Consultant in Medical Microbiology / Infection

A Vacancy at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and driven candidate to the post of a Consultant in Infection to be part of our Microbiology service. This is a new post and the successful candidate will work with a team of 2 other consultants, 2 speciality doctors and 2 clinical scientists to provide a routine Clinical Microbiology service for Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) and Wirral primary care.

Applications are invited from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria. This post is ideal for both established Microbiologists or newly qualified Infectious diseases /Medical Microbiology doctors looking to provide valuable experience and expertise into the infection services. The post holder will be based at Arrowe Park Hospital where most of the inpatient wards are located. They will be supported to develop sub‑speciality interests to complement those of the existing consultants.

Routine Infection control activities will be part of the role, working alongside the named Infection Control doctor/practitioner. Out-of-hours on-call will be at frequency of 1:8 providing cross‑cover for Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust and Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust. Candidates for the post must be fully registered with the GMC. The appointee should hold Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists by examination.

The post holder will work with a team of consultants, speciality doctors and clinical scientists. The clinical team provides Microbiology and IPC advisory service for in‑patients and out‑patients on Arrowe Park Hospitals and Clatterbridge Hospital and to Wirral primary care. The core service includes pro‑active results management and advice to clinical teams. Authorisations/validations of result is not a major part of the role, as this is performed by experienced senior biomedical scientists. Certain relevant serology/ virology results will require Consultant input and authorization.

Referrals to the Microbiology team for advice and guidance is received electronically which allows safe triage of calls based on priority. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is well embedded in the Trust. These Include: daily Critical care ward rounds, daily AMS rounds across the hospital and daily including blood stream infections rounds. AMS programme is supported by antimicrobial pharmacists.

The Microbiology team provides input into a variety of MDTs: Prosthetic joint infections, Hematology, C. difficile, Endocarditis, Renal, Neonatal unit and the award‑winning OPAT service. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is an integral role for the department with all team members contributing. All new colleagues can expect to receive a warm and friendly Wirral welcome from the very first time they make contact with us. We are described as “competent and caring staff” by our patients.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is situated on The Wirral peninsula which has a stunning coastline and beautiful countryside surroundings, with great activities for its residents. We are one of the largest and busiest acute Trusts in the North West of England, comprising of the Wirral’s only Emergency Department. We provide a high quality range of acute care services and employ over 6,000 staff, who serve a population of approximately 400,000 people across Wirral, Ellesmere Port, Neston, North Wales and the wider North West footprint. We have approximately 855 beds trust-wide and our financial turnover is in excess of £337m. The Wirral is easily accessible with excellent transport links including motorway, train, bus or ferry and within easy reach to the major cities of Liverpool, Chester and Manchester as well as neighbouring North Wales.

Please see attached Job Description for further information about the Consultant position available at WUTH.