University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Specialist Doctor in Histopathology

The closing date is 19 March 2026

Job summary

The purpose of this post is to provide diagnostic histopathology services to University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust as a reporting histopathologist. We would expect participation in surgical reporting of biopsies and resections, in addition to cytopathology reporting, frozen section cover, specimen dissection, participation within multi-disciplinary team meetings and attendance at regular internal histopathology consultant meetings. For those aiming to complete the Portfolio Pathway for the Royal College of Pathologists, we would further require the completion of a minimum number of autopsies.

The role will initially be generalist but can be tailored to areas of need for completing the Portfolio Pathway. We anticipate that candidates may identify two or three areas of sub-specialist interest during the post, and this will be supported by allocating appropriate mentors.

We will encourage all candidates to work independently within their competencies. Where competencies are not yet established, the cellular pathology department is committed to supporting the successful candidates' continuing professional development. The balance of independent versus supervised practice will be discussed in detail upon successful application. The ideal candidate will already have evidence of independent reporting practice.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the job are discussed in detail below or in the attached job description. If there are any queries, please feel free to contact the department using the contact information below.

About us

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Date posted

05 March 2026

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Doctor - other

Salary

£74,123 to £121,016 a year Per Annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

3 years

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working, Home or remote working, Compressed hours

Reference number

216-G2-HIS7724775

Job locations

University Hospitals Plymouth, Derriford Hospital

Derriford Road

Plymouth

PL6 8DH

Job description

Job responsibilities

To independently report routine and urgent surgical histopathology/ cytopathology work where competent to do so.

To report under supervision in areas of needed development.

To provide a clear, real-time, case log to demonstrate the above and, over time, show an increasing ratio of independent practice. This log should be kept in a format such that it can be used for Portfolio submission.

To report at a safe and effective rate with reference to current Royal College of Pathologists guidance and commensurate with experience.

To report cases within current turnaround time targets where safe to do so, and to keep senior colleagues appraised of anticipated delays.

To initially provide a generalist service to the department whilst developing areas subspecialist interest.

To show progress toward and eventually apply to the GMC for specialist registration, where applicable.

To provide a regular and specialist dissection service to the main cellular pathology laboratory. We would encourage regular dissection sessions to be independent practice and would fill a service provision role, whereas specialist sessions would be under supervision and would give the successful candidate the opportunity to learn how to dissect complex subspecialist specimens.

To provide intra-operative frozen section assessment, initially under supervision until mutually agreed otherwise.

To attend the mortuary for, at least, the minimum number of cases required for the Portfolio Pathway.

To provide ad hoc teaching sessions to medical students and speciality trainees in histopathology.

To provide multi-disciplinary cover, initially under supervision until mutually agreed otherwise.

To adhere to Trust policies and stay up to date with Trust mandatory training.

To stay up to date with appraisal and revalidation.