Locum Consultant in Anaesthesia in London

Our trust has over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We are proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

The Department of Anaesthesia provides anaesthetic and peri-operative care services. The main theatre suite houses 8 theatres, an admissions lounge and a post anaesthesia recovery unit. There is a second stage recovery area staffed to step down patients from stage one and also to care for day cases performed with local anaesthesia. In addition, we have a dedicated Day Surgery Unit where day surgery is performed under local anaesthesia. All theatres, anaesthetic rooms and recovery bays are equipped with modern anaesthetic machines, and recovery bays are equipped with modern monitoring devices with networking facilities. There are dedicated theatres for surgical emergencies and trauma cases, including weekends.

The hospital provides comprehensive multi-disciplinary surgical services that include General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Trauma, Breast Surgery, Colorectal surgery, Gynaecology, Urology and Ophthalmic surgery. There are facilities to provide anaesthesia for Cardiology interventions, Radiological and Endoscopic procedures. There is a dedicated team of nurses in the Recovery area and the Pre-Operative Assessment clinics which are led by Consultant Anaesthetists. There are separate dedicated Consultant Pre-assessment clinics for Obstetrics and Paediatric Anaesthesia.

Main duties of the job

• The post is primarily for a general anaesthetist, to work as part of the team, providing comprehensive anaesthetic services to the North Middlesex Hospital. Any sub-specialty interest is welcomed and will be supported depending on the clinical services provided by the department.
• There is an on-call commitment and there is an expectation to be involved in education and training at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and as part of the Anaesthetics Specialty & Trust Doctors programme currently functioning.
• Work with consultant colleagues and nursing staff to ensure efficient use of Trust’s resources and contribute actively to clinical governance in the department and to development of quality enhancement projects in the unit.
• Provide senior clinician services to area of special interest as per the job plan or as agreed within the Trust. This includes providing Anaesthetic services and working with colleagues to ensure the most efficient use of NHS resources.
• Show flexibility and undertake different appropriate clinical tasks within allocated DCC sessions at the request of the clinical manager, as the need arises.
• Actively participate in the Department’s Teaching Programme and undertake supervision, teaching and training of medical trainees and other multi-professional staff, in line with guidance from the relevant Royal Colleges or specialty bodies.

Working for our organisation

North Mid is part of North Central London integrated care system – consisting of the NHS and Local authority organisations in Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. As with other ICS’s, we are working increasingly closely with partners and indeed many of our financial and performance objectives are measured at this system level. Whilst all organisations remain as standalone, statutory bodies we have an ICS infrastructure for making shared decisions and agreeing shared approaches.

We are proud of our staff and want to ensure their training allows them to provide excellent clinical care. We are also a training unit for medical students from UCL and St George’s University Grenada, and for nursing and midwifery students from Middlesex and City Universities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a whole-time contract: the normal split is:

• Direct Clinical Care: 8.5 PAs on average per week (Clinical activity, clinically related activity, predictable & unpredictable emergency work)
• Supporting Professional Activities: 1.5 PAs on average per week (CPD, audit and governance, teaching & research)

Person specification

• CCT (or within 6 months of completion) or equivalent; Full GMC registration with licence to practise; ALS/APLS/ATLS trainer qualification; Simulation training experience.
• Relevant clinical anaesthetic experience across major specialties; Participation in audit and clinical governance; Ability to teach and support juniors and other staff; Evidence of research activity; Publications in peer‑reviewed journals; Experience contributing to service development.
• Work on own initiative; recognise limitations; effective team working; computer literate; ability to participate in consultant on‑call rota.
• Excellent written and spoken English; strong communication; knowledge of resource management; ability to stay calm under pressure; Ability to support and motivate staff during pressure; evidence of quality improvement leadership.

Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.

Please note: Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification.

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job. Interview arrangements will be communicated via email so please check your email regularly following the closing date.

Please be advised that due to exceptionally high demand, all Royal Free accommodation is at full capacity and waiting lists are being held. Average waiting times are 12 months. Please do not rely on Trust accommodation when you commence your role and ensure you investigate alternative accommodation for your arrival.

You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.