Consultant - Rheumatology

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, staff pride themselves on not only leading through clinical excellence, but also by creating an environment where all staff are valued and appreciated. To achieve this, the Trust has embarked on an exciting new strategy focused on continuous improvement. Our vision is to improve the lives of our community and provide excellence in healthcare, through partnership and innovation Our High Performance Culture will support everyone to be the best version of themselves by being true to our Trust vision, values and behaviours. We welcome applications from colleagues from our local and neighbouring communities of all backgrounds and identities, who are currently under-represented within our region such as Black, Asian, Minority ethnic and those with disabilities. As a region we are reviewing the way we work, and exploring how new working practices that support flexible working can create a positive work-life balance. As part of our recruitment process we will explore how our inclusive employment policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, Trust facilities and services can be of mutual benefit., We are looking to recruit a Consultant for Rheumatology for a fixed term appointment of up to 12 months. The successful candidate will be a full time appointment working in Rheumatology working 10PA, and will lead as we integrate with the SDEC team while integrating within the team of existing consultants as we continue to modernise and provide a high quality Rheumatology service in a spirit of collaborative working. We have a growing department with a dynamic and flexible team of enthusiastic consultants and specialist practitioners. We have a well-established Early Arthritis Clinic, Transitional Adolescent Clinic and sub-speciality clinics. We are exploring new models of working with our colleagues on the front line with the national roll out of Same Day Emergency Services (SDEC) and we have a well-established and well supported portfolio of research both in terms of commercial and non-commercial studies. We would welcome forward thinking colleagues with an interest in Rheumatology and General Medicine to join us at this time. As a department we have a culture of continuous improvement and innovation in practice to deliver optimal care to our patient population. Applicants should ideally be on the GMC Specialist Register for Rheumatology, or be within six months of their CCT date at interview., The appointee will join the team pro-rata to be responsible for the care of:- + Mixed pool of patient referrals from the community. + Mixed pool of patient referred across specialities both urgent and routine. The appointee will lead on the care of:- + Admission prevention via collaboration with the SDEC and mixed pool of patient referred by the Emergency Medicine Department + Additional specialist interest considerations are welcome

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.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £23 (standard) or £43 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £13 per year applies. New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above. Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application. Disclosure and Barring Service Check If the role is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Enhanced DBS check applications that are submitted with omitted or incorrect information will be withdrawn. In the event errors are identified on your original application, a new application will need to be submitted and you will be required to pay the DBS application fee again. The cost of the DBS application is £23 (standard) or £43 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment. Overseas Candidates The Department of Health and Social Care has released a new publication to support overseas candidates looking to work in health and care in the UK.