Consultant in Anaethesia with an Interest in Chronic Pain

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Consultant in Anaethesia with an Interest in Chronic Pain

The closing date is 05 November 2026

ConsultantAnaesthetist with an interest in Chronic Pain based at Darlington MemorialHospital (DMH), County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. A fantasticopportunity to continue your career in anaesthetics& chronic pain in a supportive andenthusiastic district general hospital with a focus on contiuity of care and ateam based approach.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the role are to provide consultant ledcare in intensive care medicine forpatients with in the hospital of a mixed medical and surgical take as well asundertake clincial sessions in anaesthesia across a range of district generalspecialities including trauma and emergency surgery.

On call commitment will be required to coverintensive care medicine only. This is afrequency of 1:12 and are based on evening daytime cover from 18:00 to 08:00and split day weekend 12 hour sessions from 08:00 to 20:00 plus additional weekendmorning cover to allow safe management of current unit patients and referrals.On Call for theatres and obstetrics is covered by the anaesthetic departmentwho maintain good communication and teamwork between all resident andnon-resident staff. Paediatric stabilisations are covered by both theatre andintensive care consultants to provide robust support, with the first responderresponsibility being shared on alternative weekly rota.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances ofsuccess.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Job responsibilities

Intensive care medicine and anaesthesia falls under the surgicalcare group specifically within the anaesthetic department at DarlingtonMemorial Hosptal with other anaesthetic sub-specialities including ChronicPain, Acute Pain, Pre-assessment and Day Surgery and obsterics. Care groupdirector for Anaesthetics, Theatres and Intensive Care Medicine is Dr JamesLimb (trust wide). The lead clinician for the anaesthetic department atDarlington Memorial Hospital is Dr Jothika Thimappa and the lead clinician forthe Intensive Care department is Dr Simone Carbert.

The successful applicant will primarily work at DMH but wedo provide anaesthetic cover for elective surgical lists at Bishop AuklandHospital. The anaesthetic departmentsculture is one of mutual respect with collective responsibility for theworkload within the hospital.

DMH intensive care admits approximately 580 patient per yearwith a mix of surgical and medical take.

DMH has an 11 bed combined ICU and high-dependency carelocated near the theatre suite. This unit is used flexibly between level 2 and3 beds. Three consultant sessions are allocated on each weekday to provide 15sessions over the week with a rota based on continuity of care.

At DMH site surgery is provided within 11 operating theatrescovering Community Dental, ENT (Day case), General Surgery (including majorcolorectal surgery, breast surgery and bariatric surgery), Orthopaedic andTrauma Surgery, Obstetric andGynaecological Surgery,Ophthalmology and Urology (Day case). Plastic surgery team is based at University Hospital North Durham. Regional Anaesthesia is well established andsupported by a regional fellow post and an acute pain team.

Emergency lists are provided in routine hours forOrthopaedic trauma, General surgery and Gynaecology, as well as an out ofhours emergency theatre. There is a Consultant-led pre-assessment servicewith weekly clinics including CPEXtesting. Anaesthesia for CT scanningand MRI services is available.

The majotiry of intensive care admissions are emergencysurgical patients and Monday to Thursday we have a PACU to provide Level 1 careof elevtice patients under the support of the surgical and anaesthetic teams.

There is an obstetric department, located on the 6th floorhas its own theatre with dedicated elective lists in the main theatre suite. Ananaesthetic nurse provides assistance for all theatre cases.

Medical department consisits of in house acute internalmedicine, cardiology, respiratory (including 6 bedded ARU), haematology, endocrinology,gastroenterology and care of the elderly. Outpatient dermatology, rheumatology and psychiatry will provide virtualand face to face consultations. Palliative care provide face to face support with a team of consutlantand specialist nurses.

Consultant led RaCI plus nurse led IV, renal outreach andAcute Intervention Teams (critical care inreach) support our work. Weekend work is completed as part of the outof hours commitment with 12 hour shifts. The majority of specialist support is provided via in house referrals withotherwise good relations with our tertiary referral hospitals. Renal and neurology specialities based atJames Cook University Hospital provide in house reviews. Our consultant group form a supportive teamand recent appointments include a job share with James Cook Hospital and withAcute Internal Medicine. Trust widecollaboration between the intensive care units and specialist support withinthe trust occurs with regular Critical Care Delivery Group meetings chaired bythe Clinical Director for Anaesthetics and Critical Care.

At the weekend there are dedicated consultants who covercritical care and orthopaedic trauma lists during daytime hours, as well asother theatre emergencies.

