Consultant Clinical Geneticist 8PAs | The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

We are delighted to be able to offer an opportunity for a highly motivated, ambitious individual to join our well integrated team. This less than full time (8 PA) substantive post provides an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated clinical geneticist with a broad based training in all areas of clinical genetics to join the Northern Genetics Service. A candidate with an interest in paediatric and fetal genetics would be desirable.

The post-holder will be part of a large multidisciplinary team of clinical and laboratory staff with administrative and managerial support who provide a co-ordinated genetics service to a population of 3.1 million people in the North East of England and Cumbria; and highly specialised services for people affected by limb girdle muscular dystrophies in the wider UK population. The Service is part of the Directorate of Integrated Laboratory Medicine.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

The appointee will share responsibility for the delivery of the clinical genetics service as part of a multidisciplinary team consisting of consultant clinical geneticists, trainees and genetic counsellors working in close collaboration with the North East and Yorkshire Genomics Laboratory Hub (NEYGLH). The appointee will be expected to enable delivery of a genomic diagnostic service through participation, where required, in Specialist MDTs and specialist clinics for diagnosis and management of people with rare genetic disorders. Outpatient Clinics will be provided at the Institute of Genetic Medicine, RVI and other regional clinic sites, to be agreed as part of a team job plan. There is no formal on-call commitment in this post.

Clinical:

• Participate in multi-professional triage of patients and families referred for genetic assessment.
• Provide expert diagnostic opinion on patients with adult or paediatric syndromes as part of a multi-professional team.
• Ensure appropriate diagnostic testing is undertaken and the results of these and their implications are communicated to referrer patients, relevant family members, primary care team and other involved clinicians as appropriate.
• Ensure appropriate follow up arrangements are made for patients and family members.
• Manage outpatient clinics to ensure that care of the highest quality is provided and that relevant local and national targets are met.
• Work in collaboration with laboratory staff to ensure that appropriate diagnostic testing is undertaken and that the most clinically effective use of these resources is made.
• Participate in Genomic MDT Meetings to facilitate interpretation of Genomic test results.
• Participate in regular Department and multidisciplinary team meetings as appropriate.
• Undertake clinical duties within a context of compliance with Directorate and Trust aims and objectives.
• Undergo Continued Medical Education (CME) in accordance with guidelines stipulated by the Royal College of Physicians or Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
• Undertake an annual appraisal and job plan review.

Managerial:

• Participate in all aspects of Clinical Governance, including participation in audit projects, formulation of guidelines and full involvement with risk management processes.
• Assist the Directorate Manager and Clinical Leadership Group in the timely investigation of complaints if necessary.
• Contribute to the general organisation and running of the Genetics service within the Trust, working in collaboration with other colleagues.
• Take the lead on specific management projects as requested by the Directorate Manager or Clinical Leadership Group.

Administrative:

• Undertake administrative duties in relation to the care of his/her patients and in relation to the running of Northern Genetics Service.
• Undertake general administrative duties within a context of compliance with Directorate and Trust aims and objectives.

Research / Audit:

• Although the appointee will not be expected to participate substantively in clinical research and service innovation, there are potential opportunities to act as a Principal Investigator for NIHR portfolio studies with the support from R&D as well as develop their own research.
• The appointee will be expected to participate in improvement and innovation activity. Where such activity creates potential new intellectual property this must comply with Trust policy on Innovation and Intellectual Property.
• Undertake regular audit of compliance with national and local clinical guidelines.

Teaching:

• Participate in teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Participate in education of health professionals about use of new genomic testing and advances in genomic medicine.

Flexibility:

In line with the Trust’s core value of placing patients at the heart of everything we do, we are developing our service provision to be responsive to the needs of our patients. To meet those needs some staff groups will be increasingly asked to work a more flexible work pattern so that they can offer services in the evening or weekend. As a result any offer of employment to a consultant post will be subject to you agreeing to work a new more flexible pattern or working in the future if required, including evening and weekend work.