Consultant Clinical Geneticist

Employer heading

Consultant Clinical Geneticist

Consultant

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.

We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.

We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Job Overview

We are delighted to be able to offer an opportunity for a highly motivated, ambitious individual to join our well integrated team.

This full time (10 PA) substantive post provides an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated clinical geneticist with a broad based training in all areas of clinical genetics to join the Northern Genetics Service. A candidate with an interest in cardiac genetics and adult cancer genetics would be desirable. The post-holder will be part of a large multidisciplinary team of clinical and laboratory staff with administrative and managerial support who provide a co-ordinated genetics service to a population of 3.1 million people in the North East of England and Cumbria; and highly specialised services for people affected by limb girdle muscular dystrophies in the wider UK population. The Service is part of the Directorate of Integrated Laboratory Medicine.

The appointee will work as part of a multidisciplinary genetics team. The clinical team currently consists of 11 (8.1 WTE) NHS Consultants of which 2 are solely based in the Neuromuscular team, 4 Clinical Academic Consultants in the Neuromuscular team, 4 Specialist Trainees in Clinical Genetics, 1 Clinical Fellow, 8 Genetic Counsellors (7.2 WTE), 2 Genetic Counsellor trainees, 5 Specialist Nurses and several consultants in other specialties who provide clinical sessions within the Service.

Please See Attached Job Description And Person Specification

Main duties of the job

The appointee will share responsibility for the delivery of the clinical genetics service as part of a multidisciplinary team consisting of consultant clinical geneticists, trainees and genetic counsellors working in close collaboration with the North East and Yorkshire Genomics Laboratory Hub (NEYGLH). The appointee will be expected to enable delivery of a genomic diagnostic service through participation, where required, in Specialist MDTs and specialist clinics for diagnosis and management of people with rare genetic disorders. Outpatient Clinics will be provided at the Institute of Genetic Medicine, RVI and other regional clinic sites, to be agreed as part of a team job plan. There is no formal on-call commitment in this post.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

For an informal discussion and further information regarding the opportunity and Directorate, please contact: Dr Richard Martin, Clinical Lead on 0191 241 8700.

Please See Attached Job Description And Person Specification

Working for our organisation

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion. We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.

We’re also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

Our staff oversee around 1.84 million patients ‘contacts’ each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Clinical:

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Participate in multi-professional triage of patients and families referred for genetic assessment
• Provide expert diagnostic opinion on patients with adult or paediatric syndromes as part of a multi-professional team.
• Ensure appropriate diagnostic testing is undertaken and the results of these and their implications are communicated to referrer patients, relevant family members, primary care team and other involved clinicians as appropriate.
• Ensure appropriate follow up arrangements are made for patients and family members.
• Manage outpatient clinics to ensure that care of the highest quality is provided and that relevant local and national targets are met.
• Work in collaboration with laboratory staff to ensure that appropriate diagnostic testing is undertaken and that the most clinically effective use of these resources is made.
• Participate in Genomic MDT Meetings to facilitate interpretation of Genomic test results
• Participate in regular Department and multidisciplinary team meetings as appropriate.
• Lead the cardiac genetics service from a clinical genetics point of view; including supervision of cardiac family history service, MDT attendance, team working with regional cardiology teams.
• Undertake clinical duties within a context of compliance with Directorate and Trust aims and objectives.
• Undergo Continued Medical Education (CME) in accordance with guidelines stipulated by the Royal College of Physicians or Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Heath.
• Undertake an annual appraisal and job plan review. It is expected that objectives within job plan reviews will be based on Trust objectives such as fulfilment of fixed contractual commitments on the basis of a 43 week working year with due allowance for statutory holidays
• It is a condition of employment that so far as is reasonably practicable, all employees must minimise the risk of infection to themselves, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors and, in so doing, must:
  
  

be familiar with, and adhere to Trust policies and guidance on infection prevention and control

attend Trust Induction Programme(s) and statutory education programmes in infection prevention and control

include infection prevention and control as an integral part of your continuous personal/professional development

take personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care acquired infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently by you and your colleagues

Managerial:

• Participate in all aspects of Clinical Governance, including participation in audit projects, formulation of guidelines and full involvement with risk management processes
• Assist the Directorate Manager and Clinical Leadership Group in the timely investigation of complaints if necessary
• Contribute to the general organisation and running of the Genetics service within the Trust, working in collaboration with other colleagues.
• Take the lead on specific management projects as requested by the Directorate Manager or Clinical Leadership Group.
  
