About this role
Job summary
Specialty Doctor in Palliative Medicine
Duchess of Kent Hospice / South East Community Palliative Care Service
Part Time 6 PAs per week (+ 1.2 PA on-call)
£61,542 - £99,216 per annum WTE (pro rata for part time)
About us
Sue Ryder is a national charity and one of the UKs leading providers of specialist palliative care, supporting people through the most difficult times of their lives.
Our multidisciplinary teams work across inpatient, community and hospital settings to deliver high-quality, compassionate care. This role sits within a consultant-led service working closely with partners including the Royal Berkshire Hospital to support patients across Berkshire West and South Oxfordshire.
Main duties of the job
About the job
We are seeking an enthusiastic Specialty Doctor to join our well-established palliative care team.
This varied role includes working across the Duchess of Kent Hospice inpatient unit and the South East Community Team, with a mix of clinical responsibilities including patient review, triage of referrals, community visits, and supporting advice services.
You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver specialist palliative care, contribute to teaching and supervision, and participate in the on-call rota. Flexibility is required to support different areas of the service depending on clinical need.
About us
About you
You will be a motivated doctor with a strong interest in palliative medicine and experience in a relevant specialty. You will be confident managing complex patients, working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, and delivering compassionate, patient-centred care.
You will have excellent communication skills, the ability to prioritise workload effectively, and a commitment to ongoing professional development.
Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
At Sue Ryder, we recognise that a diverse workforce allows us to provide the best care and support. We are committed to encouraging equity, diversity and inclusion among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination.
We welcome applications from all backgrounds and provide inclusive recruitment practices to support all candidates.
If you want more than just a job, we want you.
Join us and be there when it matters.
Job description Job responsibilities
This level of experience is generally required for a Specialty Doctor post, however, we will consider keen applicants with less postgraduate experience.
This post generally rotates six monthly, between the inpatient beds at Duchess of Kent Hopsice, and the South East community palliative care team, covering Berkshire West and South Oxfordshire, however, this may change depending on staffing / the needs of the service.
There is an expectation that the post-holder will have the flexibility to cover other parts of the service (detailed below) occasionally, depending on clinical need.
The post is comprised of 6PAs per week (plus 1.2PA on call) over Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, however, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss the potential for flexibility regarding the number of sessions / days worked with interested candidates.
The Department of Palliative Medicine
The Sue Ryder teams work closely with the Royal Berkshire Hospital palliative care team, to provide specialist inpatient and community palliative care for patients in West Berkshire, and South Oxfordshire.
The present medical staffing is as follows:
Dr Hannah Western, Consultant and Clinical Lead:
- South East Community Team
Dr Sam Krauze, Consultant:
- South East Community Team
- Royal Berkshire Hospital
Dr Annabel Borthwick, Consultant:
- South East Community Team
- Royal Berkshire Hospital
Dr Emilia Moretto, Consultant:
- Duchess of Kent Hospice
- South East Community Team
Dr Sophie Price, Consultant:
- Duchess of Kent Hospice
- South East Community Team
Dr Sorayya Alam, Consultant (Locum):
- South East Community Team
- West Berkshire Community Hospital
Dr Mareike Broecker, Specialty Doctor:
- South East Community Team
Dr Charlotte Tasker, Specialty Doctor:
- South East Community Team
Specialty Registrar rotates annually
IMT3 - rotates six-monthly
F2 rotates four-monthly
There are well developed multi-disciplinary teams working across all settings, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and a wellbeing service.
Duchess of Kent Hospice, Reading
The inpatient unit in Reading consists of ten beds, in individual rooms, all of which have access to the gardens.
South East Community Team, Theale and Preston Crowmarsh
The community services covering Berkshire West and South Oxfordshire are based in BizSpace, Theale, and Battle Barns, Preston Crowmarsh. They operate between 8AM and 8PM seven days a week, as well as running a 24hr CNS advice line. The community service also runs a virtual ward, and provide care through their Hospice at Home service.
West Berkshire Community Hospital, Thatcham
There are up to eight inpatient palliative care beds, over two wards within West Berkshire Community Hospital. These include three enhanced Rainbow Rooms providing end of life care.
Wallingford Community Hospital, Wallingford
There are two inpatient beds, managed in collaboration with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, in Wallingford Community Hospital.
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
The hospital palliative care team in based in the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, and is led by a nurse consultant, supported by medical consultants, palliative care CNSs / nurses, occupational therapists and a counsellor. The team operates between 8AM and 4PM seven days a week.
The appointment
The post-holder is expected to maintain their professional development in line with the guidance laid down by the Royal College of Physicians or Royal College of General Practitioners. They are expected to undergo annual appraisal.
