Specialty Doctor In Palliative Medicine

Job responsibilities

1. BACKGROUND

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a specialty doctor post in Palliative Medicine from end July 2024. The post will be with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Specialist Palliative Care (SPC) team, and includes dedicated time to support medical education, with a focus on (but not exclusively) post-graduate medical education, including digital resources. The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Specialist Palliative Care Team (SPCT) provides specialist palliative care across the whole of LTHT, but predominantly at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) & St Jamess University Hospital (SJUH) sites. Together these sites provide 2000 beds and include a major cancer centre.

The SPCT aims to promote excellence in palliative and end of life care for all LTH patients. There are approximately 3000 adult deaths in LTH per year. We work in an advisory capacity, assessing approximately 2000 patient referrals for SPC per annum in addition to providing general telephone advice. Our specialist role with patients and families with more complex palliative care needs reflects the medical treatments available and the skills and resources of referring teams. Considerable time is spent coordinating complex end of life decisions, often involving multiple teams and carers, and concerning hospital treatments of uncertain benefit. Establishing consensus on goals and priorities is key

Apart from advising on individual patients, the SPCT offers a comprehensive and broad-ranging teaching programme to all grades and disciplines of staff on symptom management, communication and other aspects of palliative care. The team also addresses service developments, and patient safety and quality issues across the organisation as these arise. We have excellent working relationships with the community specialist palliative care teams and hospices across the region with many of our Leeds patients accessing services from St Gemmas Hospice in Moortown and Sue Ryder Care, Wheatfields in Headingley. Team members also contribute towards, and lead, palliative and end of life care citywide, regionally and nationally.

The postholder will join a multi-professional team of: 4 consultants; 2 existing specialty doctors; up to 2 specialty trainees; up to 2 GP trainees; a CNS team; an End-of-life care team and a specialist pharmacist. Within LTH there is a Specialty and Associate Specialist Doctor Support group, and the successful applicant will be encouraged to become involved.

Leeds is the third largest city in the UK, with thriving social and leisure facilities, and within easy reach of the Yorkshire Dales. There are very close links between The Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and the Universities in Leeds, including The University of Leeds Medical School.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE POST

Main objectives of the role

To provide senior medical input to the multi-professional team providing palliative care to patients within LTHT. The specialty doctor provides medical advice and joint reviews to the SPCT and holds a personal caseload as appropriate.

Teaching

Contributing to SPC teaching commitments, particularly of students assigned to the team and junior doctors, and also nursing colleagues and allied health professionals.

Leading on IMT Curriculum delivery commitments regionally (predominantly through the production and oversight of digital resources)

Clinical Governance & quality improvement

Research interests will be encouraged, and the postholder will be expected to participate in the regular audit and quality improvement programme of the team

A corporate and departmental induction will be provided. There are currently no on-call commitments.

3. REQUIREMENTS OF THE POST

3.1 General Training and Qualifications

See Person Specification.

3.2 Experience

See Person Specification.

The appointee must be able to demonstrate a high level of clinical experience and competence in a specialist palliative care setting. It is essential that the appointee has experience of delivering and co-ordinating teaching programmes.

3.3 Personal Attributes

The appointee will have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English that are adequate to enable effective communications about medical topics with patients and colleagues. See Person Specification.

He/She will have an understanding of current NHS management and Trusts and be aware of the responsibilities that a specialty doctor post brings.

3.4 Clinical Audit

The appointee will be expected to contribute to Audit meetings, mortality and morbidity meetings and application of agreed clinical guidelines.

And for this to be included in allocated time in the individuals job plan as a supporting programmed activity (or part of one). It would be expected that the time allocated for this would include attendance at the relevant departmental audit meeting(s) and that such attendance would be recorded (in accordance with the Trusts clinical audit policy).

In the discharge of these responsibilities the appointee will be expected to maintain and update his/her skills and knowledge through appropriate continuing medical education.

4. TEACHING

The postholder will be responsible for meeting the curriculum delivery of various doctors in training, including but not exclusively, IM trainees. This post will also support the wider education programme of the SPC team, which includes a host of multi-professional education, and will work with other specialty doctors to best meet the induction needs of new junior doctors to the team. Currently no direct educational supervision is involved, but there may be an opportunity for this in the future.

The Trust as a Teaching hospital recognises the importance of links with the University of Leeds School of Medicine for the Undergraduate teaching and all medical staff are expected to provide an appropriate contribution to the undergraduate teaching programme.

5. JOB PLAN AND WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

The department undertakes team job planning and the job plan review will take place annually, normally with the Lead Clinician and colleagues. The annual job plan review may result in a revised prospective job plan. There may be an interim review of the job plan where duties, responsibilities, accountability arrangements or objectives have changed or need to change significantly within the area. SPA/DCC can be swapped round within the week to accommodate service provision.

5.2 Accountability

The postholder is managerially accountable for the use of resources to the managing consultant and professionally accountable to the Chief Medical Officer through Clinical Directors. This may be amended in the light of the Trusts management arrangements.

5.3 Standards of Conduct and Behaviour

You are required to work to the standards set out by the General Medical Council in Good Medical Practice. This includes protecting patients when you believe that a doctors or other colleagues conduct, performance or health is a threat to them. If, after establishing the facts, it is necessary, you must follow the Trusts procedures in this matter and inform your Clinical Director or Medical Director in the first instance.