  

Administrative:

• Undertake administrative duties in relation to the care of his/her patients and in relation to the running of Northern Genetics Service
• Undertake general administrative duties within a context of compliance with Directorate and Trust aims and objectives
  
  

Research / Audit:

• Although the appointee will be not be expected to participate substantively in clinical research and service innovation, there are potential opportunities to act as a Principal Investigator for NIHR portfolio studies with the support from R&D as well as develop their own research.
• The appointee will be expected participate in improvement and innovation activity. Where such activity creates potential new intellectual property this must comply with Trust policy on Innovation and Intellectual Property.
• Undertake regular audit of compliance with national and local clinical guidelines.
  
  

Teaching:

• Participate in teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Participate in education of health professionals about use of new genomic testing and advances in genomic medicine.
  
  

Flexibility:

In line with the Trust’s core value of placing patients at the heart of everything we do, we are developing our service provision to be responsive to the needs of our patients. To meet those needs some staff groups will be increasingly asked to work a more flexible work pattern so that they can offer services in the evening or weekend. As a result any offer of employment to a consultant post will be subject to you agreeing to work a new more flexible pattern or working in the future if required, including evening and weekend work.

Please See Attached Job Description And Person Specification

Person specification

Education, Qualifications And Specialist Skills

Essential criteria

• Primary Medical Qualification.
• Full GMC Registration.
• Entry onto the GMC Specialist Register (within 6 months from the date of the AAC).
• MRCP/MRCPCH or appropriate professional qualification
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Higher Degree.
• Special skills training in the specialty
• Postgraduate qualification in interpretation of genomic data
  
  

Further specialised training and experience

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of experience in assessment of whole genome results.
• Evidence of experience in cardiac genetics / inherited cardiac conditions
  
  

Clinical experience

Essential criteria

• Ability to offer an expert clinical opinion in an outpatient and inpatient setting.
• Ability to use diagnostic testing appropriately and to interpret results of such testing
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience in cardiac genetics, ability to offer expert clinical opinion in cardiac and cancer genetics.
• Evidence of MDT working
  
  

Management and administration

Essential criteria

• Committed to share in professional and managerial responsibilities necessary to fulfil the obligations of the Directorate to the Trust and its workforce.
• Successful completion of audit projects
• Flexible approach to service delivery and committed approach to development.
• A thorough understanding of Clinical Governance
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of successful participation in management processes
• Management / leadership experience in a cardiac genetics setting
  
  

Teaching

Essential criteria

• Experience of participation in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Postgraduate qualification in Medical Education
• Teaching experience in a cardiac genetics setting
  
  

Research

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of involvement in and understanding of research methodology and publication of findings.
• Evidence of presentations at national / international conferences within the last 2 years
  
  

Practical Requirements

Essential criteria

• Ability and willingness to work across the region of service provision with flexibility around specific areas of work.
  
  

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

• Alignment with the Trust’s values
• Evidence of good leadership, organisational and management skills
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, patients, relatives, GPs, other healthcare professionals and other agencies.
• Enthusiasm and ability to work under using own initiative and under pressure
• Ability to form constructive and effective professional relationships with patients and staff.
• Supportive, tolerant and able to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team
• Caring attitude to patients A commitment to personal / unit CPD
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience of leadership within the clinical environment
  
  

Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description and Person Specification (PDF, 686.9KB)
• Newcastle Staff Benefits (PDF, 274.4KB)
• Behaviour and Civility Charter (PDF, 93.8KB)
  
  

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name Louise Scorfield Job title HR Advisor Email address Louise.Scorfield@nhs.net