Consultant Gastroenterology

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• MAIN DUTIES OF THE POST

Deliver Clinical, Educational, Managerial Services of the highest professional standard at Consultant Level to the Department

• Work with existing consultants and the multi-disciplinary team to provide a high quality well-led service for patients of Ashford & St Peter’s, including the diagnosis, investigations, treatment and management of patients, in accordance with Trust policies and practices.
• Deliver Direct Clinical Care to patients, through all parts of the Department assisting clinical decision-making and sharing equally in the workload.
• The Consultant team will provide comprehensive senior clinical cover to the Department.
• To deliver quality care for Gastroenterology patients within the Gastroenterology department in a team with the other Gastroenterology Consultants.
• To triage referrals to the Gastroenterology Department
• To provide excellent care for patients undergoing endoscopy
• To take part in teaching and supervision of junior doctors and medical students.
• To participate in the Gastroenterology/Endoscopy seven day on-call service
• To support service development, audit and other clinical governance activity; to ensure compliance with JAG quality measures.
• Any changes will be by negotiation and will be reflected in the job plans of the team.
• Have a continuing responsibility for the care of patients in his/her charge, ensuring safe handover as appropriate.
• Engage fully with the care of patients outside the department and provide a prompt opinion on request from consultant colleagues in other specialties.
• Engage with medical, nursing, management and all relevant co-workers in the delivery of department objectives: to provide clinical leadership, improve the patient experience; ensure the highest quality clinical care.
• Actively participate in and support other staff with education, research, audit and clinical governance activities involving a multi-disciplinary workforce across the department
• Participate in the professional training of the staff in the department, both medical and non-medical, and contribute as required to teaching sessions for other hospital staff as well as undergraduate and postgraduate staff, including supervision of junior medical staff. Teaching and training will require verification of teaching certification
• Support recruitment, appraisal, development and mentoring activities to a multi-disciplinary, multi-professional team.
• Undertake any other duties appropriate for a consultant.

            LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

• The Trust encourages and supports consultants with a special interest to develop their interest, where it meets department objectives, and can be audited and reviewed, and provide learning opportunities for other staff.
• Participate in clinical audit activities of the department and hospitals, ensuring record-keeping is effective.
• Undertake research and develop special interests within the limits of clinical and service workload.
• Undertake continuing medical education internally and externally with study leave entitlement as appropriate.

              SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (SPA):

ASPH is committed to ensuring that all Consultants have two dedicated SPAs within their job plan. Specific responsibilities will be developed on appointment and according to areas of interest, but Supporting Professional Activities (SPA’s) are intended to include

• Audit, research, and local clinical governance activity
• Formal teaching and preparation (e.g., giving lectures, seminars)
• Post-graduate teaching, and training (e.g., of junior doctors, medical students)
• external teaching and education delivery (e.g., ATLS, APLS)
• Clinical management, attendance at departmental and trust meetings
• Appraisal, Job planning and rota organisation
• Service development, quality improvement work, Major incident planning

SPA activity will be scheduled based on individual preference, and to meet the needs of the service.

4.3       THE JOB PLAN

The Job Plan has 8.5 PAs of Direct Clinical Care (DCC) (including 0.5 PA for out of hours GI bleed cover) and 2 Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) which will be organised on a 6-week rota. The rota allows for consultants to alternate working on busy and less busy days in order to equalise workloads.

          A specific job plan will be agreed with the appointed consultant and to meet the needs of the service.  The Job Plan will be reviewed annually

Ward week.

Sat 1.66 PAs 8am – 1pm & out of hours on call for GI bleeds.

Sun 1.66 PAs 8am – 1pm & out of hours on call for GI bleeds.

Mon to Friday 2.25 PAs each day for ward round of the Gastroenterology ward, in reach into Clinical Assessment Unit and for in hours GI bleed on-call.

Weeks 2 to 6;

2 clinics & 1-2 endoscopy sessions a week.

The above is for a 10.5PA a week job plan however if the candidate wishes to perform an additional Direct Clinical care activity, then this will be welcomed and appropriately job planned.

Following the ward week and weekend on call, provision will be made for rest in week 2 and also for lost SPA sessions from the ward week in weeks 2-6. Midweek out of hours GI bleed on-calls will be scheduled to allow for rest if needed the following day.

During weeks 2 to 6 there will be the expectation to cover two clinics and one to two endoscopy sessions a week in conjunction with the administrative and specialised programmed activity sessions.

Supporting Professional Activities (SPA’s) are intended to cover formal post-graduate teaching, audit, research, appraisal and clinical management as required.  The balance of sessions between Ashford & St. Peter’s is flexible. Teaching and training will require verification of teaching certification.

TOTAL 10.5 PAs consisting of 8.5 DCC and 2 SPA 

Consultant On-Call Rota (Frequency of rota/detail of rota)            

The post holder will be required to participate in the department rota on a 1:8 basis. The on-call availability supplement will be Category A (5%). The PAs may be adjusted, subject to the job-plan and agreed work commitment, such as prospective colleague cover and additional duties. Clinical activity will be scheduled to avoid face to face clinical activity post GI Bleed on calls

The Trust aims to implement a consultant rota that provides weekend cover and Consultant presence in the department.

Ward Activity Days

Ward activity days will include ward round on Cedar Ward, in-reach into the Clinical Assessment Unit and other clinical areas: including medical wards, surgical wards, emergency department and ambulatory emergency care unit as necessary and in hours GI bleed cover.