based at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. The post would have a mix of training sessions and indirectly supervised clinic sessions.

The main features of the post are that the new appointee will:

· Maintain responsibility for the care of his/her own patients as far as possible.

· Share the general in-patient and outpatient workload.

· Share the middle grade rota with flexible on calls (nights and long days).

· Participate in teaching junior medical staff and students, clinical governance including clinical audit and management duties.

· Continue to develop professionally by keeping abreast of relevant medical developments and fulfilling CPD requirements.

· Take part in the Foundation Trust’s consultant annual appraisal scheme.

· Develop agreed protocols and systems for patient management in areas of special interest.

· Share in the administrative and managerial duties of the department as a whole.

· Share responsibility for supervision and training of junior medical staff and medical students.

Timetable

A formal job plan will be agreed between the appointee, the Lead Clinician and their Clinical Director (CD) and their Associate Director of Operations (ADO), on behalf of the Executive Medical Director, three months after commencement. This will be signed by the Clinical Lead and the Associate Director of Operations and will be effective either from the commencement date of the appointment or at an alternative agreed date.

The job plan for the first three months will be based on the provisional timetable shown below.

The job plan will be reviewed annually with the Lead Clinician and the Clinical Director of Support Services and ADO, and will be linked to Appraisal. The job plan will be a prospective agreement that sets out a Fixed Term resident On Call Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology duties, responsibilities and objectives for the coming year. It should cover all aspects of a consultant's professional practice including clinical work, teaching, research, private practice, education and managerial responsibilities. It should provide a clear schedule of commitments, both internal and external. In addition, it should include personal objectives, including details of their link to wider service objectives, and details of the support required by the consultant to fulfil the job plan and the objectives. In the event of disagreement on the allocation of duties, leave, short-term cover etc, the ultimate decision will lie with the Clinical Director and the ADO.

Junior Medical Staff

The unit has 6 middle grade posts. There are 6 Speciality Registrars (usually ST3 –ST5) from the Eastern deanery. They are supported by Theatre Assistants from 2100 to 08.30.

There are 8 junior posts (FY2 level or more), who provide all round on-call cover and participate in other clinical activities.

Two medical students from University of Cambridge are attached to the department for two-week periods throughout the academic year.

4.3 The Department

The West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides health care services to a population of 280,000 contained within a district of approximately 600 square miles. On the periphery of the district lie the towns of Thetford to the north, Stowmarket to the east, Sudbury to the south and Newmarket to the west. The district is a rural area and outside of these towns the population is thinly distributed. In 2018, the department had approx.2500 deliveries, a caesarean section rate of 22% and an instrumental delivery rate of 11.5%.

There is one large 30 bedded antenatal/postnatal ward area. The Central Delivery Suite is currently undergoing refurbishment to provide women with upgraded facilities and access to private bathroom facilities. There is direct access to Main Theatres and to the Neonatal Unit. There is a co-located Midwifery birthing Unit which was opened in December 2010 and carries out approximately 15% of all the unit’s births.

The department has a purpose-built outpatient clinic including a Colposcopy Suite and the Ultrasound Department is within this clinical area. The Gynaecology ward and Gyane Assessment Unit are based on F14 ward. This area also incorporates the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit. Termination of pregnancy services are provided from within this area. Gynaecological outpatient services are currently based at the West Suffolk Hospital, Thetford, Newmarket and Sudbury. All operating lists take place at the West Suffolk Hospital, in main theatre complex and purpose-built day surgery unit.

The unit currently provides a fully integrated midwifery service with 2 Continuity of Carer midwifery teams which serve the population of West Suffolk Hospital and the Suffolk county borders of Cambridge, Norfolk and Essex. The town of Thetford lies in Norfolk but all maternity care is provided by West Suffolk Hospital. A same-day referral system to Maternity Day Assessment Unit at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust supports the community-based service.

Consultant-led antenatal clinics are held at the West Suffolk Hospital where there are full ultrasound services including Doppler. All intra-partum care except planned home births takes place in the West Suffolk Hospital.

There are 10 delivery suite sessions per week covered by a Consultant Anaesthetist. The Lead Consultant for Obstetric Anaesthesia is Dr Christine Kubitzek and there are 6 other anaesthetists with an interest in obstetric anaesthesia. 92.8% of all caesarean sections are carried out under regional anaesthesia.

Experience

Essential

• At least 3 years work experience at Registrar level.
• Ability to manage labour ward, perform operative deliveries
• Ability to manage acute gynaecological emergencies, including early pregnancy bleeding and management of ectopic pregnancy
• Assessment: Application form

Desirable

• Independent colposcopy practice

Personal Skills & Qualities

Essential

• Willingness to participate in unit audit programme
• Willingness to participate in clinical governance processes
• The ability to communicate with clarity and intelligibility in written and spoken English; ability to build rapport, listen, persuade, negotiate.
• All applicants to have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English that are adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues which could be demonstrated by one of the following:-
• -that applicants have undertaken undergraduate medical training in English; or
• -have the following scores in the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS)-Overall 7. Speaking 7, Listening 6, Reading 6, Writing 6.
• If applicants believe that they have adequate communication skills, but do not fit into one of the examples they need to provide evidence
• Assessment: Application form

Qualifications

Essential

• MBBS
• MRCOG
• Full, current GMC registration with a licence to practise
• Up to date PROMPT training and CTG training

Desirable

• MBBS
• MRCOG
• Full, current GMC registration with a licence to practise
• Up to date PROMPT training and CTG training

Management & Administration

Essential

• Supervision of junior trainees
• Effective time management, communication with GPs and patients
• Team Leadership skills
• Communication skills to be clear, fluent and articulate in communication in English
• Assessment: Application form

Teaching & Research

Essential

• Committed and strongly motivated
• Participate in in-house teaching programme
• Some experience in research projects
• Assessment: Application form

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).