Locum Paediatric Respiratory Consultant

The aim of this post is to contribute to the increasing ambulatory and inpatient capacity of the service at St Georges and further develop the service and its research profile. The post holder will receive referrals from other consultants and specialties, from PICU and NICU, and from General Practice. These will be seen as either inpatients or outpatients as appropriate. Patients may be local or from outside the region. There is a 1:4 attending rota for respiratory ward cover with out of hours telephone support. There postholder would not contribute to the general paediatric service. The post holder would be fully responsible for the management of respiratory patients within their expertise and in conjunction with other members of the team and the wider MDT. We operate several joint clinics with other specialties including ENT, foetal and neonatal medicine, neurodisability and immunology. We have a growing cohort of children with complex respiratory disorders including those; on
invasive and non-invasive long term respiratory support; congenital and interstitial lung diseases and those with chronic suppurative lung disease.

Working for our organisation
Our Foundation Trust is at the heart of an integrated healthcare system; one that delivers improved patient care at a community, hospital and specialist setting, supported by a unique and nationally recognised program of research, education and employee engagement.
We expect all our staff to share the values that are important to the Trust, being Excellent, Kind, Responsible & Respectful, and behave in a way that reflect these values., The post holder will participate in the weekly hospital based MDT asthma and respiratory clinics. It is envisaged that these will be shared with the other consultants. The team offer over 750 new patient appointments and 2300 follow up appointments. These clinics are supported by the respiratory nurse specialists, physiologists, physiotherapists and psychology. There is a monthly MDT difficult asthma clinic for CYP identified to require additional support from the Tuesday asthma clinic. It is anticipated that the postholder will contribute to the leadership of this clinic and associated MDTs. We are awaiting approval to prescribe biologics. The two general paediatricians offer additional level 2 asthma clinics alongside the MDT.
Ward Duties:
The postholder will share ward attending for children admitted to hospital with respiratory conditions with the other three respiratory consultants (Respiratory Consultant of the week - RCoW) on a 1:4 basis. They will be available to consult on children admitted under the general paediatric team or any of the other specialties. The respiratory team will review all children who are admitted with asthma to ensure adequate management and appropriate follow-up to drive up standards of asthma care. The RCoW will have time dedicated to attend the wards on a daily basis. At present we operate a system of a week on duty at a time transferring care on a Monday. They will also be available for telephone advice service out of hours (category B on call).
Bronchoscopy:
There is a monthly theatre list available for elective flexible bronchoscopy under general anaesthesia. There is the facility to undertake CT scans under the same GA if needed. There is facility to perform pH studies. There is also a daily paediatric CEPOD list for more urgent bronchoscopies. Patients referred from PICU needing bronchoscopy can be performed on the unit
Network responsibilities:
The nature of this collaboration will be finalized following the appointment process. There will be the development of joint protocols, governance, radiology sessions, research and audit projects. The team will continue to develop regional and national links. The aim is to provide outreach clinics in the region and maintain links with other specialist units in London. The post holder will be encouraged to participate in National and International groups, audit and research.
Research & Teaching:
St. George's University of London has identified paediatrics and paediatric infectious diseases as key areas for research and so would welcome candidates with a research interest that complements the clinical interests of the department. Research will be encouraged. The postholder is also encouraged to be involved in teaching undergraduate medical students.

We are looking for an enthusiastic colleague to join the service as a locum with a view to permanent appointment in due course. The applicant should complement the current team of three friendly and cohesive consultants. The post holder will contribute to the general respiratory and asthma service and be encouraged to develop specific areas of interest in line with their experience and the needs of the department. In particular this may include providing services for children with asthma including those with difficult asthma. The ability to perform bronchoscopy and respiratory sleep assessments is desirable but not essential.