Job Overview

Jersey General Hospital is looking to appoint its third Consultant in Emergency General Surgery to provide a consultant-delivered, future-ready service designed around sustainable practice, patient-focused pathways, and close integration with acute care, Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), and elective surgery.

The appointment consolidates a model that is already functioning well and the successful consultant will join a team that values collaboration, clinical leadership, and thoughtful innovation in the delivery of emergency surgical care on the island.

This Consultant post is offered at 11 Programmed Activities (PAs) per week, annualised across the year, comprising:

•              17 Hot Weeks (Emergency General Surgery)

•              25 Cold Weeks (elective activity, SPA, governance, and TOIL)

•              10 Leave Weeks (annual leave, study leave, and public holidays)

Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) and Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) are annualised in accordance with contractual rules, departmental need, and service configuration.

The Emergency General Surgery Service

Jersey’s Emergency General Surgery service is built around a consultant-delivered model, providing rapid senior assessment, timely diagnostics and clear operative decision-making.

Each EGS consultant will undertake 17 weeks per year of dedicated EGS activity, scheduled in blocks and defined within an agreed annualised job plan. During EGS weeks, the consultant’s programmed activity will be focused on the emergency surgical service only, without routine elective commitments. This model is intended to ensure consistent senior decision-making for emergency admissions, improve flow through acute surgical pathways, and support resilience within a small consultant team, while allowing predictable recovery time and elective activity during non EGS weeks.

During an Emergency General Surgery (EGS) week, between 08.00 and 18.00, the EGS consultant has overall responsibility for the delivery of emergency general surgical care for all patients currently admitted under the emergency general surgery service, as well as for new referrals received from primary care and the Emergency Department.

The EGS consultant leads a daily emergency surgical ward round, personally receives and triages all emergency referrals, and undertakes emergency surgical operating as required on a blended CEPOD operating list, retaining responsibility for clinical prioritisation and operative decision making throughout the working day.

The Emergency General Surgery consultant and resident medical team act as the first on call service for gastrointestinal, breast, vascular and urological emergency referrals. Specialist consultant support from the relevant subspecialty teams is available and accessed as required to ensure safe and appropriate management of patients. Within this framework, there is an expectation that emergency scrotal exploration for suspected testicular torsion is undertaken by the EGS consultant.

Service Development

Ambulatory emergency surgical services continue to be developed, with the opening of a dedicated surgical Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit 18 months ago forming the first phase of this work. The introduction of surgical SDEC has successfully reduced inpatient length of stay, increased daytime emergency operating activity, and improved the overall quality and timeliness of care for emergency general surgery patients. Ambulatory emergency surgery remains an active and evolving workstream, and the newly appointed consultant will be expected to play an active role in the further development, refinement and expansion of ambulatory emergency surgical pathways in collaboration with the wider multidisciplinary team.

The department has a clear intention to introduce a regular “hot” laparoscopic cholecystectomy service as part of the ongoing development of emergency general surgery pathways. The successful implementation of this service is viewed as a key priority, and the newly appointed consultant will ideally have the appropriate skills and experience to lead the development, delivery and governance of this pathway.

Elective practice

Outside of designated Emergency General Surgery (EGS) weeks, all EGS consultants contribute to the elective general surgery service in accordance with departmental need and individual competencies. This typically includes outpatient clinics, elective operating within an agreed scope of general surgery practice, and, where relevant, participation in endoscopy. Elective activity is delivered on an annualised basis, with an expectation that consultants provide regular elective operating lists and outpatient clinics across the year. During elective weeks, the job plan also incorporates clinical administrative time, supporting professional activities (SPA), and time off in lieu (TOIL) resulting from on call commitments.

Based on an 11 PA contract, the job plan includes provision for 25 Cold Weeks (elective activity, SPA, governance, and TOIL), with scope to increase elective activity by mutual agreement in line with service requirements. The elective component of the role supports continuity of skills, job satisfaction and workforce retention.

The general surgical department is currently working towards the introduction of a Da Vinci Robotic Operating system. Where this lies within the consultant’s existing scope of practice, the newly appointed EGS consultant will be involved as appropriate in the development and introduction of robotic surgery within the department. Where the appointed consultant does not already have robotic experience, appropriate support and training opportunities will be available should they wish to develop robotic surgical skills as part of their role.

On Call: out-of-hours

The senior general surgery rota is 1:6, non-resident, with Consultants available within 30 minutes. Weekend on-call runs from Friday 17:00 to Monday 08:00 and includes attendance for post-take ward rounds reflected in the Consultant Job plan

Middle-grade surgeons provide robust first-on-call cover. Senior input is expected for complex decision-making, operative cases, major trauma, and deteriorating patients.

Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) for on-call participation of 1 PA is incorporated into the annualised job plan

Supporting Professional Activities (SPA)

Each Consultant receives 1.5 PAs of SPA time per week for their CPD and revalidation requirements such as QIA, audit, training and PDP activities. Upto an additional 1PA of SPA can be undertaken on agreement with the relevant Clinical Director where this SPA reflects work undertaken for the organisation.

Contact Information

For an informal discussion regarding this role, please contact Simon Chapman - Cheif of Service - S.Chapman@health.gov.je

For a full copy of the Job Description, please contact Aoife O'Hare - a.ohare@gov.je