Deputy Medical Director - Children's Hospice

Deputy Medical Director - Children's Hospice

Are you an excellent communicator, motivated and passionate about children's palliative care?

This is a fantastic opportunity to support the Medical Director in leading, managing and supervising the medical team at Little Bridge House in North Devon.

The Deputy Medical Director, working closely with the Medical Director, plays an integral role within the Little Bridge House team in delivering high quality care to babies, children and young people with life threatening and life limiting conditions, in collaboration with local hospitals and the community teams.

You will support the Medical Director in overseeing the day-to-day delivery of medical care at the hospice and play an active role in the ongoing development of medical services within CHSW, ensuring the provision of high quality, expert children's palliative care within the hospice through audit, research and by actively developing the knowledge and skill of CHSW medical and nursing teams.

Main duties of the job

To be successful you will be/have:

• Full Registration with the GMC and have a current licence to practise.
• MBBS (or equivalent), plus either MRCPCH or MRCGP.
• Experience in paediatric palliative and end of life care in hospital, hospice and community including the ability to work at or above Level 3 of the Curriculum in Paediatric Palliative Medicine.
• The postholder may be a Consultant, Associate Specialist or Specialty doctor.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine (Paediatrics) or personal development plan for achieving this qualification.
• To be committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, including siblings.

About us

Our hospices in Devon, Bristol and Cornwall have been providing expert, individualised care to support babies, children, young people and their families for more than 30 years. We are aiming to continue to reach even more families that may benefit from our services. Our belief is that the best way we can do this is to wrap our care around families who have received this significant diagnosis. We journey with all family members from the point of diagnosis until the death of their child and into bereavement for as long as the family need us.

Our ethos is to ensure everyone places babies, children and families at the centre of the organisation. In order to achieve this, everyone is expected to promote a strong, caring community environment, characterised by a culture of sensitivity, trust, consideration and respect for others. Join CHSW, an organisation that invests in and supports its staff, in the development of children's hospice care in the South West of England.

Benefits include:

• Enhanced sick pay scheme rising up to 6 months full and 6 months half pay
• NHS pension continuation for medical staff or personal pension scheme with 7% employer contribution
• Family friendly policies, with enhanced maternity/adoption pay
• Occupational health, wellbeing initiatives and EAP
• Training and development opportunities
• Environmental and green agenda
• Free on-site parking
• A chance to make a real difference

Job responsibilities

Take personal responsibility for embracing the values and principles of CHSW as outlined in the Strategic Plan and to ensure that these are upheld by every member of the Medical Team.

Support the Medical Director in leading, managing and supervising the medical team at their local Hospice.

Support the Medical Director in overseeing the day to day delivery of medical care at the hospice and play an active role in the ongoing development of medical services within CHSW.

Ensure the provision of high quality, expert children's palliative care within the hospice through audit, research and by actively developing the knowledge and skill of CHSW medical and nursing teams.

Advance a strong and effective working partnership with local hospitals and community teams to support the delivery of children's palliative care within hospital and community and facilitate seamless transfer of care between the hospital, community and hospice.

Promote the development of robust and supportive partnerships with other medical professionals and health services caring for children and families using the hospice.

Participate and deputise for the Medical Director in arranging the hospice medical cover and the medical out of hours rota, as needed, for babies, children and young adults (BCYP) being supported by the hospice for end of life and symptom control care.

Person Specification

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to demonstrate a high level of clinical competence both in general paediatrics and in the management of children with life limiting/life threatening conditions.
• Able to take responsibility for delivering clinical care and service without direct supervision.
• Able to work independently and to manage a complex workload whilst maintaining good collaboration and communication with others.
• Ability to organise the efficient and smooth running of a specialist service.
• Ability to work proactively with evidence of developing practice and a service in an innovative and responsive manner.
• Ability to engage compassionately and communicate effectively and sensitively with children and their families.
• Ability to command the respect and confidence of care and medical colleagues, whilst remaining approachable, respectful and working in an open and consultative way with colleagues.
• Ability to represent the service in a wide variety of public and professional forums.
• Ability to provide good medical support for community, hospice, and hospital teams dealing with difficult palliative and end of life decisions.
• Ability to work under pressure and cope with setbacks.
• Effective time management, organisational and administration skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Well-developed and motivational teaching and facilitating skills.
• Proven leadership and influencing skills, with evidence of taking responsibility in this area in previous roles.

Qualifications

• MBBS (or equivalent) and MRCPCH with full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) and current license to practice.
• MRCGP will also be considered with considerable previous experience/expertise in PPC.
• Diploma in Paediatric Palliative Medicine or evidence of working towards this qualification.

Personal Qualities

• Understands and demonstrates the ethos of hospice care and able to commit to CHSW values and behaviours.
• A personal commitment to work in partnership with children and families.
• Ability to practice within an ethical framework.
• A willingness to work well within a team, with a collaborative manner which is courteous, confident, consistent, approachable and non-confrontational.
• Ability to work flexibly and to adapt and respond to changing circumstances and willing to work additional hours to meet the needs of the children in the hospice.
• Awareness of personal limitations.
• Awareness of the emotional toll caused by working closely alongside seriously ill/dying children and grieving families and ability to take responsibility for monitoring own emotional well-being.
• Ability to maintain a balance between work and home life and to be aware of professional boundaries.
• A willingness and eagerness to continually expand knowledge and skills in children's palliative care and to adopt a positive approach to evidence based practice.
• Resourceful, energetic and creative approach to work.

Other requirements

• Medical Indemnity Insurance cover which includes provision for practising in a children's palliative care setting and for undertaking the role of Deputy Medical Director within a Children's hospice.
• Alongside the Medical Director, to work with reasonable flexibility including cross cover for annual and sickness leave to ensure that, along with the sessional hospice doctors, there is an equitable 7 day hospice service that is extended to 24 hour medical cover as needed for end of life care and symptom management.
• Full and current driving licence (or ability to travel within the area possibly at short notice) and willingness to travel to and work in other sites necessitated by the role.

Knowledge and Experience

• Credible clinical experience with evidence of thorough and broad training in both general paediatrics and in the management of children with life limiting/life threatening conditions.
• Experience in and evidence of participation in clinical audit.
• Experience in the management of other doctors and in the provision of training, support, supervision to junior doctors.
• Experience in the teaching/training of medical staff, including medical students, and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Up to date knowledge and understanding of the clinical needs of children with life limiting conditions and their families and an expert knowledge of a range of responses to these needs.
• Knowledge and understanding of the holistic needs of children and families, ways of responding to these, and where to refer for specialist help.
• Knowledge of CHSW and NHS priorities with reference to children's palliative and children's hospice care.
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical governance and the individual responsibilities it implies.
• Knowledge and understanding of the principles of clinical audit and evidence of participation in audit.
• Knowledge of the principles involved in research.
• Knowledge and understanding of people management.

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.