Lead Hospice Consultant

About this role

We are looking for a Lead Consultant in Palliative Medicine to join our Day Care Unit and Outpatient Services here at St John’s Hospice.

The post-holder will act as Lead Consultant in Palliative Medicine Day Care Unit and Outpatient Services at St John’s Hospice, and have clinical responsibility for patients accepted by the Day Care Unit and Outpatient Services, as well as providing cover for the Consultant in Palliative Medicine responsible for the Community Specialist Palliative Care Team and Inpatient Unit. The post-holder will provide leadership, support and supervision for the medical team at St John’s Hospice.

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St John’s Hospice provides a wide range of specialist palliative care services to patients across Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Camden, Islington, Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Barnet. Our services are free to all and include inpatient care, day services, Hospice@Home, community specialist palliative care, Lymphoedema treatment, OT and physiotherapy, social work and bereavement support.

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What are the key duties?

• Work as part of a team of consultants, providing specialist palliative care to patients predominantly in the hospice DCU and Outpatients. The post will also require occasional palliative care reviews of hospital patients, in addition to cross-covering the community and the IPU to ensure adequate clinical cover for the service is maintained when colleagues are on leave.
• Work collaboratively with all other team members and provide clinical support to the wider multi-disciplinary team.
• Attend the weekly DCU MDT meeting and take responsibility for decisions about patients.
• Agree and arrange safe admissions and discharges of patients to and from the Hospice in line with local policy when covering the IPU.
• Ensure that comprehensive plans are made and recorded for each in-patient prior to the weekend in both their clinical record and the handover sheet.
• Participate in a non-resident telephone on-call service providing advice to St John’s Hospice in-patient and community services and supporting the in-patient telephone advice line. On-call duties are shared between the three Consultants and are also supported through an external provider as a consultant telephone on call rota.
• Act as a key member of the Senior Management Team, liaising with the Chief Nursing Officer, Medical Director, Assistant Director of Nursing – Hospice, Consultants in Palliative Medicine, Hospice Heads of Departments and other staff members, ensuring a multi-disciplinary approach to palliative care.
• The post-holder will be the DCU and Outpatient lead for the Hospice.
• To participate in the daily referrals meeting and clinical handover meetings as required.
• To assist in the induction of new members of the medical staff.
• Undergraduate teaching to visiting medical students.
• Education and teaching for doctors in training and professionals visiting the unit.
• Participate in teaching programmes for multi-professional teams within and outside the hospice.
• Participate in The weekly Journal Club that is held in conjunction with the Palliative care teams at Imperial and Pembridge.
• Incorporating clinical effectiveness, risk management and audit into everyday practice and service developments.
• Promoting evidence based practice, and use of Clinical Guidelines.
• Participating and leading on audits by the medical team and supervising junior doctors in undertaking audits.
• Participate in the senior management and governance meetings.

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Am I the right person for this role?

• Qualified Medical Practitioner.
• Postgraduate higher qualification: PhD, Diploma or Master’s degree in an appropriate subject is desirable.
• Full GMC registration.
• Entry on GMC specialist register for Palliative Medicine or CCT (due within 6 months of interview) or has a CESR.
• Membership of relevant Royal College or equivalent.
• Experienced accredited clinical/educational supervisor and qualified medical appraiser is desirable.
• Advanced Communication Skills certificate / training is desirable.
• Extensive experience in palliative medicine.
• Experience at Consultant in Palliative Medicine level is desirable.
• Excellent clinical skills.
• The authority and decision-making skills needed to lead a multidisciplinary team in a complex environment.
• Ability to supervise the clinical work of consultants, doctors in training and other staff.
• Evidence of under and/or post graduate teaching.