Hand Fellow in Reading

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is "Working together to provide outstanding care for our community." Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated 'Good' with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements.

This is a 6-12 month fixed term appointment for a post-CCT Orthopaedic Surgeon with an interest in Hand and Wrist surgery at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. The post is being advertised to start in October 2026. The appointee will become part of the existing team to provide specialist care to our growing population of patients and raise departmental profiles through teaching and education. You would also contribute to the development of the Orthopaedic Upper Limb Service.

Main duties of the job:

• The Fellow is expected to actively participate in, initiate and continue research / quality improvement projects within the unit (both prospective and retrospective research).
• They will also be expected to complete projects and present and publish the results.
• The post offers exposure to high volume elective and trauma cases.
• There are two dedicated hand trauma lists each week.
• In addition, there are opportunities to treat general trauma cases as part of the on-call system.
• The fellow will be part of the on-call rota at middle grade level including nights and weekends.

Working for our organisation:

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest District General Hospitals in the country. The Trust is beginning a major modernisation of its services and its buildings. Our dual objective is to develop and deliver outstanding NHS services that are fit for the future, and to play a greater part in the growth and development of our local economy.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities:

Clinical duties will include outpatient clinics, formal ward round and three to four operating sessions. The aim will be for the successful applicant to run independent or parallel theatre sessions and clinics. The fellow may participate in fracture clinics and there will be time available for research. There is a daily meeting at 7:45 am to discuss management of trauma admitted during the previous 24 hours. The Hand Fellow will be expected to take part in these and to contribute to the teaching of the junior staff.

Person specification:

Qualifications & Training:

• Essential criteria: Full GMC Registration with a licence to practice, FRCS / peri- or post-CCT, Demonstration of specialist training in Orthopaedic surgery.
• Desirable criteria: Qualification/Experience in Hand Surgery, Hand diploma, Previous fellowship.

Previous Experience:

• Essential criteria: Experience in Surgery at senior SpR level, Ability to offer clinical opinion on a range of problems in hand conditions, Ability to take responsibility for clinical care of patients with hand conditions.
• Desirable criteria: Research with higher degree ideally in the field of Orthopaedic surgery, Experience of MDT working, Independent surgical exposure.

Skills & Knowledge:

• Essential criteria: Evidence of good written and verbal communication skills, Personal participation in audit.
• Desirable criteria: Ability and enthusiasm to teach medical undergraduates and Allied Health Professionals, Ability to apply research outcomes to clinical problems.

Disposition:

• Essential criteria: Clarity of career aims, Evidence of being a good team member, Active interest in research and audit, Ability to organise and manage priorities.
• Desirable criteria: Leadership qualities, Commitment and interest in research, Aspirations to develop a specialised hand practice.

We are NOT able to carry out telephone interviews thus applicants must be prepared to travel for an interview. All new appointments to the Trust, with the exception of executive positions, are subject to a probationary period. No unsolicited recruitment agency telephone calls or emails. All applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.

Please ensure you check the email account (including junk/spam boxes) from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application. Due to the high volumes of applications we receive for certain posts, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications.

All vacancies followed by INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY have been classified as an internal role and only internal candidates will be considered. All staff identified as AT-RISK who meets the requirements of the post will be prioritised accordingly. Priority will initially be given to Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust employees. All applicants who have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the post can opt for a guaranteed interview.

Applications from Tier 2 candidates who require Tier 2 immigration status to work in the UK are welcome but such candidates will not be appointed to the post if there are a sufficient number of other suitable and available candidates, as the employing body will in those circumstances be unable to satisfy the Resident Market Labour Test as required by the Border Immigration Authority. The Trust operates a smoke-free policy.