Consultant General Paediatrics in Munster Region - Republic of Ireland on a fixed term / permanent basis; working for our client via Workplace Doctors

*** Must have IMC (Specialist Division) Registration (Irish Medical Council) - Essential
*** Location: Republic of Ireland – Munster Region (Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford)
***Speciality: General Paediatrics
*** Pay rate: €217,235 to €261,051 Euro’s (dependent on experience) basic salary (allowances paid extra)

*** Role: Consultant (6+ years post graduate experience)

*** Duration: 12 months (FREE visa & work permit + relocation package offered)

*** Role: Consultant (6+ years post graduate experience)

*** Start date: ASAP

***IELTS Score of 7.0 Overall (minimum) – Essential

***Exact location details provided on application

Irish Teaching Hospitals and Medical Universities receive great international acclaim & recognition throughout the world, doctors with experience and training in Ireland typically enjoy great success in terms of professional career development & job satisfaction.

Overview

General paediatrics department at our client’s HSE hospital is looking to expand and develop its services. This is an exciting opportunity to join a friendly, enthusiastic and well-established team with an excellent reputation for clinical care, training and leadership. Applicants with special interests are actively encouraged to apply, as the department is currently developing special interest posts. Candidates with strong research portfolios are also invited to apply, with a view to advancing the research profile of the department.

The clinical services provided by the Trust include:

Accident and Emergency Medicine; Anaesthetics and Intensive Care; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Burns; Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery; Child and Adolescent Mental Health; Clinical Psychology; Dermatology, Endocrinology and Diabetes; ENT Surgery, Audiology and Cochlear Implantation; Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition; General Paediatrics; General Paediatric Surgery; Haemophilia; Hepatology; Inherited Metabolic Disease; Neonatal Surgery; Nephrology including Haemodialysis and Renal Transplantation; Neurology; Neurophysiology; Neurosurgery; Non Malignant Haematology; Oncology; Ophthalmology; Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery; Paediatric Dentistry; Plastic Surgery including Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery; Rehabilitation; Respiratory Medicine and Cystic Fibrosis; Rheumatology; Thoracic Surgery; Urology.  The Children’s Hospital is also a designated supra-regional centre for Craniofacial Surgery, Complex Liver Disease and Liver Transplantation, paediatric small bowel transplantation, rare diseases including Alstrom syndrome. In total there are 11 nationally commissioned services in the Trust. The Children’s Hospital is the Paediatric Major Trauma Centre within the Munster Network.

The Department

General Paediatrics department provides secondary care including outpatient, urgent care and inpatient services to a catchment population of 450,000, representing approximately 45% of the population of the Munster Region. The department accepts referrals when PICU resources or specialist investigative services are needed, and leads the overall care as required, for patients under the tertiary services in the hospital. The team also provides inpatient cover for paediatric patients at the associated regional hospital and offers outreach clinics in the community as well as at the inpatient CAMHS unit. Neonatal intensive care is not included under the General paediatrics service. The department prides itself on the high quality of its clinical care, leadership, quality improvement and innovation, pastoral development of a multi-professional team and above all, on team working and cohesion.

Applicants should possess MRCPCH, be registered with the Irish Medical Council and be eligible for inclusion in the Specialist Register or be within 6 months of this, at the time of interview. The successful applicant would start as soon as possible, after appointment.

Currently there are approximately 4800 admissions per annum to the general paediatric service, of which the majority are acute, and 110,000 outpatient attendances per annum. There are 29 beds allocated over 3 wards, one of which provides for adolescents.  There is a six bed HDU for medical admissions, including provision of CPAP and High Flow Oxygen therapy.  The inpatient numbers rise considerably, especially over the winter period. 

The Department manages referrals from General Practitioners and the Emergency Department.  These referrals are seen and assessed during the daytime on the Clinical Decision Unit (CDU), co-located with the Emergency Department. There is close liaison with CAMHS. 

All consultants deal with most child protection issues as they arise, including attendance at Child Protection Case Conferences and the preparation of reports for any subsequent legal proceedings. A region-wide rota of consultants with specific skills in forensic examination for possible sexual abuse is in place.

The function of the department is to provide:

•Urgent care for all GP and Emergency department referrals to General paediatrics.

•Inpatient management of all acute and chronic general paediatric medical conditions, including child  protection issues.

•Advice to other services within the Trust about general medical problems, child protection issues, and co-ordination of care for children with complex multidisciplinary problems.

•Overall responsibility for general medical admissions to PICU whether from the district or elsewhere in the region, in close collaboration with the consultants in intensive care who are responsible for day to day management and specialist care.

•Outpatient management of new and follow up patients

•Education, appraisal, and support of doctors in training within the department, and undergraduate paediatric training to clinical medical students from the nearby university during their paediatric attachment.

In addition, the department has a key role in:

•Care of Children with Medical complexity across the Trust

•Development of clinical care pathways for common conditions with the emergency department and primary care.

