Job summary
Applications are invited for this full-time (initial 10 PA) post offering an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to join a dynamic haematology team at St Helens and Knowsley and Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals in a replacement role providing care across two acute trusts.
The successful applicant will join a team totalling 6 Consultant Haematologists, a full complement of training posts, Nurse Clinicians and Clinical Nurse Specialists. The successful applicants will manage patients with all haematological diagnoses, anticoagulation and blood transfusion.
Candidates should have a wide experience of laboratory and clinical haematology, including the management of acute leukaemia. Be fully registered with the GMC, possess FRCPath or equivalent and be on the Specialist Register or due to obtain their CCT within 6 months of the date of interview. CESR candidates must have written GMC confirmation of successful application.
The job plan will be discussed and agreed with the Clinical Director on appointment and will take into account the appointee's preferences on specialisation together with a reorganisation of the on call service.
The consultants currently share an out of hours on-call rota with consultants from WHH and this is for both trusts and the entire catchment community; it is a 1 in 7 rota at present. This provides a consultant haematologist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for advice.
The interviews will take place on Tuesday, 22nd August, 2023
Main duties of the job
St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is comprised of Whiston Hospital, St Helens Hospital and an exciting new collaboration with Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS Trust.
Whiston and St Helens are both state-of-the-art facilities rebuilt as part of a PFI development. It is one of the best performing NHS Trusts as assessed by the Care Quality Commission in 2018 which rated it as outstanding, being one of only 9 Trusts in the UK and only Trust in Cheshire and Merseyside to achieve this accolade. The Trust is also rated as having the Best Patient Experience in the NHS and it ranked as the best acute Trust for 3 years running in the Patient Led Assessment of the Care Experience program. The Trust serves a catchment population of 360,000 but the haematology team also provide BCSH level 2b care to a wider population of 700,000, making it the largest such unit in the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Clinical Network.
The role also includes delivery of outpatient and day case services at the Medical Day Unit at Ormskirk Hospital, this newly created department is fully equipped and supported to deliver Haematology care to our patients in the Southport and Ormskirk locality.
The Haematology and Transfusion Laboratories are part of Blood Sciences which is based at Whiston Hospital; it is fully UKAS accredited and is the senior partner in a managed pathology network with Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS Trust.
About us
St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is the only acute Trust in Cheshire and Merseyside and one of the few in the country to achieve OUTSTANDING rated by the Care Quality Commission.
We provide a full range of acute adult services to our local population of circa 360,000 and provide tertiary services across the North West, North Wales, and Isle of Man. We are a Major Trauma Unit and the Mersey Regional Burns Unit.
Our '5 Star Patient Care' strategy is at the heart of what we do; supporting our vision to provide world class services for all our patients by getting it right for every patient, every time.
Our latest achievements include:
- Acute Trust of the Year HSJ Awards November 2019
- Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- Best acute Trust in the North West for quality of care (NHS Staff Survey 2021)
- Best place to work in the North West (NHS Staff Survey 2021)
- Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
In the NHS Staff Survey 2021 the Trust scored the highest marks in the North West for the following areas:
- Standard of care
- Best place to work
- Care of patients being the Trust's priority
- Staff engagement
- Staff morale
- Compassionate & inclusive
- Providing safe environments for staff
Please see attached Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our benefits for staff. Accessible version available upon request.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information regarding the main responsibilities and requirements essential for this role please refer to the supporting documents heading and review the job description and person specification which will outline the duties of the role including a proposed job plan.
We are pleased to inform you that the plans for St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust to come together as one new organisation have now been formally approved by the Secretary of State. Our new Trust will be called Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and will officially launch on Saturday 1st July 2023.
Any applicants who secure an offer of employment and/ or are due to commence their new role from 1st July 2023 onwards are advised that their conditional offer and contract of employment will be issued as per our normal recruitment process but will be under the new name of the organisation. All the details of the offers of employment and contracts of employment will remain as advertised and these changes will not affect your employment with us.
For further information on the new plans, please see:
Our Future Plans (sthk.nhs.uk)
St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
A £338 million (PFI) investment has re-built and modernised both Whiston and St Helens Hospitals, resulting in modern state of the art health care facilities for the treatment and care of patients. St Helens Hospital was completed in 2008 and Whiston Hospital in 2010. The hospitals include 887 inpatient beds with state-of-the-art CT and MRI facilities existing on both hospital sites. CT and MRI scanners at St Helens have also recently been upgraded including installation of a high field 3 Tesla MRI scanner. The DEXA scanner is also located at St Helens Hospital.
The Trust provides a full range of acute inpatient, outpatient, day case and emergency services to local communities of St Helens, Knowsley, parts of Halton and Liverpool. The Regional Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit also extends its services to the whole of Cheshire, Merseyside, North Wales, and the Isle of Man.
