Consultant Histopathologist

Company Description

Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we are proud to provide expert, compassionate care for our local population. We are ranked as the third in the country for research, embedding education and training across the organisation. Our main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals on the south coast employing over 8,700 staff.

Our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for getting it right for patients, colleagues, and our community, you will find a home at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.

Job Description

Job Summary:

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS University Trust is seeking a Consultant Cellular Pathologist to join the existing team of 17 Consultants and 3 Specialist Doctors, supporting a wider Histopathology team including two Consultant Biomedical Scientists (who are also Advanced Dissection Practitioners), a further 3 qualified Dissection Practitioners, including 2 now undertaking further specialist training in breast and GI, and 1 Dissection Practitioner in training.

We are a team proud of the service we provide to our patients and the surrounding areas, performing specialist reporting of all major cancer resections, renal and liver biopsies, as well as a wide range of complex and routine specimens. 

We take a collaborative approach to working, with a “pool” that is “pulled” alongside specialist reporting. An interest in breast, skin and possibly GI is desirable, but we are a flexible department.

We also understand the importance of development, and we promise opportunities for candidates to develop specialist interests within the team, including developing academic links with the University of Portsmouth. Due to the Southern Counties Pathology Network, there are management opportunities within Pathology for those interested.

Over recent years we have seen significant investment in our infrastructure – with all laboratory equipment being replaced in the last year as part of a network wide managed service contract. Voice recognition is in use, and our LIMS is being updated as part of a major project to advance the Southern Counties Pathology Network.

The Histopathology team here at Portsmouth are excited to be implementing digital pathology as part of a network-wide initiative with state-of-the-art scanners installed and increased opportunities for homeworking on the horizon. We are searching for a Consultant ready to work with us in developing our vision.

There is no commitment to performing post-mortems in this post, however, we would happily support those interested in contributing to leading this service, specifically by providing DCC time for supervising trainees.

Ideally, you will have full GMC registration and be on the specialist register, or within 6 months of being included. You will also be a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists or have completed a period of training and education in Histopathology, recognised by the GMC.

Here at Portsmouth, we understand the importance of working flexibly and so would welcome both full time and part time applications. 

Key Responsibilities:

There is one position available, to join our existing team of 17 Consultants and 3 Specialist Doctors.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the dissection and reporting of the cases of chosen specialist areas. There may also be a requirement to report non specialist general cases. An interest in breast and skin pathology is advantageous.

The PHU Histopathology service receives requests that cover a wide spectrum of pathology including: General Surgery, Colorectal (including Bowel Cancer Screening), Breast (also Breast Screening cases), Dermatology, Respiratory, Head and Neck, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Endocrine, Orthopaedics, Diagnostic and Transplant Renal Biopsies, Soft Tissue Tumours, Urology and Endoscopic and CT guided biopsies. Approximately 22% of the requests are received from General Practitioners with approximately 78% of requests being generated from within the Trust.

The Cytology workload includes pleural, ascitic and synovial fluids, gastrointestinal, bronchial and biliary tract brushings, sputa, EBUS and EUS aspirates, fine needle aspirates of breast, lymph node, thyroid, salivary gland, ovarian cysts, intra-abdominal masses and soft tissue tumours, urine and CSF cytology. A rapid reporting service is provided by three Head and Neck Pathologists for the one-stop neck lump clinic.

The appointee will be expected to participate in multidisciplinary team meetings in their chosen areas of specialist interest.

There is a frozen section service for all specialities, and the successful candidate may be asked to participate in a daily ‘duty’ rota with other pathologists to cover frozen sections and unexpected clinical enquiries. 

An essential requirement of this post is for the successful candidate to be able to interact and work successfully as part of a team in Cellular Pathology and as a member of a wider multidisciplinary team. 

The appointee will have the opportunity to participate in the post-mortem rota at Queen Alexandra Hospital and there will be full and equal opportunity to perform post-mortems for HM Coroner subject to approval by the Coroner if they wish, however, there is no commitment to perform post-mortems.

Teaching and supervision of trainee pathologists is a requirement of this post, and the appointees will be expected to contribute to regular combined Cellular Pathology teaching meetings. Currently the department has four trainees on rotation from Wessex Training School and additional trainees may come to Portsmouth to undertake short attachments.  In addition, there may be opportunities to teach on the Wessex Cellular Pathology Course held in Southampton or contribute to the Histopathology Training School in Southampton. The department support Pathologists to develop essential skills to become a trainer.

Appointees will be required to participate in relevant EQA schemes including the Wessex General Histopathology EQA scheme, a yearly performance review, and to register with a Continuing Professional Development Scheme, e.g. Royal College of Pathologists Scheme.

The department is keen to support any candidate with a desire to develop leadership and management skills by offering the opportunity to take on a clinical lead role, giving a chance to make a real difference and shape the future direction of the service.

Please click here for the full Job description. 

Qualifications

Qualifications

• Full and specialist registration (and a licence to practise) with the General Medical Council (GMC) (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)
• Applicants that are UK trained must ALSO be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview
• Applicants that are non-UK trained, will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT.
• FRCPath or show evidence of equivalent
• MBBS, MBChB or equivalent

Clinical Experience

• Training and wide experience in diagnostic pathology, sufficient to practice independently.
• Ability to work within multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to negotiate and innovate would be desirable.
• Publications, prizes and honours are desirable.
• Able to organise oneself and prioritise clinical need.
• Understanding of NHS, clinical governance and principles of research.
• Evidence of participation in audit
• Good communication skills, written and oral.

Skills & Knowledge

• Good knowledge of and ability to use both spoken and written English.
• Ability to communicate.
• Ability to work effectively with good time management skills, able to prioritise clinical need.
• Ability to take responsibility and provide leadership where appropriate.
• Ability to work in a team environment and to develop effective working relationships on an individual and multidisciplinary basis with all levels of staff.
• Understanding of clinical risk management
• Able to demonstrate appropriate level of clinical knowledge

Other

• Participation in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and where relevant, evidence of participation.
• Knowledge and use of evidence-based practice
• Knowledge of audit, governance and clinical research
• IT skills
• Effective, confident presentation ability
• Logical thinking, problem solving and decision making.

Additional Information

The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and DisAbility, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.   

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs.