Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist in North East

Department / Directorate: Obstetrics & Gynaecology / Children, Young People & Women's Services

Location: County Armagh / County Down (with cross-site service requirements across the Trust area as needed)

Contract Type & Term: Fixed Term (12 Months)

Working Pattern: Full-Time (10 Programmed Activities) (Part-time / Job share applications welcome)

Salary: £106,424 to £139,920 per annum (pro-rata for part-time)

Accountability:

• Clinical Accountability: Clinical Director, Obstetrics & Gynaecology
• Professional Accountability: Divisional Medical Director
• Operational Accountability: Director of Children, Young People & Women's Services

Summary of Post

An enthusiastic and dedicated Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist is required for a 12-month fixed-term replacement post based in County Armagh / County Down.

The appointee will join an established team of 8 other substantive consultants providing comprehensive acute inpatient, day case, and outpatient obstetrical and gynaecological services. The on-call commitment operates on an indicative 1:8 rota (with potential transition to 1:9), incorporating a prospective "Consultant of the Week" (COW) model.

The Trust serves a catchment population of approximately 388,688 residents and maintains strong academic teaching affiliations with Queen's University Belfast (QUB).

Department & Service Profile

• Obstetrics:
• 19 obstetric beds handling approximately 2,000 deliveries annually across midwife-led, consultant-led, and shared-care pathways.
• 4 delivery rooms, 1 dedicated obstetric theatre, recovery facilities, and an on-site two-room Midwifery-Led Unit with two birthing pools.
• Continuous 40 hours per week on-site prospective labour ward cover via the Consultant of the Week (COW) system.
• Neonatal care provided by an adjacent Special Care Baby Unit (6 cots) with 24/7 on-site paediatric medical cover.
• Gynaecology:
• 6-bedded inpatient bay with access to side rooms, utilising main operating theatres for day-case and major procedures across 5 lists weekly.
• Modern Women's Health Hub offering dedicated Early Pregnancy Clinic (EPC) accommodation and expanding ambulatory/procedure-based gynaecological care.
• Specialist Outpatient Services:
• Outpatient clinics including colposcopy (2.5 sessions/week), weekly menopause clinic, and urodynamics/urogynaecology services.
• Regional multidisciplinary links for gynaecological oncology with tertiary cancer centres.
• Medical Staffing:
• The consultant team is supported by 8 WTE Specialty Doctors, 1 Specialist Registrar, and 7-8 junior doctors (ST1-2 / FY2).

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• Share collective responsibility for the provision of high-quality inpatient, elective day-case, and outpatient obstetrical and gynaecological services.
• Participate fully in the out-of-hours on-call rota (1:8 / 1:9) and provide reciprocal cross-cover during colleague leave or emergency absences.
• Lead on-site Delivery Suite sessions, emergency theatre interventions, and acute gynaecology triage during designated Consultant of the Week (COW) shifts.
• Maintain and deliver elective surgical lists (including planned caesarean sections, diagnostic laparoscopy, laparotomy, and adnexal surgery).
• Deliver outpatient clinics, specialist early pregnancy assessments, and routine family planning gynaecological procedures.
• Ensure open, compassionate, and transparent communication with patients and families regarding diagnoses, treatment pathways, and informed consent.

Teaching, Audit & Governance

• Deliver undergraduate bedside and clinical teaching, curriculum delivery, and student assessments for Queen's University Belfast (QUB) medical students.
• Supervise, mentor, and train junior doctors, specialty trainees, and SAS doctors within the department.
• Lead and participate in regular multi-disciplinary clinical audits, perinatal mortality/morbidity meetings, and clinical governance initiatives.
• Comply with General Medical Council (GMC) Good Medical Practice standards, participate in annual revalidation appraisals, and engage in continuing medical education (CME/CPD) through the RCOG framework.

Indicative Job Plan (10 Programmed Activities)

The contract provides an indicative 10 PAs weekly, balanced between Direct Clinical Care and Supporting Professional Activities:

• Direct Clinical Care (DCC): 8.0 to 8.5 PAs (inclusive of elective theatre, antenatal/gynaecology clinics, procedural hubs, and on-call commitments).
• Supporting Professional Activities (SPA): Minimum 1.5 PAs (with 2.0 SPAs allocated in Year 1 for newly appointed consultants to support CPD, appraisal, audit, and teaching).

Person Specification

Assessment Factor

Essential Criteria

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications & Professional Registration

• Full GMC Registration with a valid Licence to Practise (or eligible at appointment)
• Higher professional qualification: MRCOG or recognised equivalent
• Entry on GMC Specialist Register via:
  • CCT in Obstetrics & Gynaecology (or within 6 months of CCT at interview date)
  • Portfolio Pathway (CESR) submitted and accepted by GMC (or within 6 months of award)
• Further higher postgraduate degree (MD, PhD, MSc)
• Relevant completed Special Skills Modules (SSMs)

Clinical Skills & Experience

• Comprehensive, independent competency in managing acute labour ward emergencies and complex caesarean deliveries
• Competence in core gynaecological surgery (laparoscopy, laparotomy, management of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage)
• Special clinical interest complementing the team (e.g., multiple pregnancy / preterm birth, maternal medicine, labour ward lead, PROMPT)
• Advanced fetal

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