Job Overview

Health and Community Services are seeking an enthusiastic Staff Grade to join our team in Anaesthetics. The postholder will be expected to provide medical care to patients requiring anaesthesia, critical care and management of acute and chronic pain.  A full job description can be obtained by contacting hss.medicalstaffing@health.gov.je

For an informal discussion regarding the role please contact Alun Roberts, Consultant and Clinical Lead on 01534 442492 or via hospital switchboard 442000, or by email a.roberts@gov.je 

Job Purpose

The post is suitable for Doctors with a wide clinical experience of anaesthesia.  The person specification sheet details essential and desirable requirements. During the appointment the post holder may be expected to provide anaesthetic services in the following areas:

Critical Care

Acute and Chronic pain management

ENT Surgery

General Surgery

Gynaecology and Obstetrics

Maxillofacial Surgery

Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery

Opthalmic Surgery

Plastic Surgery

Urology

It is expected that all patients will receive a pre-operative assessment visit from their anaesthetist prior to surgery.

Duties

In the event that the post holder’s routine surgical list is cancelled or short, they may be asked by the Consultant Anaesthetist in administrative charge to undertake other work.  The practice of handing over cases to the Duty Anaesthetist at 17.00 is not encouraged.

The rota arrangements described above will be reviewed six monthly and may be varied by the

Consultants with the agreement of the non consultant staff. Specific duties and time-tabling will be

subject to an annual Job-plan review. The department expects cooperative team working.

Transfers to the mainland by air ambulance occur regularly, and on occasion out of hours. An anaesthetist may be called upon to assist in the transfer of patients to tertiary referral centres in the United Kingdom.  Such occasional extra duties will be paid. Training in air ambulance work will be provided and it is expected that the post holder will take up a training place at the first available opportunity.

Duties continued:

The post holder will be expected to participate in the training of Medical Staff for whom he/she is responsible and ensure that training and learning needs are identified and facilitated.

The post holder will be expected to take part in management and audit activities and represent the service at Hospital meetings, as agreed with colleagues. The post holder will be expected to be fully involved in a ‘Risk Management” programme and support the Governance agenda.

The successful candidate should be adaptable, flexible and innovative in order to meet the ongoing challenges within the service.

On-call Rota

The General On-Call Anaesthetist.

Responsibilities include general emergency work and booked semi-emergency cases.  The general call anaesthetist may return home during quiet periods and to sleep but must be available to return if needed without delay.

The Critical Care / Maternity Anaesthetist will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the Critical Care Unit and on call for critical care admissions, maternity cases, cardiac arrests and emergency department assistance.  He/she will make a personal handover to his or her successor starting at 08.00 daily. During working hours there will be assistance and supervision by a consultant with critical care sessions. Out of hours cover will be by the on call consultant.

On-call Rota continued:

If the Critical Care / Maternity Anaesthetist is not available to respond immediately to a cardiac arrest or resuscitation call, he must notify the switchboard to ensure the General Call or Consultant Anaesthetist is contacted.

It is a condition of your appointment that when you are on duty for Critical Care / Maternity you will reside in the on call accommodation provided adjoining the Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine.

Prospective cover for annual and study leave is allowed for in calculations of the working week. The post holder will not be expected to work the day after a night on call, but is expected to attend teaching and audit meetings.  50% of on call will be as the resident critical care / maternity anaesthetist. The general call anaesthetist is not expected to be resident.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

Primary Medical Degree

Full registration with the GMC with a licence to practise

A current ALS certificate

4 years post graduate medical training

At least 2 years specialty training or experience in the specialty

IT literate to include the use of MS office programmes

Basic legal requirements for consent and note taking

Human anatomy relevant to the practice of anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pain management

Human physiology and biochemistry, and their application to the clinical practice of anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pain relief

General pharmacological principles, and a knowledge of drugs likely to be encountered in basic anaesthetic practice and the current treatment of patients presenting for anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pain relief

Evidence of competency to the level set out for basic level training of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

3 months training in Intensive Care Medicine

Basic competency in obstetric anaesthesia including

• Safe performance of labour epidural
• Management of labour epidurals
• Caesarean section under spinal, epidural and general anaesthesia

Person Specification continued:

Desirable Criteria

Primary Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists

Clinical Experience in an NHS environment

ATLS

APLS

Enthusiastic Teacher

Previous Management Responsibility / Leadship Experience

3 years experience in approved UK anaesthetic training environment

Anaesthetic logbook confirming experience

Experience of working in Pain Medicine

Willingness to develop a specialist interest

The Specialty

The department provides anaesthetic cover for 50 elective operating lists and 5 emergency trauma sessions each week.  9500 patients are anaesthetised each year. 

Anaesthesia is largely conducted in the Main Theatre Suite of 6 theatres, including an obstetric theatre, and the Day Surgery Unit, which has two operating theatres. All theatres are well equipped and anaesthetic equipment fulfils current Association of Anaesthetists standards for monitoring.  All patients are recovered in an appropriately staffed recovery area.

The standard working day starts at 08.00.  The first patient on the morning list should be anaesthetised by 09.00.  The first patient on the afternoon list should be anaesthetised by 13.30.  Average list finish time is 17.00 but anaesthetists are expected to be flexible and occasional overruns up to 18.00 are allowed for in calculating levels of pay.

The Specialty continued:

As in all hospitals the Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine provides an emergency on call service.  A consultant and two non-consultants are on call at all times.  The two on call anaesthetists are known as the General Call Anaesthetist and the Critical Care / Maternity Anaesthetist.

The Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine comprises six consultants, two associate specialists, ten staff grade doctors and one F2. Medical staff are assisted by a pain management team and there are three departmental secretaries.  The department is well located, close to theatres and the critical care unit.  It consists of office space for anaesthetists and secretarial staff, a seminar room and an on call room for the critical care / maternity on call anaesthetist.

Department Statistics

Departmental Statistic

9500 patients are anaesthetised each year

1000 babies are delivered each year

600 new patients are seen in the pain clinics each year

250 patients are transferred by air ambulance each year

220 patients are admitted to the critical care unit each year

Specialty Medical Staff

Departmental Staffing:

Dr Alun Roberts, Clinical Lead and Consultant in Anaesthesia & Critical Care

Dr Caroline Jenkins, Consultant Anaesthetist

Dr Calum McClymont, Consultant in Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine

Dr Andrew Woodward, Consultant in Anaesthesia & Critical Care

Dr Alan Thompson, Consultant Anaesthetist

Dr Robert Tonko, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care

Dr James Chandler, Consultant Anaesthetist

Dr Kirsten Macdonald, Consultant in Critical Care and Emergency Medicine

Dr Daniel Fenwick, Associate Specialist in Anaesthesia

Dr John Miller, Associate Specialist in Anaesthesia

12 Staff Grade Doctors.

1 Foundation Year 2 Doctor

Personal Attributes

Fit and Well

Able to work flexibly in a changing health service

Hepatitis Vaccination