Consultants and Speciality Doctors are actively encouragedto support the weekly DMH teaching programme and attend our regualar M&Mand clinical governance sessions.

MAIN DUTIES ANDRESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder will undertake clinical work in conjunctionwith their clinical colleagues (24 Consultants, 9 specialty / specialistdoctors and an average of 13 trainees) and other professional staff in order tomaintain and develop the intensive care service and develop specialist skillsin accordance with the needs of the department.

The postholder will have a continuing responsibility for the care of patients in their charge and will contribute to the proper functioning of the department ofAnaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine. Furthermore, the post holder will berequired to undertake administrative duties directly associated with the careof patients. The post holder will supervise junior medical staff and haveresponsibility to ensure continuing patient care at all times. For managementpurposes, the post holder will be accountable to the Lead Clinician forensuring the effective and efficient use of resources allocated.

The postholder will have scheduled activity with regular sessions, fixed continuityweeks and some flexible sessions. SPA activity will be timetabled within theweekly job plan but can be completed flexibily and diarised for review. Duringsome working weeks, flexibility in the ratio of DCC:SPA may be requiredalthough SPA time will always be paid back. As additional responsibilitiesare acquired, the number of SPAs may alter with remuneration agreed through thejob planning process.

The postholder must possess a UK driving license and be able to present for scheduledlist start times as required by the Trust.

The postholder will be expected to participate in teaching.

Researchand clinical audit activities, which are considered to be an integral part ofnormal duties, will be encouraged. Research funding may be available followingsuccessful application to local committees.

The postholder will be encouraged and supported to develop services, courses and toundertake innovation.

The postholder will be expected to deputise in the absence of colleagues.

Thepost-holder will be expected to perform additional duties in emergency andunforeseen circumstances as are essential for continuity of patient care.

The postholder will be responsible for the professional management and supervision ofjunior medical staff. The post holder will be expected to receive training andparticipate in educational and clinical supervision.

The postholder will be expected to participate in clinical governance arrangements inline with national and local guidelines.

If you areinvolved in the care of a patient who subsequently initiates a claim againstthe Trust you will be expected to provide, free of charge, an opinion andstatement of facts about the case.

PROPOSED TIMETABLE AND JOB PLAN

A formal job plan will be agreed between the appointee and theirClinical Director within 3-6 months, andapproved by the Medical Director. The job plan will then be reviewed annuallyin accordance with the Trust policy on Consultant Job Planning.

Each session is 5.25 hours. Remuneration is 1.313 PAs perworking session (which includes pre andpost ward round care).

Person Specification

Statutory Registration

• Full registration with GMC.
• Specialist Registration with the GMC in Anaesthesia
• Applicants should have attained or be within 6 months of CCT date
• Evidence of adherence to appraisal and GMC revalidation processes
• Applicants are required to be fully registered with a licence to practise with the GMC and either on, or within 6 months of entry onto the Specialist Register on the date of interview
• If applying for Full GMC Registration & Licence to Practice simultaneously with a CESR application, supporting documentary evidence must be provided at interview, to confirm an application has been submitted & is under consideration by the GMC
• Specialist Registration with the GMC in Intensive Care Medicine

Special Requirements

• Ability to innovate and develop services
• Willingness to undertake additional professional duties to develop the division and the Trust
• A commitment to developing Intensive Care Medicine within the Trust

Special Skills & Knowledge

• Clinical skills appropriate for a Consultant in Anaesthesia with an Interest in Intensive Care Medicine
• Ability to train at the bedside and in classroom settings
• Experience of supervising trainees
• Ability to organise and prioritise own work
• Ability to delegate appropriately to trainee / non-consultant career grade anaesthetists
• An understanding of the importance of research
• A recognised qualification in post-graduate teaching
• Feedback from delivered teaching demonstrating high quality delivery
• Formal training in management and demonstrable administrative skills
• Evidence of completion of management projects

Experience

• Experience in providing intenisve care medicine in the patient population and specialities supported at Darlington Memorial Hospital
• Experience of a significant quality improvement project and a good knowledge of the principles of clinical governance
• Evidence demonstrating commitment to clinical audit with implemented outcomes benefiting patients
• Publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals and academic awards

Qualifications

• MBBS, MBChB or equivalent
• FRCA
• ALS, ATLS, APLS/EPLS or other complimentary qualification
• FFICM / EDIC

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

£113,565 to £150,569 a yearYC72 Pay Scale per annum pro rata