About this role
Job summary
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Specialty Doctor to join our dynamic and supportive Palliative Care Team.
This is a permanent post offering up to 6 PAs, with flexibility in how sessions are worked -- typically across three days per week. There is no on-call requirement, making this an ideal role for clinicians seeking a balanced and sustainable working pattern.
You will join a well-established multidisciplinary team delivering high-quality palliative and end of life care across Somerset, working collaboratively to support patients and their families.
Why Join Us?
This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your skills and experience in palliative medicine within a supportive and forward-thinking environment. You will contribute to service delivery while also engaging in service development, audit, and quality improvement activities.
Teaching and Development
Education is central to the role. You will actively contribute to teaching:
Medical students from Bristol and Peninsula Medical Schools
Postgraduate doctors in training
Nursing and allied health professionals
This is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference while benefiting from flexibility, support, and professional development.
Main duties of the job
Specialist patient care - Work collaboratively with Consultants and the wider multidisciplinary team to review and manage patients with specialist palliative and end of life care needs within Musgrove Park Hospital (MPH).
Interprofessional communication - Communicate effectively with colleagues in referring specialties, ensuring timely information sharing and coordinated patient care.
Holistic care approach - Promote and model a holistic approach to patient and family care, addressing physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.
Outpatient support - Participate in outpatient clinics as required to support earlier intervention and continuity of care for patients with palliative needs.
Service development - Contribute proactively to service development, quality improvement initiatives, and ongoing evaluation of clinical pathways.
Education and supervision - Deliver teaching and supervision to medical students, postgraduate doctors in training, nursing staff, and allied health professionals as part of the team's educational programme.
End of life care planning - Support the implementation and ongoing development of Somerset's individualised endoflife care planning processes.
About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:
Flexible working options to help you balance work and lifeNHS pension scheme for long-term financial securityGenerous annual leave allowance to recharge and relaxA strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potentialAdditionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Job description Job responsibilities
We seek a colleague to play a key role in the delivery of a visionary single palliative medicine service. The service serves a catchment population of approx. 430,000 which reflects the current St Margaret's Hospice footprint. There is an expectation of partnership working with other hospices, including Dorothy House and Weston Hospice care in serving those respective populations. Patients are empowered earlier in their journey and are cared for in the place of their choice, where possible.
This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic Specialty Doctor to join Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and play an integral role in the delivery and ongoing development of high-quality palliative care services.
The post holder will be actively involved in service development, contributing through both direct participation and supervised audit activity. This will include evaluating current practices, identifying areas for improvement, and supporting the implementation of changes that enhance patient care and service efficiency. Alongside audit work, the successful candidate will participate in quality improvement initiatives, using established methodologies to drive innovation and continuous service enhancement within a supportive multidisciplinary environment.
Education is a key component of this role, and the post holder will be expected to make a meaningful contribution to the established teaching programme. This includes supporting the education and development of medical students from Bristol and Peninsula Medical Schools, as well as postgraduate doctors in training. In addition, the role involves contributing to the learning and development of nursing staff and allied health professionals, helping to foster a culture of shared learning and professional growth across the service.
The role provides an excellent opportunity to develop clinical, educational, and leadership skills within a collaborative and forward-thinking team, while making a meaningful difference to patient care.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Registered Medical Practitioner with a GMC Licence to practice. Medical Degree
Desirable
Higher Medical Degree Diploma in Palliative Medicine
Experience Essential
A minimum of 6 months postgraduate experience in palliative medicine. Ability to offer clinical opinion on a range of problems in palliative medicine, including non-cancer patients. Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team Experience of applying principles of adult education or quality improvement Ability to apply research outcomes to clinical problems Knowledge / experience of primary care sector Ability to take full and independent responsibility for clinical care of patients. Knowledge of responsibilities of doctors as set out in Good Medical Practice Knowledge of Evidence Based Medicine and clinical effectiveness
Additional Criteria Essential
Please see full job description for the essential and desirable criterions required to undertake this position
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 Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Address Musgrove Park Hospital
Musgrove Road
Taunton
Somerset
TA1 5DA
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)