As a Trust, our aim is to provide a high-quality service to all patients. We strive to meet the best standards for professional care whilst being sensitive and responsive to the needs of individual patients. Our valued workforce is recognised for their unique skills and talents with our teams of experts winning national awards on a regular basis.
Whiston Hospital
Whiston Hospital a busy teaching hospital which provides a comprehensive range of acute Medical and Surgical Services, Emergency Services, Maternity Services, Paediatrics and Medicine for Older People. The Regional Burns and Plastic Surgery Units are also based on this site. There is a Critical Care Unit consisting of ICU, HDU, CCU and an onsite Cardiac Catheter Laboratory. The stroke consultants deliver 24/7 thrombolysis to eligible patients presenting with acute stroke. There is a 30-bed Stroke Unit which accommodates both acute stroke patients and those with rehabilitation needs.
St Helens Hospital
St Helens Hospital is an Ambulatory Care Centre providing Intermediate Care and Day Surgery. Rheumatology, Dermatology and Diabetes services are based on this site and within easy reach of other acute specialties at Whiston Hospital.
Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust provides healthcare in hospital and the community to 258000 people across Southport, Formby and West Lancashire. The Trust provides a range of local hospital services across its two main sites ranging from adults and childrens A&E, Intensive Care and a range of medical and surgical specialties, womens and childrens services, consultant led Maternity Care as well as its adult community health services. We also host the Northwest Spinal Injuries Centre.
We have been awarded University Clinical Education Centre in recognition of the high standard of training provided for students on placement to the Trust, by the University of Liverpool.
We offer excellent staff benefits to all clinical and non-clinical staff, and can offer you flexible working, in house education programs, annual personal development plans and development opportunities. Striving for continuous improvement and passionate about Excellent, Long Life Integrated Care, we are recruiting staff who can demonstrate our organizational values of Supportive, Caring, Open & Honest, Professional and Efficient to ensure we deliver the best patient care. We encourage a diverse workforce, and promote equality throughout the Trust
Life in Merseyside
Merseyside, which includes the great city of Liverpool, is within easy reach of North Wales, the Lake District and the Peak District and provides an interesting mix of rural and urban life.
Liverpool is a vibrant, music city which has undergone a renaissance in recent years and has recently been named European City of Culture.
High quality schools are available in Liverpool, Wirral and Rainhill areas. The area has many sports facilities including championship golf courses, several sailing clubs and one of the finest windsurfing venues in Britain. Merseysiders are renowned for their friendliness and quick-witted humour and the region sports two of the finest football teams in the Premier League.
The town of St Helens is renowned for its glassworks and rugby. The district has a population of around 340,000 and is of mixed residential, industrial, and rural character. It is situated on the edge of Merseyside, between the open countryside of Cheshire to the south and Lancashire to the north.
Manchester City Centre is a short 23 miles from Whiston Hospital; accesses to motorway networks are a short 5-minute drive (including M62 and M6).
Both Whiston and St Helens Hospitals are within easy reach of the City of Liverpool (20 minutes by car), and access to motorway networks (including M62, M6, M57 and M58) is also convenient.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information regarding the main responsibilities and requirements essential for this role please refer to the supporting documents heading and review the job description and person specification which will outline the duties of the role including a proposed job plan.
We are pleased to inform you that the plans for St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust to come together as one new organisation have now been formally approved by the Secretary of State. Our new Trust will be called Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and will officially launch on Saturday 1st July 2023.
Any applicants who secure an offer of employment and/ or are due to commence their new role from 1st July 2023 onwards are advised that their conditional offer and contract of employment will be issued as per our normal recruitment process but will be under the new name of the organisation. All the details of the offers of employment and contracts of employment will remain as advertised and these changes will not affect your employment with us.
For further information on the new plans, please see:
Our Future Plans (sthk.nhs.uk)
St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
A £338 million (PFI) investment has re-built and modernised both Whiston and St Helens Hospitals, resulting in modern state of the art health care facilities for the treatment and care of patients. St Helens Hospital was completed in 2008 and Whiston Hospital in 2010. The hospitals include 887 inpatient beds with state-of-the-art CT and MRI facilities existing on both hospital sites. CT and MRI scanners at St Helens have also recently been upgraded including installation of a high field 3 Tesla MRI scanner. The DEXA scanner is also located at St Helens Hospital.
The Trust provides a full range of acute inpatient, outpatient, day case and emergency services to local communities of St Helens, Knowsley, parts of Halton and Liverpool. The Regional Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit also extends its services to the whole of Cheshire, Merseyside, North Wales, and the Isle of Man.
As a Trust, our aim is to provide a high-quality service to all patients. We strive to meet the best standards for professional care whilst being sensitive and responsive to the needs of individual patients. Our valued workforce is recognised for their unique skills and talents with our teams of experts winning national awards on a regular basis.
