Locum Consultant in Palliative Medicine

Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust (MYTT) and Wakefield Hospice are looking for a dynamic enthusiastic consultant to join the specialist palliative care team working across both community and hospice sites. This is a fixed term locum post and the successful candidate will work with the trust specialist palliative care team to provide services across the hospital and community and with the multidisciplinary team at Wakefield Hospice to provide inpatient and day therapy services. It is expected that the successful candidate will take a role in community services and there is flexibility in the existing consultant team to enable pursuit of the successful candidates personal areas of interest. The post holder will work in a team of 5 consultants and 13 clinical nurse specialists who provide cross cover and support. MYTT end of life care services were rated as good in our last CQC visit. The multidisciplinary community team see approximately 1000 referrals per year and the Wakefield Hospice admits approximately 300 patients per year.

The post holder will have the opportunity to work at a locality level as part of a collaborative end of life care partnership group improving co-ordination of care of patients in the last year of life.

Main duties of the job

Hospital:

• Support for the Community Specialist Palliative Care Team with both joint and independent review of patients.
• Support for Gold Standards Framework meetings in primary care where appropriate.
• Community team MDT weekly
• Cancer of unknown primary MDT
• One in eight week consultant on call providing telephone advice to health care professionals across Pontefract, Wakefield, Kirklees, Huddersfield and Calderdale. (Currently assessed as 0.75 PA per week plus 5% category A on call). In the event of sickness or absence for the first on call at any of the hospice units the responsibility to find alternative cover is held by the unit and not the second on call consultant.
• Administrative duties, for which appropriate office space and secretarial support is provided
• Supporting Professional Activities in accordance with the Trust Framework, with at least a minimum of 1.5 SPAs included in the core 10PA timetable. Core SPA includes audit and governance. Additional SPA or DCC time may be commissioned in line with the skills of the successful candidate and changing requirements of the service.

Hospice

• Twice weekly ward rounds of hospice inpatients
• Weekly MDT
• Clinical supervision for FY2/ IMT trainees at the hospice and specialist registrar on both sites if applicable and candidate has appropriate training. Training can be supported in post.

About us

We are an acute trust caring for over one million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work in patients homes, the community, and our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). We prioritise our people and values so we can deliver the best possible care to patients. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, always seeking better ways to work.

We support work-life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment where everyone belongs. Our staff networks offer safe spaces to share ideas and concerns so we can increase awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and especially encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minority groups, and people with disabilities or neurodivergence to apply, as they are currently underrepresented in the Trust.

If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.

Application guidance: We understand that more applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. Its important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please make sure to disclose this on your application form.

Job description
Job responsibilities

This job description is for a 1 year locum consultant post in palliative medicine at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and Wakefield Hospice covering maternity leave.

This is a 10PA post working alongside the consultant palliative medicine team at both Wakefield Hospice and Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust to provide a cohesive, high quality medical service to patients with specialist palliative care needs. The post holder will provide consultant cross cover for Wakefield Hospice and the Mid Yorkshire Specialist Palliative Care Team for leave and absence.

This post is offered on a 10PA basis although less than less than full time applications will be considered.

The base hospital will be Pinderfields Hospital where office accommodation is located for all members of the Mid Yorkshire Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Team. All Mid Yorkshire consultants may be asked to work on any of the three hospital sites if needed but this post is primarily based at Pinderfields Hospital and Wakefield Hospice. The successful candidate will have consultant responsibilities at Wakefield Hospice. The hospice provides funding for 3.5PA including SPA time and the hospital provides funding for 6.5PA including SPA and on call. Any Urgent and Unforeseen duties including out-of-hours on-call schedules will take due account of the provisions of working time regulations and safe working (currently none in place).

Wakefield Hospice is located across the road from the main Pinderfields site and it is a 10 minute walk between the sites. Office accommodation and secretarial support is also provided by the hospice.

The main duties of the post will include:

Hospital:

• Support for the Community Specialist Palliative Care Team with both joint and independent review of patients.
• Support for Gold Standards Framework meetings in primary care where appropriate.
• Community team MDT weekly
• Cancer of unknown primary MDT
• One in eight week consultant on call providing telephone advice to health care professionals across Pontefract, Wakefield, Kirklees, Huddersfield and Calderdale. (Currently assessed as 0.75 PA per week plus 5% category A on call). In the event of sickness or absence for the first on call at any of the hospice units the responsibility to find alternative cover is held by the unit and not the second on call consultant.
• Administrative duties, for which appropriate office space and secretarial support is provided
• Supporting Professional Activities in accordance with the Trust Framework, with at least a minimum of 1.5 SPAs included in the core 10PA timetable. Core SPA includes audit and governance. Additional SPA or DCC time may be commissioned in line with the skills of the successful candidate and changing requirements of the service.

Hospice

• Twice weekly ward rounds of hospice inpatients
• Weekly MDT
• Clinical supervision for FY2/ IMT trainees at the hospice and specialist registrar on both sites if applicable and candidate has appropriate training. Training can be supported in post.
• Office accommodation with secretarial support is provided.

JOB CONTENT

This post holder will be based at Pinderfields Hospital (PGH). There will be mentorship provided from a senior member of the team within the department.

The post holder will attend the weekly hospice MDT.

The post holder will work alongside 4 consultant colleagues at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, 1 specialty grade doctor (2 days per week), 1 specialist registrar, 13 hospital and community clinical nurse specialists in palliative medicine, an end of life care facilitator, a fast track facilitator and 2 band 4 care co-ordinators.

At Wakefield Hospice the post holder will work with Dr Anna Schuberth (Consultant in palliative medicine), an IMT, an FY2 trainee, a specialist registrar and two staff grade doctors

Expected workload

o shared care of maximum of 14 inpatient beds at Wakefield Hospice with Dr Schuberth

o advice and support to community specialist palliative care team including leading the community multidisciplinary meeting and reviewing complex patients in their home with nursing colleagues, or via telephone (estimated at 6 patients per week).

Further detail included in service description

Person Specification
Management Skills
Essential

• Demonstrates intelligent and analytical approach to problem solving.
• Good time management.

Desirable

• Possess good organisational skills.
• Evidence of personal contribution to service development in palliative medicine

Research & Development
Essential

• Demonstration of evidence based practice
• Enthusiasm for maintaining planned approach to CPD
• Evidence of understanding of clinical trials in palliative medicine.

Desirable

• Publication in peer reviewed journal / presentations at conferences
• Evidence of initiation, management and delivery of clinical trials
• Higher Degree in research

Qualifications
Essential

• Medical Degree from recognised medical school
• Higher Medical Qualification (eg MRCP) or show evidence of equivalent qualification
• SCE in Palliative Medicine or equivalent

Desirable

• Evidence of postgraduate study in the specialty with appropriate postgraduate qualification (eg MD, PHD)

Experience
Essential

• Evidence of completion of a period of approved training in palliative medicine or within 6 months of completion of training
• Evidence of working in palliative medicine in hospice, hospital and community settings
• Experience in education and training of healthcare professionals

Desirable

• Previous experience at consultant level/acting up
• Training in delivery of education programmes

GMC Registration
Essential

• Please state full GMC number
• Full and Specialist registration in Palliative Medicine (and with a licence to practise) with the General Medical Council (GMC), or be eligible for specialist registration in Palliative Medicine within six months of interview.
• Applicants that are UK trained, must ALSO be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview. Applicants that are non-UK trained, will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

C9377-CARP4583MED