Locum Gastroenterologist - interest in Intestinal Failure

The closing date is 7th Feb 2025

Job summary

This is a 12-month locum consultant post in gastroenterology and Intestinal Failure, Home Parenteral Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition Service.

The department of gastroenterology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is seeking a 12-month locum consultant gastroenterologist with an interest in Intestinal Failure. QEHB was newly opened in 2010 providing secondary and tertiary care services, including the NHS England commissioned Severe Intestinal Failure Unit. There is a well-equipped, modern endoscopy unit, with a separate dedicated in-patient endoscopy suite.

QEHB cares for severe intestinal failure, surgery and home parenteral nutrition (HPN), covering a population of 3.5 million, with currently 140 patients on HPN. QEHB also provides in-patient care for type 1 intestinal failure, averaging 20-35 patients daily. The Trust’s well-developed partnership with the University provides the basis for teaching and research, which in turn underpins a high-quality clinical service.

They will join the existing 13 consultant gastroenterologists (QEHB) and Nutrition Support Team (3 consultants and a fully diverse allied health professional team). The appointee will have a key role in providing Intestinal Failure, HPN, complex enteral nutrition and gastroenterology/endoscopy services at the QEHB. Responsibility for gastroenterology in-patients will be shared on a consultant of the week model and will be flexible with other consultants, and participate in the GI bleed rota.

Main duties, tasks & skills required

The post holders will be responsible, together with other members of the department for the provision of a high-quality intestinal failure/rehabilitation, clinical nutrition and gastroenterology service to complement the existing sub-specialisation within the department. The final job plan would be agreed on appointment; however, the successful candidate would be expected to undertake a mix of general gastroenterology, endoscopy, GI Bleed on call and ward cover, as well as the nutrition and intestinal failure speciality care. The successful candidate will also be required to undertake the following:

• To contribute to the clinical delivery and development of the intestinal failure and clinical nutrition/complex enteral specialist service and other areas of specialist gastroenterology.
• Deliver in-patient parenteral nutrition ward rounds 2-3x/week, sharing a rota with others to provide a 52-week service at QEHB.
• To manage an average of 2-3 endoscopy sessions per week.
• To manage an average of 2-3 outpatient clinics per week, which includes intestinal failure, complex enteral nutrition and gastroenterology clinics.
• To participate in the acute gastroenterology ward rota and management of inpatient gastroenterology services.
• To participate in the emergency GI Bleed service.
• To provide specialist advice to colleagues.
• To work to directorate agreed management guidelines.

About us

We are recognised as one of the leading NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK. Our vision is to Build Healthier Lives, and we recognise that we need incredible staff to do this.

Our commitment to our staff is to create the best place for them to work, and we are dedicated to investing in the health and wellbeing of our staff, including a commitment of offering flexible working where we can; and offering our staff a wide variety of training and development opportunities, to support their personal and career development objectives.

UHB is committed to ensuring that our staff are treated fairly and feel that they belong, by creating a kind and inclusive environment. This is about equity of opportunity; removing all barriers, including discrimination and ensuring each individual member of staff reach their true potential, achieve their ambitions and thrive in their work. This is more than words. We are taking action. Our commitment to an inclusive culture is embedded at all levels of the organisation where every voice is heard, driven by our diverse and active staff networks, and at Board level by the Fairness Taskforce led by our CEO. We nurture a culture which empowers staff to challenge discriminatory behaviours and to enable people to bring their ‘whole self’ to a kinder, more connected and bold place to work.

University Hospitals Birmingham is a Smoke-Free premises hospital.

Job description

This is a 12-month locum consultant post in gastroenterology and Intestinal Failure, Home Parenteral Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition Service.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) is an NHS England commissioned regional tertiary referral centre for severe intestinal failure, both surgery and home parenteral nutrition (HPN), covering a population of around 3.5 million, with currently around 140 patients on HPN. The IF Unit enjoys close links with Salford’s National IF Unit as the Northern Reference Centre, the two adult small bowel transplant units in Oxford and Cambridge and the Birmingham Children’s Hospital which hosts both its own IF/HPN unit but also a paediatric small bowel transplant unit. The Trust’s well-developed partnership with the University provides the basis for teaching and research, which in turn underpins a high-quality clinical service.

