Paediatric Rheumatology Substantive Consultant

Job overview

Applications are invited to apply for the above post for the Department of Paediatric Rheumatology at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The post-holder will join a well-established multidisciplinary team, providing a comprehensive paediatric rheumatology and chronic pain service for the Thames Valley and surrounding region. The appointee will have the opportunity to work closely with consultants and allied professionals from the Children's Hospital Oxford, as well as a number of other DGH's throughout the region. There are close links with the adult rheumatology service. The appointee will also be part of the regional Chronic Pain service providing a comprehensive out-patient and intensive day case service to young people and families from across the region and beyond.

We are looking for innovative and enthusiastic Consultants with appropriate clinical and leadership abilities. Candidates should have experience of managing complex autoinflammation and hyperinflammation to help expand this aspect of the service. The post holder will be fully supported by a busy and friendly department and will be encouraged to take part in research and academic development. Close links to the University of Oxford provide an excellent opportunity to develop research interests in a variety of areas.

Main duties of the job

Applications are invited from candidates with appropriate training and experience for the post of Consultant in Paediatric Rheumatology at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 10 PA, primarily working at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre for outpatient-based care. Inpatient and acute care is provided with support from paediatric services at the Oxford Children's Hospital based at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

The post-holder will join the current consultant team of Paediatric Rheumatology consultants and a well-established clinical team working in the key areas of Paediatric Rheumatology and Chronic Pain. Candidates for this post should have experience managing complex autoinflammation and hyperinflammation to help expand this aspect of the service.

This appointment is on a pro-rata full-time basis, collectively providing 3.15 whole time equivalent consultants at this Paediatric Rheumatology and Chronic Pain tertiary centre.

Oxford is recognised as an NHS England designated provider of tertiary paediatric rheumatology specialist services (OXPARC), established in 2004, providing a secondary and tertiary care service for much of Thames Valley. Additional specialist services provided include a skeletal dysplasia service, sports medicine and autoinflammatory clinic. The service includes the Oxford Children and Young People's Chronic Pain (OXCYPP) service.

Working for our organisation

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.

In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment. If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.

Person specification

Professional qualifications

Essential criteria

• GMC registration and active licence to practise
• MBChB or equivalent
• MRCPCH or equivalent
• On the GMC's Specialist Register, having obtained CCT (including where the CCT date is within 6 months of the scheduled AAC interview date), OR having obtained Portfolio Pathway (formerly CESR) approval, at the point of application

Desirable criteria

• Higher medical degree MSc
• Higher medical degree PhD or MD

Professional training

Essential criteria

• Certificate of completion of training (CCT) or equivalent in paediatrics
• Completion of competencies for sub-specialty training in paediatric rheumatology or equivalent
• APLS, BLS or equivalent in date
• Valid level 3 or equivalent safeguarding training

Desirable criteria

• Clinical academic or research fellowship in a major UK centre or UK accredited equivalent
• Management qualification

Work experience

Essential criteria

• Comprehensive experience in Paediatrics and Paediatric rheumatology within a tertiary paediatric rheumatology centre
• Experience in adolescent transition and/or young adult rheumatology services
• Competence in performing independent intra-articular steroid injections under local and general anaesthesia
• Experience in prescribing and monitoring complex immunomodulatory, biologic therapies etc
• Experience managing complex patients requiring multi-specialty input, including those needing intensive care support
• Experience in conducting autoinflammatory disease clinics and managing complex autoinflammatory conditions

Desirable criteria

• Experience working as a locum or substantive Consultant in Paediatric Rheumatology in the UK
• Experience working in additional tertiary paediatric rheumatology centres within established clinical networks in the UK
• Experience in a clinical laboratory setting affiliated with paediatric rheumatology services
• Experience conducting chronic pain clinics independently or working within a major paediatric pain centre
• Experience conducting outreach clinics independently
• Experience conducting skeletal dysplasia MDT clinics
• Experience conducting joint or specialised multidisciplinary clinics with infectious diseases and immunology

Level of responsibility

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable ability to make independent, high-level clinical decisions at consultant level and to manage complex clinical cases

Leadership skills

Essential criteria

• Evidence of leadership in clinical and management setting

Desirable criteria

• Leadership experience in regional or national project
• Leadership qualification

Organisation and management skills

Essential criteria

• Effective administrative and time management skills. Experience in clinical management

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of additional management responsibilities

Professional - extra skills or achievements

Essential criteria

• Evidence of significant contribution to successful teamwork and service improvement

Communication and interpersonal skills

Essential criteria

• Good spoken and written English. Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills. Able to communicate well with children, parents and teams

Desirable criteria

• Demonstrable evidence of effective and collaborative working with multidisciplinary team (MDT) colleagues

Teaching and training skills

Essential criteria

• Experience of formal and informal contribution to teaching and training

Research skills

Essential criteria

• Experience in recruiting and contributing to research studies and clinical trials
• GCP or equivalent training

Desirable criteria

• Presentations at national and international meetings
• Peer reviewed publications

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job description and Personal Specification (PDF, 496.3KB)