•Development of a strategic vision for paediatric medicine across the city, in line with the Trust’s vision, and in partnership with, commissioning bodies, other providers, agencies and user groups.

•The department has established a community based general paediatric clinic

Duties and Responsibilities of the Post-holder

•Provide consultant paediatric medical care to children of all ages referred from general practitioners and/or other colleagues, both as inpatients and as outpatients.

•To take part in the on-call consultant rota for general paediatric medicine at the hospital.

•To provide general paediatrics input to the Orthopaedics with ward rounds and out of hours telephone advice.

•To jointly lead the care of children with medical complexity in a region-wide role, joining a team of medical, nursing and management colleagues in setting strategic directions and forming networks with partners within and outside the Trust to optimise and coordinate the care of children with medical complexity.

•To provide cover as required, for the clinical care of inpatients at Burns Unit

EB MDT meetings, Orthopaedic Hospital inpatient CAMHS unit.

•To deliver off-site clinics

•To advise and support other colleagues in the management of paediatric medical problems, including child protection issues and the co-ordination of care for children with multidisciplinary problems within the Trust, when necessary.

•To take a full part in the clinical activities of the Department of General Paediatrics at the hospital. This includes the development of clinical guidelines, clinical audit and R&D.

•To work with the emergency department and with primary care in developing clinical care pathways and new models of care delivery to acutely ill children.

•To undertake medical student teaching.

•To provide educational supervision for trainees and non-training grade staff as appropriate.

Other responsibilities:

a) To participate in development of and undertake all duties and functions pertinent to the Consultant’s area of competence, as set out within the Clinical Directorate Service Plan  and in line with policies as specified by the Employer.

b) To ensure that duties and functions are undertaken in a manner that minimises delays for patients and possible disruption of services.

c) To work within the framework of the hospital / agency’s service plan and/or levels of service (volume, types etc.) as determined by the Employer. Service planning for individual clinical services will be progressed through the Clinical Directorate structure or other arrangements as apply.

d) To co-operate with the expeditious implementation of the Disciplinary Procedure 

e) To formally review the execution of the Clinical Directorate Service Plan with the Clinical Director / Employer periodically. The Clinical Directorate Service Plan shall be reviewed periodically at the request of the Consultant or Clinical Director / Employer. The Consultant may initially seek internal review of the determinations of the Clinical Director regarding the Service Plan.

f) To participate in the development and operation of the Clinical Directorate structure and in such management or representative structures as are in place or being developed. The Consultant shall receive training and support to enable him/her to participate fully in such structures.

g) To provide, as appropriate, consultation in the Consultant’s area of designated expertise in respect of patients of other Consultants at their request.

h) To ensure in consultation with the Clinical Director that appropriate medical cover is available at all times having due regard to the implementation of the European Working Time Directive as it relates to doctors in training.

i) To supervise and be responsible for diagnosis, treatment and care provided by non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs) treating patients under the Consultant’s care.

j) To participate as a right and obligation in selection processes for non-Consultant Hospital Doctors and other staff as appropriate. The Employer will provide training as required. The Employer shall ensure that a Consultant representative of the relevant specialty / sub-specialty is involved in the selection process. 

k) To participate in clinical audit and proactive risk management and facilitate production of all data/information required for same in accordance with regulatory, statutory and corporate policies and procedures.

l) To participate in and facilitate production of all data/information required to validate delivery of duties and functions and inform planning and management of service delivery

Teaching Commitments

·       regular commitments to ward based teaching of undergraduates.

·       participation in the lecture programmes for 2^nd and 4^th & 5^th year medical students.

·       teaching of other groups as required including other specialty juniors and specialist nurses.

Job Plan

The duties described here are provisional and will be the subject of annual review and will form a composite part of the job plan which will be agreed between the post holder and the Chief Executive or nominated deputy.

A formal job plan will be agreed between the appointee, the Operational Medical Director and Lead General Paediatrics Consultant, on behalf of the Trust’s Medical Director, based on the provisional timetable. This will be signed by the Chief Executive and will be effective from the commencement date of the appointment.

It will be reviewed at 3 months & thereafter annually or at any time, but no less than 3 months after a previous review, as requested by the appointee, Operational Medical Director or Clinical Lead & adjusted accordingly to the agreement of both parties.

Please note that the job plan below is subject to change of configuration, PA’s and working hours, as the department expands as well as develops its inpatient and outpatient service models in line with the regional STP initiatives, local paediatric networks and national standards. 

A total of 10 programmed activities are worked with 7.5 in direct clinical care (DCC) and 2.5 as supporting professional activities (SPA). The department runs five different types of service weeks.

