Specialist Doctor - Interest in Device Therapy and Electrophysiology

Job overview

The department of Cardiology provides a service to Herefordshire and neighbouring counties including Powys. There is a focus on patient centred care and there is a strong team-based approach. Both in-patient services and out-patient services are provided at the County Hospital, in central Hereford.

The team are looking to recruit a substantive full-time Specialist Doctor, expanding and shaping the medical workforce supporting to develop and grow our existing Cardiology service.

There is a fully equipped Cardiac Catheter Laboratory.  There are 15 general cardiology inpatient beds based on Lugg ward and separate 6 bed Coronary Care Unit.

There is a heart and lung unit which includes 4 echo rooms, a pacing check room, an exercise room and a room for MDT/teaching.

The Cardiology Department is complemented by Advanced Care Practitioners on the wards, Clinical Nurse Specialists in outpatients, Heart Failure Nurses, a Cardiac Rehabilitation Team, a team of Physiologists and GP Clinical Assistants. The Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory is partly supported with visiting staff from In-Health medical. There are two first year cardiology registrars appointed as part of the West Midlands rotation.

This post may close early due to applications .

Main duties of the job

This role is a new appointment to make a team of seven Consultants plus this new addition.

Given increasing demand and demographics a further devices and electrophysiology specialist is needed. The department has an excellent record or staying at the forefront of pacing technology. Since the appointment of Antony French we are a centre for HIS and now LBB area pacing and Antony is a national mentor technology to others. There are advances plans to develop AV nodal ablation locally and other developments such as S-ICD or leadless devices would be possible depending on the appointee's expertise. The new appointee can be trained and mentored in for example conducting system pacing if they have limited experience.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This appointment will allow a cardiologist of the week model of a 1 in 7 basis with all other activity cancelled during that week allowing proactive troubleshooting of cardiology problems on the ward and in the Ed during normal working hours. That week would include a Saturday and Sunday CCU morning round and ward round referrals also seen if time allows.

General cardiology on call will be on a 1 in 7 basis during the weekend and 1 in 8 at weekends (Friday through Sunday).

A clinic workload will be either 11 follow up patients (telephone clinic) or 3 new and 5 follow up patients (face to face). There will be some cross cover for device activity that will be addressed and funded in the job plan. The appointee would work autonomously and independently.

There is no GIM component to the job, but occasionally patients with GIM problems are admitted to cardiology beds.

A day per week will be cardiac electrophysiology at the University Hospital Birmingham mentored by Dr Mauro Lencion.

Rapid cardiology clinics (including rapid access chest pain clinics) take place every weekday, run by GP's with a special interest in cardiology, clinical nurse specialist and clinical fellows.

Devices, TOE and cardiac catheterisation are carried out in a fixed modular laboratory. LBB area pacing has been established, there are plans for AV nodal ablation. Facilities are available for both exercise and pharmacological stress TTE.