Senior Clinical Fellow in Respiratory Medicine

Job overview

Applications are invited for the above full time posts for this 660 bedded acute hospital serving a local population of approximately 400,000. The appointment will be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of service for the 2003 consultant contract (England).

The Respiratory Department has been providing a Needs Based Care (NBC) service since Jan 2018 and this has been implemented in other Medical specialities where timely allocation is predicated on a patient’s clinical need & not on age. Early allocation of patients to a speciality team according to their clinical need, improved continuity of care across seven days, with minimal handovers and an identified single responsible consultant is associated with safer practice, improved clinical outcomes and higher levels of patient and workforce satisfaction.

The consultants share the inpatient respiratory service duties, including consultant cover for the respiratory base ward, respiratory HDU, medical outliers, the reporting of GP X-rays and review of medical patients by consultation request from non-respiratory wards, ITU and HDU. In line with the Needs Based Care Model the consultant will also contribute to the speciality take and ‘front door’ in-reach. These activities are rostered equitably among 9 consultants across the year.

The department has a dedicated respiratory HDU within the main respiratory ward   (ward 10). There is also a respiratory step down ward for female patients adjacent to this (ward 3)

Main duties of the job

• The appointee will work as part of the Respiratory Multi-Disciplinary Team across inpatient and elective pathways mainly focusing in the respiratory wards, including High Dependency Unit (HDU) and NIV (Non Invasive Ventilation) service. The pattern of work may change in the future to meet local changing needs and annual review meetings will take place in line with the trust’s job planning and appraisal arrangements. The post holder will work 9 am to 5 pm on a daily basis with occasional early starts and out-of-hours commitment. This is based on a 40 hour week. The work consists of daily ward round with the consultants and day to day management of all the patients on the Respiratory unit and the Respiratory HDU. Other duties of the post will include reviewing patients on other medical wards and the emergency department for Respiratory HDU admissions and NIV support. Opportunities could be available to rotate into other Respiratory registrars’ duties including Respiratory ward cover, US pleural procedures, bronchoscopic examinations and out patient clinic duties. In case of difficulties of any kind, the post holder will seek the advice of the appropriate Consultant. The post holder is not expected to participate in any work beyond his/her level of expertise. The proposed timetable is detailed below. This may be subject to change in response to service demands and developments.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The consultants share the inpatient respiratory service duties, including consultant cover for the respiratory base ward, respiratory HDU, medical outliers, the reporting of GP X-rays and review of medical patients by consultation request from non-respiratory wards, ITU and HDU. In line with the Needs Based Care Model the consultant will also contribute to the speciality take and ‘front door’ in-reach. These activities are rostered equitably among 9 consultants across the year.

The department has a dedicated respiratory HDU within the main respiratory ward   (ward 10). There is also a respiratory step down ward for female patients adjacent to this (ward 3).

Both in-patient and out-patient services are based at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. Currently just over 140 beds are allocated for use by General Medicine and related specialties.

The Luton and Dunstable University Hospital (L&D) has always been renowned for its friendly atmosphere and good working relationships. The Hospital has an excellent track record of financial and senior executive stability.

The Trust has University Hospital status which provides an academic environment to the hospital. In addition to postgraduate training, we welcome medical students from the UCL Medical School throughout the year and by arrangement with the medical school provide a programme of clinical placements to support their education. We have an excellent reputation for junior staff training.   Within the Centre of Multi-Professional Educational & Training (COMET) is the Medical Education Department, the library including an IT suite, and the Training & Development Department.  The main aim of the Medical Education Department is to promote postgraduate and continuing medical education and training for all doctors and dentists. The Hospital actively promotes career development and progression for all staff.

The Hospital has excellent access to the surrounding areas with easy access to central London and the rural Chilterns. The rural areas include many attractive villages and towns within easy reach of the Hospital including St Albans and Harpenden.  Excellent schools are found nearby.  There is also very good access to the Midlands and North by road using the M1 or A1, or by rail to one of the Luton’s three stations.  A direct link using the new ‘Busway’ takes passengers from Luton Train station just 7 minutes to reach a stop that is within a short walking distance of the hospital.  London Luton Airport is within fifteen minutes of the hospital.

Applicants must be fully registered with the UK General Medical Council, and have a minimum of 2 years clinical experience in Elderly Medicine.

Candidates unable for personal reasons to work full-time are also invited to apply.

The appointment will be subject to full Occupational Health Clearance and Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check for the successful candidates prior to commencement.

Please refer to the Job Description for full details of the post.