Your general conduct at work should comply with the standards set out in the Trusts document on Appraisal, in particular the section on Core Behaviours.

5.4 Job Planning

It is a contractual requirement that the specialty doctor undergoes an annual job plan. Progression through pay thresholds will be dependant on achieving the criteria as set out in the terms and conditions of service for Specialty Doctors - England 2008.

5.5 Appraisal

Appraisal will be a contractual requirement for all medical staff and the Trust attaches considerable importance to this approach intended to be of benefit to individual consultants and to achieve the highest possible standards in the delivery of healthcare and services. Arrangements for annual appraisal will be managed through the managing consultant/Clinical Director.

5.6 Leave Arrangements

All leave should be applied for in accordance with the Trusts Leave Policy, normally giving six weeks notice of any leave, other than in exceptional circumstances.

5.7 Training

During the course of your employment, you agree to undergo whatever training the Trust deems necessary. This may include, but is not limited to, induction training, professional development and safe working practices. Funding of such training will be in accordance with the Trusts Staff Development Policy.

5.8 Continuing Medical Education

The Trust fully supports the requirement for CME by the relevant Royal College and acknowledges that it is an essential component of a specialty doctors professional activities that will be reviewed during the appraisal process and revalidation. Time and financial support for these activities will be granted in accordance with the Trusts Leave Policy.

5.9 Secretarial Support

As part of the resource commitments to enable the postholder to fulfil their job plan, the appointee will have access to such secretarial assistance as is required. This will be discussed with the appointee.

5.10 Health & Safety

The Trust has a responsibility to provide a safe working environment for all staff. As an employee/supervisor/manager you are responsible for your own safety and that of others. This will require you to comply with the Trust arrangements for Health & Safety and Risk Management, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures, and reporting incidents using the Trust Incident Reporting system. As a supervisor/manager, you will be responsible for ensuring your team work in a safe manner and are competent to do so.

Qualifications

Essential

• MBBS or equivalent medical qualification

Desirable

• Higher specialty qualifications, eg MRCP or equivalent

Experience

Essential

• Acute care safe: up-to-date BLS
• Relevant specialty clinical knowledge: capacity to apply sound clinical knowledge relevant to the job
• Clinical judgement: experience in making clinical decisions and managing risk. Knows when to seek help, able to prioritise clinical need.
• Proven ability to work effectively in different clinical settings required in the job.

Eligibility, Fitness to practice, and Language Skills

Essential

• Eligible for full registration with the GMC at time of appointment.
• Evidence of achievement of Foundation competencies by time of appointment in line with GMC standards in Good Medical Practice including:
• maintaining good medical practice
• good relationships and communication with patients
• good working relationships with colleagues
• good teaching and training
• professional behaviour and probity
• delivery of good acute clinical care
• Must have completed at least four years full-time postgraduate training (or its equivalent gained on a part-time or flexible basis), of which at least 2 will have been in a relevant specialty
• Applicants knowledge is up to date and fit to practise safely
• ll 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:
• applicants have undertaken undergraduate medical training in English
• applicants have scores in the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or equivalent equal to those required for recruitment to MMC specialty training programmes.
• If applicants believe that they have adequate communication skills but do not fit into one of the examples they need to provide evidence (see notes).

Desirable

• Experience of working in a specialist palliative care service

Clinical, Academic, and Personal Skills

Essential

• excellent communication skills to manage a wide range of relationships with colleagues, and patients and their families
• emotional resilience, a calm temperament and the ability to work well under pressure
• teamwork and the capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams
• problem-solving and diagnostic skills
• excellent decision-making in the context of changing and distressing situations using sound knowledge of ethical and legal considerations
• Team working: demonstrated experience working in a team, values the input of other professionals in the team.
• Managing others & team involvement: capacity to work co-operatively with others and demonstrate leadership when appropriate. Capacity to work effectively in multi-professional teams.
• Coping with pressure: capacity to operate under pressure. Demonstrates initiative and resilience to cope with setbacks & adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
• Problem solving & decision making: capacity to use logical/lateral thinking to solve problems & make decisions.
• Organisation & planning: capacity to organise oneself and prioritise own work. Demonstrates punctuality, preparation and self-discipline. Understands importance of information technology.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in Palliative Medicine

Additional Requirements

Essential

• Substantial experience of multi-professional education
• Familiarity and confidence in delivering education in a wide variety of formats, including digital content.
• Evidence of innovation in medical education
• Clinical governance: Capacity to be alert to dangers or problems. Demonstrates awareness of good decision making. Aware of own limitations. Track record of engaging in clinical governance: reporting
• errors, learning from errors.
• Audit/quality improvement: evidence of active participation in audit.
• Professional integrity and respect for others: capacity to take responsibility for own actions and demonstrate a non-judgmental approach towards others. Displays honesty, integrity, awareness of
• confidentiality and ethical issues.
• Learning and personal development: demonstrates interest in the specialty required for the job. Demonstrates a commitment to maintaining professional skills and knowledge relevant to the job
• (see notes)

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).