Consultant in Acute Medicine QEH(Ambulatory Care Unit) in Woolwich

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is seeking a dynamic Consultant in Acute Medicine to join our expanding team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of acute care at QEH Medicine division. The post holder will undertake senior clinical duties in the Acute Medical Unit, Acute Admissions Unit, Take, Post Take/Outliers and Medical SDEC teams.

In 2025, we launched a new clinical model aligned with GIRFT, national best practice, and South East London ICS priorities. A key feature is the new Acute Assessment Unit (AAU), focused on rapid assessment, senior decision-making, and timely discharge. Acting as the front door for medical take, the AAU will streamline triage and reduce ED pressures, ensuring patients are quickly directed to the right setting—Medical SDEC, Frailty SDEC, AMU, specialty ward, or discharged.

The redesigned AMU will support short-stay care with enhanced specialty in-reach and early discharge planning. This model aims to deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time—reducing admissions, shortening stays, and improving outcomes.

You will join a progressive, learning-focused team that values clinical excellence, innovation, and staff wellbeing. We are investing in training and development to support all staff through this transformation. If you have ideas, we listen, support, and help turn them into reality.

Main duties of the job:

• There are 5 full-time posts being advertised, each will have 10 PAs in Acute Medicine including 7.5 PAs for direct clinical care, covering hot weeks and a 1-in-10 weekend rota per post.
• You will have 1.5 core SPAs, with potential for an additional SPA subject to approval.
• You will join a dynamic team of Acute Medical Consultants with diverse specialist interests, working within a supportive and high-performing department.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Providing senior clinical leadership across the Acute Medical Unit (AMU), Acute Admissions Unit, Take and Post Take, Outlier clinical activity and Medical SDEC.
• Leading consultant ward rounds, MDT meetings, and discharge planning.
• Supervising junior staff including Clinical Fellows, Physician Assistants, and trainees.
• Driving quality improvement, patient safety, and service transformation.
• Contributing to clinical pathway development and teaching.
• Participating in the general medical on-call rota.

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is a progressive, inclusive organisation focused on excellent care and staff development. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital site offers a vibrant clinical environment with innovation in acute and frailty medicine.

Our AMU Includes:

• Acute Admissions Unit
• Acute Medical Unit
• Acute Frailty Unit - Led by Frailty consultants
• Frailty SDEC - Led by Frailty consultants

Working for our organisation:

Our People Are Our Greatest Asset. When We Feel Supported And Happy At Work, This Positivity Reaches Those Very People We Are Here For, The Patients. Engaged Employees Perform At Their Best And Our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Initiatives Contribute To Cultivate a Culture Of Engagement. We Have Four Staff Networks, a Corporate EDI Team And a Suite Of Programmes And Events Which Aim To Insert The 5 Aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development.
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability.
• Improving the experience of staff with disability.
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development.
• Making equalities mainstream.

We are proud of our collaborative culture and seek a consultant who shares our values and vision for excellence.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities:

Person Specification:

Essential:

• Full registration with GMC inclusion on the GMC specialist register for Acute Medicine or General Internal Medicine or within 6 months of expected date of Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or appropriate equivalent.
• MRCP or equivalent.

Essential:

• Broad experience in acute and general internal medicine.
• Proven leadership in clinical settings.
• Experience in supervising and developing junior staff.
• Evidence of service development, audit, or research activity.

Desirable:

• Experience in frailty or ambulatory care models.

Essential:

• Strong clinical decision-making and situational awareness.
• Commitment to clinical governance and patient safety.
• Excellent communication and team-working skills.
• Evidence of teaching and educational supervision.
• Understanding of current issues within Acute Medicine and future direction of speciality.

Desirable:

• Experience in quality improvement and change management.
• Interest in digital innovation or integrated care.

Qualifications:

• Medical degree, MBBS or equivalent.
• Full and Specialist registration (and with a licence to practise) with the General Medical Council (GMC) or be eligible for registration 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, they will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT and be on the GMC Specialist Register/Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) application in a non-CCT specialty awaiting approval.

Essential criteria:

• Comprehensive Training and experience in acute and general medicine.

Desirable criteria:

• Training and experience in acute and general medicine.
• Broad experience of working within the NHS.

Essential Criteria:

• Active audit interest demonstrated by at least one completed clinical audit in the last 18 months.
• Understanding of NHS systems and audit processes.
• Evidence of service improvement projects and audits.

Desirable criteria:

• Publication of audit results.
• Evidence of involvement and/or experience in risk processes such as Serious Incident reviews and patient safety systems.

Essential criteria:

• Experience and interest in undergraduate teaching.
• Skill and ability in formal and informal teaching for both under/postgraduate students and nursing/midwifery staff.
• Educational supervision accreditation.

Desirable criteria:

• An understanding of current issues in medical education and training.
• Previous experience in trainee supervision.
• Knowledge of current changes in medical training.
• Higher teaching qualification.
• Presentations at National or International meetings.
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Understands the management structure of the NHS.

Evidence of risk management.

Essential criteria:

• Ability to use Microsoft office packages, e.g. MS Word, Excel, Access & PowerPoint.
• Ability to use patient information systems.

Essential criteria:

• Effective communicator – verbal and written.
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstrates leadership and organisational skills.
• Evidence of interest/training in management.
• Will contribute to Departmental/Trust management.
• Will pursue personal professional development.
• Will assist with Departmental/Trust development.
• Aware of equal opportunities issues.
• Recent experience/familiarity of UK hospital systems and practices.
• Ability to lead a team and form effective working relationships.
• Ability to inspire, motivate and develop staff.

Desirable criteria:

• Has experience of committee work and prepared to undertake committee work.