Consultant in Cardiac Paediatric Anaesthesia

We are looking for a consultant experienced in paediatric cardiac anaesthesia to join our team at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The cardiac surgical service performs around 650 heart surgery cases per year (550 on bypass), including quaternary referrals from other cardiac centres for complex congenital heart disease. GOSH is one of three hospitals in England providing Highly Specialist Care supported by The Highly Specialist Commissioning team. The nationally designated services include neonatal and paediatric ECMO, transplantation, bridge to transplantation, pulmonary hypertension, tracheal surgery, and Vein of Gallen arterio-venous malformation.

The heart-lung transplant programme is now one of the largest and most successful of its kind in the world performing around 25-30 heart/lung transplants a year and we have established large paediatric mechanical support bridge to transplant programmes (10+ patients per year supported on ventricular assist device).

The postholder will be expected to anaesthetise neonates, infants and children of all ages for cardiac, thoracic, and tracheal surgery. In addition, they will cover the cardiac catheterisation lab, cardiac MRI and cardiothoracic/tracheal anaesthetic pre-op assessment clinic. The successful candidate will anaesthetise for non-cardiac lists at GOSH e.g. urology, plastics, MRI, interventional radiology.

The post holder will participate in the cardiac anaesthetist on call rota 1:8. They will join the joint cardiac and cardiology conference and the weekly tracheal MDT.

GOSH is a Postgraduate Teaching Hospital with national and regional trainees in paediatric anaesthesia. We have 2 cardiac anaesthetic fellows at any one time appointed through a competitive international recruitment programme. All consultants are involved in teaching residents and the post holder may be expected to be an educational supervisor in addition to providing clinical supervision.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our specialist team. The successful applicant must be able to demonstrate wide experience in paediatric cardiothoracic anaesthesia and trans-oesophageal echocardiography.

We are committed to recruiting the best person for the job through a fair, open and consistent process that is free from bias and discrimination. We are working towards becoming an anti-racist organisation. This means creating a workplace where every colleague feels seen, heard and valued, and where racism in any form has no place. Our anti-racism commitment is backed by action through our Anti-Racism Statement and action plan, developed in collaboration with our REACH staff network.

We actively challenge discrimination, dismantle barriers and embed equity across all aspects of our workforce, including recruitment, progression and development. All applicants will receive equal consideration regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, health condition or employment history. We particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and LGBTQ+ community members.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a member of the Business Disability Forum, and a Stonewall Diversity Champion. Our staff networks, including REACH, PRIDE, ENABLED and Women’s Networks, are active and executive supported. These employee-led networks play a vital role in shaping an inclusive culture at GOSH and are open to all colleagues. Together, we are building a culture where inclusion is not optional - it is essential.

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required.

Qualifications:

• GMC specialist registration with a Licence to Practice (obtained by designated start date)
• FRCA or equivalent
• CCT/CCST in Anaesthesia or equivalent training and experience (eligible for CESR)
• A year or more of training in a recognised specialist non cardiac paediatric anaesthesia fellowship
• A year or more of training in a recognised paediatric cardiac anaesthesia fellowship

Desirable Criteria:

• Higher degree – PhD, MD or equivalent
• Management qualification or evidence of experience

Experience/Knowledge:

• Extensive experience in Paediatric Anaesthesia
• Experience as a Consultant in Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthesia
• Experience in mechanical support (ECMO/VAD)
• Experience of teaching students and multi-disciplinary team
• Experience of leading in Clinical Audit processes
• Experience of leading quality or safety improvement projects

Desirable Experience:

• Experience in anaesthesia for heart transplantation
• Experience of recruiting patients to clinical research trials
• Experience of clinical leadership or management
• Expertise in regional anaesthesia, enhanced recovery, and acute pain management in cardiac anaesthesia
• Published research in peer reviewed journals in relevant area

Skills/Abilities:

• High level written and oral communication skills
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload
• Ability to work under pressure in a multi-disciplinary environment
• Understanding and proven ability to apply research findings in a clinical/organisational context
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiating skills
• Ability to work on own initiative within an ever changing environment.

Desirable Competence:

• Competence in trans-oesophageal ECHO

We are an accredited Living Wage Employer.