Whiston Hospital
Whiston Hospital a busy teaching hospital which provides a comprehensive range of acute Medical and Surgical Services, Emergency Services, Maternity Services, Paediatrics and Medicine for Older People. The Regional Burns and Plastic Surgery Units are also based on this site. There is a Critical Care Unit consisting of ICU, HDU, CCU and an onsite Cardiac Catheter Laboratory. The stroke consultants deliver 24/7 thrombolysis to eligible patients presenting with acute stroke. There is a 30-bed Stroke Unit which accommodates both acute stroke patients and those with rehabilitation needs.
St Helens Hospital
St Helens Hospital is an Ambulatory Care Centre providing Intermediate Care and Day Surgery. Rheumatology, Dermatology and Diabetes services are based on this site and within easy reach of other acute specialties at Whiston Hospital.
Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust provides healthcare in hospital and the community to 258000 people across Southport, Formby and West Lancashire. The Trust provides a range of local hospital services across its two main sites ranging from adults and childrens A&E, Intensive Care and a range of medical and surgical specialties, womens and childrens services, consultant led Maternity Care as well as its adult community health services. We also host the Northwest Spinal Injuries Centre.
We have been awarded University Clinical Education Centre in recognition of the high standard of training provided for students on placement to the Trust, by the University of Liverpool.
We offer excellent staff benefits to all clinical and non-clinical staff, and can offer you flexible working, in house education programs, annual personal development plans and development opportunities. Striving for continuous improvement and passionate about Excellent, Long Life Integrated Care, we are recruiting staff who can demonstrate our organizational values of Supportive, Caring, Open & Honest, Professional and Efficient to ensure we deliver the best patient care. We encourage a diverse workforce, and promote equality throughout the Trust
Life in Merseyside
Merseyside, which includes the great city of Liverpool, is within easy reach of North Wales, the Lake District and the Peak District and provides an interesting mix of rural and urban life.
Liverpool is a vibrant, music city which has undergone a renaissance in recent years and has recently been named European City of Culture.
High quality schools are available in Liverpool, Wirral and Rainhill areas. The area has many sports facilities including championship golf courses, several sailing clubs and one of the finest windsurfing venues in Britain. Merseysiders are renowned for their friendliness and quick-witted humour and the region sports two of the finest football teams in the Premier League.
The town of St Helens is renowned for its glassworks and rugby. The district has a population of around 340,000 and is of mixed residential, industrial, and rural character. It is situated on the edge of Merseyside, between the open countryside of Cheshire to the south and Lancashire to the north.
Manchester City Centre is a short 23 miles from Whiston Hospital; accesses to motorway networks are a short 5-minute drive (including M62 and M6).
Both Whiston and St Helens Hospitals are within easy reach of the City of Liverpool (20 minutes by car), and access to motorway networks (including M62, M6, M57 and M58) is also convenient.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Full GMC registration (and with a licence to practice) and on Specialist Register or within six months of receipt of Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) at time of interview CESR candidates must have written GMC confirmation of successful application
- MBBS or equivalent medical qualification
- MRCP or equivalent medical qualification
- FRCPath or equivalent
Desirable
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- High level experience and competence in clinical and laboratory haematology
- Recent experience in the day-to-day management of haematological malignancies and high intensity inpatient chemotherapy
- Clinical trials experience
- Participated in clinical audit
- Experience in teaching and training undergraduate medical students and postgraduate doctors
- Understanding of current issues in NHS management
Desirable
- Clinical trials management experience
- Experience and knowledge of laboratory management
Skills
Essential
- Ability to adapt to change and a commitment to maintaining an up-to-date service
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team
- Leadership skills
- Ability to communicate clearly in both verbal and in written communications in relation to our patient group
- Ability to motivate others
Other
Essential
- Able to travel between hospital sites
- Willingness to work across all four hospital sites
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Full GMC registration (and with a licence to practice) and on Specialist Register or within six months of receipt of Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) at time of interview CESR candidates must have written GMC confirmation of successful application
- MBBS or equivalent medical qualification
- MRCP or equivalent medical qualification
- FRCPath or equivalent
Desirable
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- High level experience and competence in clinical and laboratory haematology
- Recent experience in the day-to-day management of haematological malignancies and high intensity inpatient chemotherapy
- Clinical trials experience
- Participated in clinical audit
- Experience in teaching and training undergraduate medical students and postgraduate doctors
- Understanding of current issues in NHS management
Desirable
- Clinical trials management experience
- Experience and knowledge of laboratory management
Skills
Essential
- Ability to adapt to change and a commitment to maintaining an up-to-date service
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team
- Leadership skills
- Ability to communicate clearly in both verbal and in written communications in relation to our patient group
- Ability to motivate others
Other
Essential
- Able to travel between hospital sites
- Willingness to work across all four hospital sites
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
