Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In addition the postholder will:

·        Support the Infection Sciences laboratory services alongside the other site microbiologists and virologists. Laboratory duties will include result authorisation, contribution to the day-to-day running of the diagnostic service, troubleshooting of unexpected results, and active participation in laboratory management and development. Alongside existing consultant colleagues, they will support the work at the new large, multi-hospital offsite laboratory hub at Blackfriars. This includes transfer of microbiology workload from GP practices in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham in late 2026.

·         The post-holder will be expected to contribute to the induction and training of the StRs rotating to Microbiology/Infectious Diseases/Virology and to take an active part in postgraduate teaching and training and participate in KCL Medical school undergraduate teaching in years 2 and 3.

·         Work closely with clinical teams, pharmacists and the IPC nursing team to develop local clinical guidelines, manage outbreaks in relevant clinical areas e.g. PICU, and deliver key performance objectives (e.g. C. difficile, blood stream infections etc.) and staff education/training. This will include contributing to good antimicrobial stewardship (bacterial and fungal).

·         All consultants will have PA allocation for specific responsibilities e.g. antimicrobial stewardship, IPC, OPAT.

·         The post-holder will participate in the non-resident on-call rota which will be shared equally with the other consultants in the Microbiology section. Weekend authorisation is performed by the on-call Infection consultant, this can be done remotely and no weekend on-site presence is generally required. At present there is a separate on-call rota covering Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospitals and Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals, however this is under review and the post holder may be required to contribute to either rota.

Trainees

There are currently twelve StRs training in Infectious Diseases combined with either Microbiology/Virology or General Medicine, plus F1 and F3 junior doctors. The development of 2 senior infection fellow posts rotating between RBH and HH is in progress, which will offer unique specialist training opportunities under the supervision of the RBH Infection consultants.

DoI has hosted a thriving Integrated Academic Training (IAT) programme with the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences. A

4. Postgraduate education facilities

DoI education meetings centre around the DoI’s own purpose-built facility, equipped with state-of-the-art AV technology to ensure high-quality remote participation and access to learning. In particular, the presentation of difficult cases or those highlighting important learning are encouraged at the weekly Thurs Case Discussion and external speakers with specific areas of expertise are invited to the Tues Academic Seminar. The DoI weekly education programme is currently as follows:

Academic Seminar (GSTT)             Tuesday                         09.00 - 10.00

Microbiology Tutorial (GSTT)          Wednesday                    09.30 – 10.15

Virology Tutorial (GSTT)                 Wednesday                    10.15 - 11.00

Hospital Grand Round (GSTT)       Wednesday                    13.00 - 14.00 

Clinical Case Discussion (GSTT)   Thursday                        13.00 - 14.00

In addition to the above, the KCL Academic Dept. of Infectious Diseases offers a regular programme of invited speakers with national and international reputations for their scientific research. Furthermore, the Trust’s Dept. of Postgraduate Education runs an active and diverse education and training programme for all clinical staff.

The Diagnostic Laboratories 

A major redesign of laboratory services has occurred as part of the joint venture between Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Trust, King’s College Hospital and SYNLAB UK & Ireland. Working with Synnovis, the JV Has opened a Pathology Hub near Blackfriars, located about 10 minutes-walk from both St Thomas’ and Guy’s sites. This will provide a 24/7 diagnostic service for our patients with technological and operational benefits such as faster translation of rapid pathogen genome sequencing and real-time data analysis.  The service offers a wide range of specialist bacteriology, virology and fungal diagnostics including cystic fibrosis and transplant bacteriology, mycobacterial identification and susceptibility testing, molecular PCR assays, serology assays and testing for the heart valve bank.

Pathology specialties have been relocated to the hub. An Essential Services Laboratory (ESL) has been retained at each site which will process urgent samples. A category 3 laboratory is also retained at St. Thomas’ in order to service our HCID-a centre. Further information about Synnovis and the South East London Pathology Hub can be found here: https://sel.synlab.co.uk/

Main place of employment:

The post-holder will be based at the St Thomas’ site and the Evelina. It is a requirement of your employment that you be prepared to work at any additional or different location owned or served by the Trust, either on an on-going or temporary basis according to the demands of the service.

Induction:

There will be a personalised induction programme both for the Microbiology and clinical Infectious Diseases service. The programme will be tailored to the needs of the successful candidate. 

Accommodation and equipment:

The Consultant Doctor will have access to a computer and desk space and the support of departmental administration and clerical staff. The Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' Medical School library is on the St. Thomas' and Guy's sites. Electronic access to the KCL e-journals will be available. There are libraries/learning zones at the Brompton and Harefield sites.

Continuing professional development (CPD) and Appraisal:

The post holder will be expected to participate in CPD. Consultants can apply for professional and study leave over a three-year period up to 30 days (on average 10 days per year). Statutory and Mandatory training must be taken within the leave allocation. Consultants have access through the Post-graduate Centre to apply for funds to support CPD activities. All medical staff are required to undertake annual appraisal and revalidation. Appraisal documentation for GMC Specialist Revalidation will be submitted through the SARD system.

Mentoring:

There is an active mentoring and coaching scheme available to all consultants. New consultants are encouraged to participate in the New Consultants Forum with organised seminars supporting professional development. 

Job Planning:

The post holder’s job plan is anticipated to contain 8 Programmed Activities (PA) per week, to be carried out primarily at the St Thomas’ / Evelina sites.

Below is an example outline programme based on 7 PAs but the exact job plan will vary dependant on site of working and discussed with the Clinical Director and Service Leads prior to any start date, particularly in order to reflect specific responsibilities that are agreed). The job plan will also be negotiated between the Consultant and their Clinical Lead at least annually.

When the Children’s PTC has transferred (estimated Autumn 2026) there is an opportunity to increase PAs to 10, or alternatively (subject to the job-planning process) substitute activities to incorporate children’s cancer liaison work into the current job plan.

The exact amount of Supporting Professional Activity (SPA) allocation can be increased during the job planning process, depending on post-holder’s interests.

An example of the proposed timetable for the postholder:

On Call Rota:

The appointee will be required to participate in a 1 in 5 to 1 in 6 Microbiology on-call rota dependant on site of work GSTT or RBHH (Category A) in order to authorise and communicate significant laboratory results, and provide specialist clinical advice.

Currently, separate rotas run according to site (a combined Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals rota and a combined Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals rota), although it is possible that these rotas merge at some point in the future. Both rotas are supported by a Consultant Virologist on call.

Category A: this applies where the consultant may be able respond by giving telephone advice and/or by returning to work later but the complexity of work or urgency of work is such that they could on rare occasions be required to return to site.