Consultant Medical Microbiologist in Liverpool

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are looking to appoint a Microbiology Consultant to join the Microbiology team of four Consultants working cross site at all Trust sites. The post is whole time - 10 PAs (less than full time will be considered) and is based at Southport Hospital. Agile working will be considered. There is a Category A on call requirement - Currently 1 in 6.

Applicants are required to be fully registered with a licence to practice with the General Medical Council at the time of application and be on the GMC Specialist Register or due to obtain their CCT within six months of the date of interview. Applicants that are non-UK trained will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT. Interviews will take place on Monday 19th October, 2026.

Main duties of the job:

• Opportunities to build the clinical service through Antimicrobial Stewardship taking on the lead role with contributions towards Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) Service, Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings and additional ward presence.
• Our Pathology Service provides Pathology for Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (NHS) Trust as well as the surrounding community.
• Each year the laboratory performs over 6.5 million tests which are dealt with by medical, scientific, clerical and support staff in a range of departments: Haematology and Transfusion, Biochemistry and Immunology, Microbiology, Cellular Pathology, Phlebotomy (Blood Taking), Bereavement.

The Trust's Pathology department is accredited to ISO15189. A formal job plan will be agreed between the appointee, the existing Consultant Microbiologists, and the Clinical Director, within 3 months after the commencement date of the appointment. Depending on the demands of the service, sometimes a greater or lesser proportion of time may be spent between infection control and clinical microbiology.

About us:

The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals. From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.

The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales. Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:

• CARE that is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
• SAFETY that is of the highest standards
• COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
• SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
• PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients

Our achievements include: Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018, Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal), Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

• Essential: Full and specialist registration, hold a licence to practise with GMC (General Medical Council), or eligible for registration within 6 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.
• Fellowship (FRCPath) of Royal College of Pathologists or show evidence of equivalent qualification.
• Desirable: Diploma in Hospital Infection Control (or equivalent), Higher Research Degree (MD or PhD), Recognised management qualification, MRCP or show evidence of equivalent qualification, Recognised teaching qualification.

Knowledge & Experience:

• Essential: Evidence of thorough and broad training and experience in relevant specialty, Able to take responsibility for delivering service without direct supervision, Knowledge and experience of relevant speciality, Knowledge of evidence-based practice.
• Desirable: Ability to organise and manage people and resources.

Skills:

• Essential: Broad range of IT skills, Good knowledge of, and ability to use, spoken and written English, Ability to communicate effectively with clinical colleagues, colleagues in pathology and support staff, Ability to present effectively to an audience, using a variety of methods, and to respond to questions and queries, Ability to develop effective working relationships on an individual and multi-disciplinary basis with all levels of staff, Ability to communicate effectively with clinical, scientific, technical, and managerial colleagues, Ability to be a flexible team member, Ability to cope with and effectively organise the workload of a consultant, Ability to practise independently as a consultant, Ability to take responsibility and show evidence of leadership, Ability to adapt and respond to changing circumstances, Ability to work under pressure and cope with setbacks, Awareness of personal limitations, Understanding of clinical governance and the individual responsibilities it implies, Knowledge of the principles of clinical audit and evidence of participation, Participation in continuing professional development (CPD) scheme and, where relevant, evidence of participation, Experience of teaching, Knowledge of the principles of research.
• Desirable: Experience of teaching undergraduates, Experience of supervising trainee pathologists, Evidence of involvement in research.

Other:

• Essential: Meets professional health requirements, Willingness to travel to and work in other sites necessitated by the role.
• Desirable: Full driving licence.

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.