The responsible officer for the post-holder is the Sue Ryder Medical Director, Dr Paul Perkins. Managerially, the post-holder will be responsible to the consultants at the South Oxfordshire Palliative Care Hub, as well as the Hospice Director.
Study leave is available with a supporting budget.
Principle duties
In association with other members of the team:
- To assist with triage of new referrals to the service
- To assist with responding to calls into the service providing advice and triaging appropriately using the resources available to you both within the service, as well as those provided externally
- To undertake urgent reviews of patients, both at home or as an outpatient
- To review patients under the care of the team in Wallingford Community Hospital
- To cooperate with other members of the multi-disciplinary team in ensuring ongoing optimum symptom control for patients, taking into account the physical, psycho-social and spiritual elements of those symptoms
- To cooperate with the other members of the multi-disciplinary team in the support of relatives and carers of patients
- To maintain accurate and comprehensive records
- To cross cover the Duchess of Kent inpatient unit, and other parts of the service, as necessary (including for leave / illness)
- To provide a first on call service for the inpatient unit
- To contribute to the teaching and supervision of the junior medical team, as well as other staff groups
Education and training
The post-holder will be expected to participate in the hospice education programme, including the journal club and sessions for resident doctors. The post-holder will be required to participate in all mandatory training sessions as required. There are opportunities for the post-holder to become engaged in a range of educational activities for colleagues of all disciplines.
Clinical governance
The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to medical audit, quality improvement projects and clinical governance.
Proposed job plan
Although all doctors within the service work to the framework of a job plan, there is a longstanding culture within the department where colleagues cross-cover sessions in most areas when necessary, to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the department.
Duchess of Kent Hospice:
Mon
AM
09:00 Handover
09:30 Consultant Ward Round
PM
13:00 Ward work / clerking of new admissions
Wed
AM
09:00 Handover
09:30 Specialty Doctor ward round
PM
13:00 Ward work / clerking of new admissions
Thu
AM
09:00 SPA
11:00 Ward MDT
PM
13:00 Consultant Ward Round
16:00 Ward work / clerking of new admissions
South East Community Team:
Mon
AM
09:00 Virtual Ward Handover
09:30 West MDT
10:30 Community Visits / Outpatient Appointments
PM
13:00 Community Visits / Outpatient Appointments
16:00 Patient Administration
Wed
AM
09:00 Virtual Ward Handover
09:30 West MDT
10:30 Community Visits / Outpatient Appointments
PM
13:00 Community Visits / Outpatient Appointments
16:00 Patient Administration
Thu
AM
09:00 Virtual Ward Handover
09:30 SPA
PM
13:00 Community Visits / Outpatient Appointments
16:00 Patient Administration
Other information
The list of duties and responsibilities given is not an exhaustive list and the post-holder may be asked to undertake other duties in line with the overall purpose of the post as required by the Clinical Lead from time to time.
The successful candidate will be required to comply with pre-employment checks prior to taking up the appointment. Referees are required upon application - one must be a current employer. References are required to cover a minimum of the last three years employment. An enhanced disclosure and barring check will be undertaken for this role.
Interested candidates may visit the service by arrangement.
For further information, or to arrange a visit, please contact Charlotte Passman (Medical Secretary) on 0330 053 6092, or email either Dr Hannah Western ([email protected]), or Dr Sam Krauze ([email protected]).
Person specification
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
Full GMC registration
Additional qualifications in Palliative Medicine
MRCP or equivalent
Clinical experience
Completed core / internal medical training, or training in general practice
Experience in Palliative Medicine
Academic
Evidence of active involvement in audit
Understanding of clinical governance
Evidence of a good knowledge base of clinical research processes, and ability to utilise evidence based practice
Management skills
Able to organise oneself and prioritise clinical workload
IT skills, especially use of databases
Teaching skills
Evidence of education expertise and experience
Experience of using reflection on practice incidents and the ability to learn from incidents
Communication and interpersonal skills
Evidence of effective team working
Caring attitude to patients
Excellent communication skills
Excellent interpersonal skills
Physical requirements
Meets professional health requirements
Other
Full driving licence
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Full GMC registration Minimum of four years postgraduate medical training or working towards this Experience in a relevant specialty e.g. general medicine, GP training Ability to manage clinical workload and prioritise effectively Strong communication and teamworking skills Full UK driving licence
Desirable
MRCP or equivalent Experience in palliative medicine Involvement in audit, quality improvement or clinical governance Teaching or supervision experience development opportunities
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Sue Ryder
Address Sue Ryder
Duchess of Kent Hospice
Leibenrood Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG30 2DX
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.sueryder.org (Opens in a new tab)