Clinical Specialist Doctor in Community Child Health

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Specialist Doctor in Community Child Health

The closing date is 04 November 2026

Clinical Specialist Doctor in Community Child Health interest inNeurodevelopmental Paediatrics and Children in Care.

We are in the exciting positionof being able to offer a clinical specialist post in the community anddevelopmental paediatric service to an enthusiastic applicant with interests inneurodevelopmental paediatrics and the assessment of Children in Care. The post is for up to 10 ProgrammedActivities (10 PAs).

Clinical responsibility would bein a defined geographical patch within the Darlington and South Durham team whohave bases at Darlington Memorial Hospital and Bishop Auckland GeneralHospital. However all staff are expected to work across Trust sites dependingon the needs of the service.

The duties of these posts do notinclude any acute paediatric on call work.

Main duties of the job

The Community and DevelopmentalPaediatrics Service provides consultant-led medical and health assessments,investigation, treatment, management and support for children and young peoplebetween the ages of 0-19 years in secondary care outpatient settings.

We work with children and youngpeople with complex health needs resulting from neurological disordersaffecting child development (neuro-disability), those with disordered childdevelopment or where there are concerns about developmental disorders, SpecialEducational Needs & Disability (SEND) and children and young people who arein care.

We are a dedicated team of highlyspecialised clinicians trained in paediatrics who have sub-specialised incommunity child health. We deliverholistic care as part of a multidisciplinary team with close links to primarycare teams, 0-25 service, mental health providers, tertiary paediatrics andother hospital based paediatricians and agencies such as education, socialcare, public health and voluntary sector organisations.

About us

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant’s chances ofsuccess.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Please note that we may close any vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will be expected to:

Work with a dedicated team of community and developmental paediatric consultants to deliver holistic and multi-disciplinary care to children with developmental disorders and complex health needs in the locality.

Support services for Children in Care, undertaking Initial Health assessments, as required along with Community Paediatricians and GPs with a special interest in Children in Care.

Liaise with colleagues in Primary Care, Education (including the provision of health advice for the Special Education Needs and Disability assessment process) and Social Care in the delivery of care.

Participate in peer review, contribute to service development, departmental clinical governance and annual appraisals towards revalidation with the GMC.

Share the ethos of our team in delivering high quality care to children and young people and where indicated liaise with a range of professionals dependent on the needs of the child or young person. This may include specialist nurses for children in care, specialist paediatric nurses, paediatric therapists, child psychologists, Education and Social Care.

This post will have thefollowing job components:

Regular outpatient clinics for the statutory InitialHealth Assessments of Children in Care.

Outpatient clinics for children referred forneuro-developmental concerns.

Allotted time for admin, matched to outpatientclinics, in line with standards outlined by Coram BAAF and the BritishAssociation of Community Child Health.

Time to attend departmental governance andopportunity for continuing professional development appropriate to the role.

Appraisal and Revalidation: Time to participate inpersonal objective setting and review, including the creation of a personaldevelopment plan and the Trusts appraisal process.

Servicesoffered include adoption and fostering, Children in Care, historic child sexualabuse assessment, assessment and management of children with neurodevelopmentaldifficulties and neurodisabilities (including Autism Spectrum Disorders,epilepsy) and children with Special Educational Needs. Safeguarding duties areundertaken in accordance with local procedures and Working Together toSafeguard Children (2023) for children on caseload.

Ourservice works closely with a well-established and dedicated team of SpecialistCommunity Nurses for children, Childrens therapy team of physiotherapists,occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, Looked AfterNurses, Safeguarding Team and Clinical Psychologists. There is good liaisonwith Primary Care, the 0-25 service (Health Visiting and School Nursing Teams)across County Durham and Darlington, Child and Adolescent Mental HealthServices and partner agencies (Education, Childrens Social Care).

Theteam has close links and shared care with tertiary neurology services from theGreat North Childrens Hospital in Newcastle and with the regional NorthernGenetics Service supporting the provision of outreach clinics. We are fully integrated with the acutepaediatric team into a department of Child Health.

Weoffer postgraduate training within the clinical environment, supportingpaediatric trainees, including training at Level 3 for Community ChildHealth. We also provide opportunitiesfor undergraduate trainees as part of the new curriculum and allied healthprofessionals.

Theservice hosts the Designated Paediatricians for the Child Death Review process,Children in Care and Safeguarding Children.

Thewider Child Health team includes general paediatric consultants withsub-speciality interests, who deliver daytime out-patient care and in-patientcare to the paediatrics ward and special care baby unit at the UniversityHospital of North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Person Specification

Experience

• Completed extensive medical work (either continuous period or in aggregate) since obtaining a primary medical qualification of which significant experience should have been in Community Paediatrics.
• Equivalent years experience in relevant specialty from other medical grades including from overseas will also be accepted.
• A broad experience of community paediatric problems including child development, ASD, Children in Care, medical advice for special educational needs.
• Significant experience of working independently within neurodevelopmental paediatrics should be evidenced.
• Level 3 Safeguarding Children training and experience.
• Experience in neurodisability.

Qualifications

• MBBS or equivalent.
• Full GMC Registration.
• Evidence of compliance with standards of Good Medical Practice.
• Meets the criteria set out in the Specialist grade generic capabilities framework https://www.nhsemployers.org/system/files/2022-09/Generic-capabilities-framework-for-new-specialist-grade.pdf.
• Is able to critically assesses own learning needs and ensures a personal development plan reflects both clinical practice and the relevant generic capabilities to develop the service working with community paediatric team members and clinical lead.
• MSc in Paediatrics.
• Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health (or equivalent) or Diploma in Child Health.
• Sheffield diploma in neurodisability if working within neurodisability field.

Statutory Registration

• Full GMC registration

Special Requirements

• Ability to travel independently to undertake clinical commitments.

Special Skills & Knowledge

• Able to demonstrate safe and effective care.
• Values and behaviours in line with trust values.
• Effective administrative and time management skills.
• Enthusiastic and willing to participate in day-to-day delivery of the service with flexibility.
• Has an awareness of own leadership responsibilities as a clinician and demonstrates appropriate leadership behaviour.
• Is able to develop effective working relationships across teams promotes and participates in both MDT and interprofessional team working.
• Evidence of contribution to clinical governance and clinical audit activities.
• Evaluates and audits own clinical practice and able to act and implement finding to improve patient care.
• Takes prompt action where there is an issue with the safety or quality of patient care, raises and escalates concerns through clinical governance systems where necessary.
• Contributes to quality improvement within the department.
• Motivated to teach juniors and students.
• Knowledge of evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal.
• Good interpersonal, time management, organisational and communication skills.
• Effective team worker/player.
• Proven research experience.
• Publications or presentations.
• Experience in teaching medical students/postgraduate doctors with feedback.
• Evidence of attendance at courses or additional roles held related to medical education.
• Evidence of previous clinical audit or quality improvement presentations.
• Understanding of current legislation and issues within the NHS, especially in relation to children in care.

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.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

£104,401 to £115,341 a yearMC70 Payscale per annum pro rata

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