Clinical Fellow in Neurosurgery

We are delighted to announce an opening for a suitably experienced surgeon who wishes to further their skills and experience in adult neurosurgery as a clinical fellow. The post will be available initially until July 2026 and will be based at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.

Department Overview

The Department provides a comprehensive neurosurgical service to a population of just under 3 million adults within the southwest of England with additional specialist referrals from the UK and abroad. The adult service comprises 53 acute ward beds in 2 adjacent wards and access to centralized ITU and HDU ward beds. The Neurosurgical Department undertakes approximately 4,000 operative procedures per year in a suite of 5 dedicated Neurosurgery theatres (4 x elective and 1 x emergency). The team is fully supported by specialist Neurosciences services including on‑site Neuroradiology, Neuropathology, Neurophysiology, Neuropsychiatry and therapy services, as well as a dedicated team of Advanced Nurse Practitioners. There are a number of active clinical trial and research programmes within the Neurosurgery team which the post holder may be expected to contribute to.

Main Duties

The department has 15 Neurosurgery consultants and 6 orthopaedic spinal consultants who provide diagnostic and treatment facilities for the entire spectrum of neurosurgical and complex spinal conditions, both elective and emergency.

• The successful applicant will be assigned to work with one of the above consultants and will provide assistance in theatre, undertake a daily ward round and liaise with their consultant regarding management decisions. They will attend outpatients and the clinical meetings.

• There is a daily 8:00 a.m. combined clinical and radiology meeting; a weekly tumour MDT, fortnightly skullbase MDT, weekly epilepsy and movement disorders MDT, two spinal MDTs, and an academic teaching programme. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to participate in departmental teaching and be expected to participate in clinical governance and audit activities.

• The out‑of‑hours commitment is a hybrid rota (consisting of 19 doctors) of four tiers of middle‑grade doctors depending on their experience in neurosurgery, with the senior most tier providing support as non‑resident on‑call. Emergency neurosurgical work will arise from the same catchment population.

Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities

Clinical Duties

The postholder will be responsible for the clinical management of patients on the ward and will be expected to participate in outpatient clinics, MDTs, elective and emergency theatre lists as well as perform administration work (typing/dictation/general patient admin) as required for safe and efficient patient care. They will be expected to take part in the emergency on‑call rota as detailed above. The post is currently compliant with the regulations of the EWTD and the rota has built‑in rest periods as required.

Teaching and Supervision of Junior Medical Staff & Students

The postholder will be responsible for guiding, teaching and training junior medical staff on the ward and theatres as required. They might be asked to contribute to teaching of medical students on an ad‑hoc basis.

Study & Research

The Trust is committed to ensuring that support is given for Continuing Medical Education. The postholder will be required to fulfil the requirements laid down by the relevant Royal College, and to fulfil the requirements for revalidation laid down by the General Medical Council. While not necessarily expected to undertake research, opportunities do exist and encouragement is given to develop collaborative projects with other departments within Trust or with the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England. The post‑holder will be required to submit any research development plans which have resource implications to the Clinical Director prior to implementation.

Audit

The postholder will be required to take part in a Clinical Audit Programme. The Trust has an audit department which supports and monitors such activity. There is an active Trust Clinical Audit Committee.

Person Specification

Education

• MRCS or equivalent

Desirable Criteria

• FRCS or equivalent
• Ph.D. or equivalent

Experience And Skills

Essential Criteria

• Neurosurgery experience
• Emergency competent surgical skills

Desirable Criteria

• UK experience
• Advanced neurosurgery skills

If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance.

If you feel you meet the requirements of the Disability Act / Two Ticks scheme and require further support/advice, please contact us at tel 0117 414 1151.

North Bristol NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments.

Equal Opportunities and Inclusivity

North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people.

Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.