Staff Grade in Anaesthetics

Job responsibilities

On-call rota

The General On-Call Anaesthetist.

Responsibilities include general emergency work and booked semi-emergency cases. The generalcall anaesthetist may return home during quiet periods and to sleep but must be available to return if needed without delay.

The Critical Care / Maternity Anaesthetist will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the Critical Care Unit and on call for critical care admissions, maternity cases, cardiac arrests and emergency department assistance. He/she will make a personal handover to his or her successor starting at 08.00 daily. During working hours there will be assistance and supervision by a consultant with critical care sessions. Out of hours cover will be by the on call consultant.

If the Critical Care / Maternity Anaesthetist is not available to respond immediately to a cardiac arrest or resuscitation call, he must notify the switchboard to ensure the General Call or Consultant Anaesthetist is contacted.

It is a condition of your appointment that when you are on duty for Critical Care / Maternity you will reside in the on call accommodation provided adjoining the Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine.

Prospective cover for annual and study leave is allowed for in calculations of the working week. Thepost holder will not be expected to work the day after a night on call, but is expected to attend teaching and audit meetings. 50% of on call will be as the resident critical care / maternity anaesthetist. The general call anaesthetist is not expected to be resident.

An annual rota showing on call commitments is published in the second half of the year preceding therota. It is expected that where leave requirements clash with on call commitments the doctor will arrange an appropriate swap with a colleague. A detailed rota covering the exact disposition of non consultant anaesthetists during each week is produced by the Tuesday of the previous week. Last minute changes to the rota may become necessary so anaesthetists are expected to carry their bleeps at all times between 08.00 and 18.00 Monday to Friday, except when post on call, so they can be contacted if necessary.

Within office hours a consultant is always available within the hospital. On call consultants carry a bleep or a mobile phone and can be contacted easily through the hospital switchboard.

The Specialty

The department provides anaesthetic cover for 50 elective operating lists and 5 emergency traumasessions each week. 9500 patients are anaesthetised each year.

Anaesthesia is largely conducted in the Main Theatre Suite of 6 theatres, including an obstetric theatre, and the Day Surgery Unit, which has two operating theatres. All theatres are well equipped and anaesthetic equipment fulfils current Association of Anaesthetists standards for monitoring. All patients are recovered in an appropriately staffed recovery area.

The standard working day starts at 08.00. The first patient on the morning list should be anaesthetised by 09.00. The first patient on the afternoon list should be anaesthetised by 13.30. Average list finish time is 17.00 but anaesthetists are expected to be flexible and occasional overruns up to 18.00 are allowed for in calculating levels of pay.

As in all hospitals the Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine provides an emergency on call service. A consultant and two non-consultants are on call at all times. The two on call anaesthetists are known as the General Call Anaesthetist and the Critical Care / Maternity Anaesthetist.

The Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine comprises six consultants, two associate specialists, ten staff grade doctors and one F2. Medical staff are assisted by a pain management team and there are three departmental secretaries. The department is well located, close to theatres and the critical care unit. It consists of office space for anaesthetists and secretarial staff, a seminar room and an on call room for the critical care / maternity on call anaesthetist.

Departmental Statistic

9500 patients are anaesthetised each year.

1000 babies are delivered each year.

600 new patients are seen in the pain clinics each year.

250 patients are transferred by air ambulance each year.

220 patients are admitted to the critical care unit each year.

Other

Essential

• Ability to Work Flexibly with Colleagues to provide services
• Ability to Work Effectively with a Multi-Disciplinary Team, motivating and influencing others through their enthusiasm.
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, patients, relatives, GPs, nurses, management and other agencies.
• Highly motivated
• Able to work within a team
• Experience of Teaching, Training & Supervision of Junior Medical Staff and undergraduate students
• Fit and Well
• Able to work flexibly in a changing health service
• Hepatitis Vaccination
• Participation in Clinical Audit & Risk Management Activities
• Demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults
• Evidence of annual appraisal
• Holds a driving licence

Desirable

• Evidence of research and publication in peer reviewed journals

Qualifications

Essential

• Primary Medical Degree
• Full Registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) with a Licence to practise (for overseas candidates it is mandatory that a licence is obtained prior to appointment)
• Current ALS certificate

Desirable

• Primary Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists
• Clinical Experience in an NHS environment
• ATLS
• APLS

Experience

Essential

• 4 years postgraduate medical training
• At least 2 years specialty training/or experience in specialty
• Basic computer skills including use of MS office programmes and e-mail
• Basic legal requirements for consent and note taking
• Human anatomy relevant to the practice of anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pain management.
• Human physiology and biochemistry, and their application to the clinical practice of anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pain relief.
• Evidence of competency to the level set out for basic level training of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.
• 3 months training in Intensive Care Medicine.
• Basic competency in obstetric anaesthesia including
• oSafe performance of labour epidural
• oManagement of labour epidurals
• oCaesarean section under spinal, epidural
• and general anaesthesia.
• General pharmacological principles, and a knowledge of drugs likely to be encountered in basic anaesthetic practice and the current treatment of patients presenting for anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pain relief.

Desirable

• Enthusiastic Teacher
• Previous Management Responsibility / Leadship Experience
• 3 years experience in approved UK anaesthetic training environment.
• Anaesthetic logbook confirming experience
• Experience of working in Pain Medicine
• Willingness to develop a specialist interest

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).