Consultant Medical Microbiologist Leicester, England
Job description
Applications are invited for a substantive Consultant Medical Microbiologist post to join our committed, enthusiastic and forward-thinking team in supporting both the Microbiology laboratory and clinical service in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
The Microbiology Laboratory service is fully accredited by UKAS to ISO 15189. The clinical and Laboratory Microbiology services are located within a fully integrated Department on the Leicester Royal Infirmary site, close to Leicester city center.
You are expected to participate in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, clinical audit, research and development. You will also be required to undertake management duties and work within a multidisciplinary team.
The appointment is for a whole time 10 PA post but if for whatever reason the candidate wishes to work less than full time this can be accommodated.
Membership of the Royal College of Pathologists, and full GMC registration with a license to practice and inclusion on the Specialist Register (or equivalent) is a requirement.
UHL NHS Trust consists of three acute teaching hospitals serving the population of Leicestershire, and is fully committed to Continuing Medical Education for Consultants.
As this post is regulated by the Protection of Children Act 1999, The Criminal Justice Courts Act 2000 and / or the Care Standards Act 2000, an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Scheme check will be requested for the successful applicant.
The Department of Clinical Microbiology is based in a well-equipped laboratory on the 5th Floor, Sandringham Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary. Functionally it comprises a general microbiology/bacteriology section and a virology/molecular section. The total combined annual workload is over 1.2 million tests. Alongside the busy service provision, the department hasa strong and developing portfolio of research in Clinical Microbiology & Virology.
The department has full accreditation for the training of BMS staff, clinical scientists and trainee medical staff. Training is based on internal rotation, underpinned by appraisal and supported by external courses, departmental tutorials and seminars. CPD participation is actively encouraged and supported. Close links are maintained with local universities providing undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This relationship also provides opportunities for teaching. Opportunities also exist to increase the contribution to undergraduate programmes in clinical specialties and to the structured training now delivered to graduates especially the Foundation Year posts.
The provision of the Microbiology Service will be performed at the Leicester Royal Infirmary which is fully accredited to ISO15189:2012 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
The laboratory participates in External Quality Assurance schemes and there is a full programme of internal quality assurance
We are one of the largest and busiest acute teaching Trusts in England with a team of approximately 15,000 dedicated employees.
Our patients are the most important thing to us and we are constantly striving to improve the care they receive, through looking at the ways we work, ensuring our staff are highly trained and encouraging research which allows us to offer our patients the latest technologies, techniques and medicines.
Weserve the one million residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland – and increasingly specialist services over a much wider area.
Spread over the General, Glenfield and Royal Infirmary hospitals, we work closely with partners at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University, providing world-class teaching to nurture and develop the next generation of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, many of whom go on to spend their working lives with us.
Wherever employees work at whatever level, they are valued and contribute to the Trust’s purpose of delivering ‘caring at its best’.
The successful candidate will be required to undertake managerial duties associated with the running of their Clinical Department. They will have an understanding of the wider health agenda and modern NHS.
The successful candidate will be required to work in a multidisciplinary team and supervise juniors.
The appointee will, be responsible for the provision of a comprehensive, efficient, and cost-effective clinical Microbiology service to University hospitals of Leicester, General practitioners of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland integrated care systems and Health Protection Units of the UK Health Security agency and other users of the service.
(1) Clinical liaison
The appointee will provide a microbiology clinical liaison service in a timely manner to the clinicians described above concerning investigation diagnosis and antimicrobial management of patients. This will include prevention and control of infections. There will be a regular commitment to particular wards and departments in the form of ward rounds in person and virtual MDT meetings and phone liaison. These areas will be decided between the successful candidate and the department but may include haematology, Outpatient Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT), bone and joint infections and the adult intensive care units.
2) Microbiology laboratory diagnosis
The appointee will be expected to contribute to the following:
- Day-to-day supervision of diagnostic methods and examination of specimens.
- Participation in the daily Consultant laboratory rota which provided oversight for the laboratory and electronic advice service.
- Authorisation and interpretation of results either directly or through supervision of junior medical staff
- participation in quality assurance performance within the department, including taking part in all relevant national external quality assurance (NEQAS) programmes.
(3) Liaison withtheUK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) formerlyPublic Health England)
Provision of surveillance data to UKHSA at local, regional, and national levels and participation in sentinel or enhanced surveillance activities is expected.
(4) Clinical governance and audit
The Department has a well-established Quality agenda with monthly Quality Operational Group meetings. These are attended by Senior Biomedical Scientists, Clinical Scientists and Medical Staff and review EQA and IQA reports, incidents and near misses, turnaround times and other issues relating to quality and governance. There is an annual audit programme that includes medical audits relating to both laboratory and clinical activities.
(5)Education: Teaching and Training
All Consultants are expected to contribute to teaching and training of undergraduate students and postgraduate trainees as part of their role as a Consultant in UHL.
Consultants will normally have undergraduate medical students placed with them during clinical duties and are expected to teach alongside clinical service work. Similarly, Consultants will normally be involved in clinical supervision of postgraduate trainees working within UHL.
Medical students based at the University of Leicester follow a standard 5-year programme. The teaching of undergraduate students in UHL reflects the Clinical Management Group (CMG) structure of the Trust. Undergraduate medical students are taught by UHL throughout the medical course from years 1 to 5. Both ward and outpatient based clinical teaching, as well as tutorial and lecture style teaching is undertaken.
Those undertaking specifically agreed additional undergraduate teaching duties recognised as part of the SPA allowance within their job plan may be recognised as Clinical Teachers. This teaching can occur in different settings. The clinical teacher will be expected to show evidence of satisfactory performance in this role at appraisal.
Principal Elements:
- To support and overseethe placement of students in the department and act as a clinical teacher.
- To facilitate delivery of undergraduate teaching as directed by the departmental undergraduate education lead.
Those who have an additional significant responsibility as a block or clinical education lead within their DCC time are also considered for the award of the title of honorary lecturer or honorary senior lecturer depending on their level of activity.
Enhanced postgraduate duties will include acting as an Educational supervisor for Foundation or Specialty trainee, UHL Divisional Education governance lead, contributing to recognised postgraduate-teaching courses in UHL, e.g., Specialty Training programmes, involvement in recruitment of trainees, interviews for specialty training and recruitment to Foundation programmes.
(6) Research and development:
The department has a strong and developing portfolio of research in Clinical Microbiology & Virology. UHL and the University of Leicester offer an integrated and highly supportive environment in Clinical Microbiology fostering basic and applied research. See section below.
(7) Administration:
All consultants are members of the Clinical Management Team and meet monthly to discuss a broad range of management issues, including those that relate to the Trust.
They will also be required to act as custodian of data under the Data Protection Act, and custodian of stored samples. All consultants will also be members of the Antimicrobial Working Party and expected to be participants in other service and administrative duties.
(8) Professional:
The appointee will be expected to participate in clinical audit and to be registered for continuing professional development (CPD) with the Royal College of Pathologists and to fulfil requirements for annual certification and for appropriate revalidation. A personal development plan must be agreed annually with the Head of Department. The Trust entitlement to Study Leave is 10 days per year on a rolling basis.
The successful candidate will be required to undertake managerial duties associated with the running of their Clinical Department. They will have an understanding of the wider health agenda and modern NHS.
The successful candidate will be required to work in a multidisciplinary team and supervise juniors.
Adequate office space will be made available, together with a personal computer with access to the Trust and Pathology IT systems, the hospital intranet, and the internet.