The nutrition service also manages the in-patient parenteral nutrition delivery across the QEHB site with an average of 20-35 patients requiring PN at any one time. The details of the well-staffed nutrition support team are seen below.

Gastroenterology:

At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital a rolling 1 in 10 ward rota (pure GI & Liver) occurs in one to two weekly blocks to manage the in-patients. Due to the nutrition commitments, the successful candidate will be likely to undertake this at a 1 in 20 rota. The consultants at Queen Elizabeth have no acute medical commitment (not part of the G(I)M on-call) apart from ongoing in-patient care of patients transferred to the gastroenterology ward, the ‘buddy’ surgical ward outliers’, and in times of exceptional need (e.g. COVID pandemic).

The consultants currently participate in an on-call bleed rota for the Queen Elizabeth site only, primarily for the management of severe upper GI haemorrhage but also to offer advice on the management of other acute GI conditions. It is anticipated this will be on a 1 in 12 frequency in 2025.

We are strongly supported on the surgical side by colorectal, upper GI and sarcoma surgeons and have strong links with diagnostic and interventional radiology. Mr Nigel Suggett is our Intestinal Failure Surgical Lead supported by Ms Melisssa Cuhna. There is a close liaison between Gastroenterologists, radiologists and surgeons with a combined X-ray meeting & IBD MDT weekly, with IF cases also presented at both the IBD MDT where required and a specific IF MDT. In addition, there are joint gastroenterology/surgery IBD as well as joint ileo-anal pouch and PSC/IBD clinics.

There is a busy GI Physiology Unit offering oesophageal pH, manometry and motility studies and ano-rectal physiology services. A pelvic floor service is offered but led by the colorectal surgeons.

The QEHB has a tertiary referral hepatology and liver transplant team, in addition to the gastroenterology team.

Endoscopy:

Our JAG accredited unit hosts 4 main out-patient rooms, a separate dedicated in-patient suite and regular fluoroscopy lists. A recent tender has bought new endoscopes, stacks and CO2 facilities via a managed endoscopy services contract with Olympus. The service is supported by three full time nurse endoscopists.

The department also has a capsule endoscopy service, single balloon enteroscopy, EUS, ERCP, Bowel Cancer Screening, spyscope, HALO, and dedicated Barrett’s service including cytosponge.

The philosophy of the Gastroenterology department is one of well-defined teamwork with individuals practising to agreed locally published guidelines, thus ensuring continuity of patient management protocols despite the multidisciplinary nature and size of the team. The appointee would be expected to conform to this pattern of working.

To discuss this post in further detail, please contact Dr Sheldon Cooper on

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Entered on the GMC Register
• Possess MRCP or equivalent.
• Eligible for inclusion, or be within 6 months of a CCT, on the GMC specialist register in gastroenterology & general medicine or equivalent.

Experience

Essential

• Eligible for inclusion on the GMC specialist register in gastroenterology & general medicine or equivalent.
• Evidence of experience of clinical experience with care of complex nutritional support, including parenteral nutrition in hospital and at home.
• Initiatives that demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment to the assessment and care of patients with gastrointestinal disease.
• Enthusiasm for and demonstrable commitment to the supervision and teaching of junior medical staff, students and other health care professionals.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Professional Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

For help with your application, contact:

Dr Sheldon Cooper

01213715909

Pay scheme

Hospital Medical and Dental

Band

Consultant

Salary

£105504.00 to £139882.00 Yearly

Contract

Fixed Term

Duration

1 Year(s)

Working pattern

Full-Time

Reference number

11308

Job locations

Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Mindelsohn Way
Birmingham
West Midlands
B15 2TH

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