1. First on service week. This will be a one in 15.2 prospective cover week which covers the acute clinical service. This week starts on a Friday morning and runs for seven days. The first on service consultant works the weekend (24 hour cover Friday, 0830hrs – 1700hrs on Saturday and Sunday) and Monday to Thursday inclusive (0830hrs – 1700hrs), with colleagues covering the nights on weekdays, Sat and Sun. During a first on service week, all other commitments are cancelled. A handover takes place each morning (0830), attended by the on-call consultant. This is followed by a post-take ward round. On call is non-resident. Bank Holidays are shared by mutual arrangement. The average clinical commitment for these weeks is regarded as 16 DCC, which means that post holders are expected to work fewer PAs during the fourth type of week.

2. Complex care service week. This will be a one in 15.2 prospective cover week, with the complex care consultant working alongside the first on service week consultant, to provide consultant led acute medical care for inpatients.  The service week runs from 0830hrs – 1700hrs, Monday – Friday during summer. During this service, handover and ward rounds are attended, but it is expected that the clinical commitment is not as intense as the hot week. The average clinical commitment is regarded as 9 DCC and 1. 25 SPA. Outpatient clinics are also cancelled during this week.

3. Winter service week: This is to provide a third Consultant covering the acute service, from 0830hrs – 1700hrs, Monday – Friday, for 18 weeks during the busiest winter months (each post holder will work 1.5 weeks/year).

4. CDU weeks: These are 1 in 15.2 prospective cover weeks of Consultant delivered service for GP referred patients in the Clinical Decision Unit (CDU). The post holder will be working on CDU from 14 00 – 22 00 hours on two consecutive weeks: Mon - Wed during Week 1 and Thursday - Friday on Week 2.

5. Clinic week (Table 1): This is, effectively, the rest of the work for the remaining weeks of the year (assuming a total service provision for 42 weeks a year after leave, study leave, and public holidays) and involves on average at least 3 clinics per week, patient related administration and SPA. The commitments are adjusted to achieve an overall job total of 7.5 DCC and 2.5 SPA; in effect this means that the post holder is requested to work approximately 4.75 DCC and 3.25 SPA during these weeks. The post holder would be able to structure their administrative work flexibly with mutual support and agreement of colleagues and may find it possible to take flexible days off provided there is no cancellation of fixed commitments. It is expected that the post holder would join departmental initiatives to deliver clinics in the community and outside of traditional office hours; additional travel time and any evening working would be reflected in programmed activities.

Table 1 – clinic week job plan

On call: 1 in 15.2 prospective cover on call from 1700hrs - 0830hrs including weekends. (Category A low frequency).

Office Arrangements

The appointee is allocated secretarial support within the Department of General Paediatrics and will have office accommodation in the same department, with appropriate IT and administrative facilities and support.

Clinical Governance

The appointee will be expected to participate in all aspects of the Clinical Governance structure developed by the Trust to monitor, maintain and develop the quality and effectiveness of care.  The Trust is committed to the development of medical staff through individual professional development a framework for which is being systematically introduced. There is an expectation that all staff are involved in audit of personal clinical practice as well as the involvement in departmental/speciality reviews; that they should meet the requirements for Continuing Medical Education defined by the relevant Royal College (and for which appropriate study leave support will be available); be aware of professional standards, the responsibility to undertake safe and ethical clinical practice and the importance of responding promptly to any circumstances which may result in increased clinical risk or adverse outcome.  Funding is available for approved study leave as defined in the Trust’s study leave policy.

Cross-Cover for Clinical Duties with Colleagues

The appointee will be expected to provide cross-cover for colleagues during periods of leave and short term sickness absence.

Teaching

The post holder will be expected to contribute to undergraduate medical student teaching and to play a full role in postgraduate medical education within the department of General Paediatric.  Students have a week-long attachment to our team during which they attend ward rounds, handover, and teaching, and shadow junior doctors.

Requirements

This post is open to doctors who hold Registration as a Specialist in the Specialist Division of the Registrar of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council in Ireland in the specialty of Clinical and General Paediatrics.

Management Responsibility

All Consultants are required to attend the monthly Directorate Meetings. Post holders will be expected to share in administrative duties allocated by mutual agreement within the Directorate. As part of the Consultant Team, the consultant  will offer mentoring support and lead the existing clinical team through; joint clinics, one-to-one support, individual case management and complex cases, identifying development needs and suggesting CPD (Continuous Professional Development) opportunities and responding to clinical enquiries via e-mail and telephone.

If you are interested in working in growing your career and increasing your income, then talk to our healthcare team today. If you can fill the above requirements, we will give you the following benefits:

*** Visa & Work Permit for FREE!

*** Guidance, Training & Career Development

*** Dedicated & Supportive team- Consultant available when you need.

*** Excellent Basic Pay, Overtime paid for extra hours
***Assistance provided with relocation

We look forward to helping you progress your career and find you the ideal position.

Doctors Guide to working in the Republic of Ireland – Click here

Call us today on +44 (0) 1234 889213 to discuss this vacancy or email your CV to info@workplacedoctors.co.uk  or apply online today (see below).

***Please note due to the high number of applications, we do answer every application in turn.***