Consultant Respiratory Medicine & GIM

We are seeking enthusiastic, highly motivated Consultants to join our current Respiratory Medicine team within the Division of Urgent Care. The posts are to support the expansion of the Respiratory department to support an increased throughput of outpatient capacity for general and/or specialist Respiratory clinics; and to allow capacity to develop ambulatory and/or community-based services, establishment of acute clinics and provide support for the new Consultant model for inpatient care. The Trust is committed to the provision of high quality, Consultant-led Respiratory Services. We would welcome colleagues with any sub-speciality interest especially Asthma and / or chronic Respiratory illness; alternately, we can offer sub-specialty experience / training in any of our established services, suitable for the individual and the needs of our department. The Respiratory Team consists of a Physiotherapist, a Specialist Respiratory Nurse Team, a Research Nurse, a Cancer Nurse Specialist Team, an Oxygen Assessment Service along with fully equipped Physiology Laboratory. We have an established EBUS service and a thrice-weekly lung cancer clinic along with an active clinical trials programme. The current Sleep Service provides both a diagnostic and therapeutic CPAP treatment and the dedicated interstitial lung disease clinic provides a networked approach to the management of ILD patients working in liaison with regional referral centres.Main duties of the job This is an exciting time to join the Respiratory team as the successful candidate will be working in a newly opened purpose-built 11-bed Respiratory Support Unit (RSU) and Respiratory day ward for day case procedures. We have an active research programme within the Chester Respiratory Research Unit and the successful applicant will be supported and encouraged to develop clinical research within the department. The department has links with the University of Chester (who will be opening a new graduate-entry medical school in 2023) through the Institute of Medicine and is supported by a significant administrative resource. The Trust has a keen interest and deep involvement in medical education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Most of the Respiratory consultants were supported in obtaining and hold a postgraduate qualification in teaching. Chester is a popular tourist destination, conveniently located for easy access to the beautiful countryside of Wales: with its iconic Snowdonia mountains, with good motorway links to Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. Chester also has excellent housing facilities and schools, both government and independent.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:

• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000. The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.