Advertised role location: ROYAL VICTORIA HOSPITAL
Official document: Consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology JD Aug 26 (pdf)
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JOB DESCRIPTION
POST: Consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology
LOCATION: Department of Neurosciences
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
REPORTS TO: The Clinical Director, Neurosciences
RESPONSIBLE TO: The Chief Executive
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Belfast Health Care Trust
The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust was established in April 2007 and comprises the
Belfast City Hospital, Mater Hospital, Musgrave Park Hospital, Royal Hospitals and South
and East Belfast, and North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trusts.
Hospital Profiles
Musgrave Park Hospital is the Regional Orthopaedic Unit for Northern Ireland. The
Musgrave Park Regional Orthopaedic Service is the largest in the British Isles with 29
consultant orthopaedic surgeons and staff. On site is the Queen’s University of Belfast’s
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery which is the largest academic unit in Orthopaedics in
the British Isles with an international reputation and an extensive research output.
The Royal Group of Hospitals is the largest hospital complex in Northern Ireland,
comprising the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital (RJMH), the
Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) and the School of Dentistry. It provides
virtually all referral services in Northern Ireland and undoubtedly the vast majority of local
research. Major re-developments of the Royal Group of Hospitals are underway, which
includes the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. A new Critical care Building with ED
and theatres is due to open in May 2013. The Royal Hospitals play a major role in clinical
education, training and research, with most academic departments linked to the Queen’s
University of Belfast Medical School on the Royal Hospital’s complex – medicine, surgery,
ophthalmology, child health, obstetrics and gynaecology, and pathology.

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Belfast City Hospital (BCH) is a major teaching hospital, most of which is housed within
the Tower (opened in 1985). The Northern Ireland Cancer Centre opened on the campus
in March 2006. A strong strategic focus on molecular medicine, cancer and renal services
has enabled the development of a vigorous research programme, together with a large
Cancer Clinical Trials Unit. There is a modern radiology department and substantial AHP
Services (e.g. Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language
Therapy, Nutrition & Dietetics, etc.) and a comprehensive range of pathology.
The Mater Hospital is a long established general hospital with teaching status affiliated to
the Queen’s University of Belfast. A new state of the art ward block, the McAuley Building,
was opened in January 2002. The X-Ray Department is sited in the Dempsey Building,
which was opened in 1991. The Dempsey Building also houses the Accident & Emergency
Department, the Operating Theatres, the Intensive Care/High Dependency Unit, the
Outpatient Department and the Maternity Unit. The main Psychiatric Unit occupies a
separate building next to the Dempsey Building. There is also a Psychiatric Day Hospital
on a separate site, approximately one mile from the main hospital.
A summary of the services across the different hospitals is provided in the table below:
Site General Services Specialist Services
Musgrave Park Hospital
Anaesthesia
Pain Management
Regional Orthopaedic unit
Rheumatology
Rehabilitation
Regional Acquired brain
injury unit
Care of the elderly unit
Royal Hospitals
Emergency Department
Acute & General Medicine
Anaesthesia (including
critical care)
Pain Management
Recognised trauma centre
Paediatrics (RBHSC)
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
(Royal Jubilee Maternity
Hospital)
School of Dentistry
Regional services include:
neurosciences,
medical and surgical
cardiology,
thoracic surgery,
ophthalmology and
specialised endocrinology,
ENT,
general surgery, vascular
surgery, hepatology
Belfast City Hospital ED (temporarily closed) Adult Cystic Fibrosis
Acute & General Medicine Breast Services (including
Anaesthesia (including reconstructive surgery)
critical care) Cardiology
Pain Management Cochlear Implant Service

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Gynaecology &
Gynaecological Oncology
Haematology
Haemophilia Service
Medical Genetics
Medical Oncology
Nephrology (including
Renal Dialysis)
Radiotherapy
Respiratory Medicine
Transplant Surgery
Urology
Mater Hospital
A&E
Acute & General Medicine
Anaesthesia (including
critical care)
Pain Management
Surgical specialties,
including Hepatobiliary,
Ophthalmic and ENT
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Psychiatry
The Belfast HSC Trust functions through a series of Directorates.
Neurosciences forms part of the Unscheduled Care Services grouping.
Neurosciences Service Information
The Regional Neurosciences Unit is based at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast and
provides a full range of services for the population of Northern Ireland of 1.8 million. It is
part of the Unscheduled Care Services Directorate of the Belfast Health and Social Care
Trust.
The adult Neurology Unit contains 16 beds, with a further 2 bed for video telemetry. The
Neurosurgery Unit has 34 beds.
There is a very close liaison with the Neurology and Neurosurgery Departments.
There are paediatric neurologists based in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

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The Neuroradiology Department is part of the Imaging Centre which has recently been
opened. This has a full range of radiological services including MRI, DSA, and CAT and
DAT scanning.
Work of the Department
There are 15 Consultant Neurologists all of whom have developed special interests and
expertise in such areas as Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology, Movement
disorders, Cognitive Disorders and Stroke. The Consultant Neurologists are as follows:
Dr J Craig
Dr G McDonnell
Dr P McMonagle
Dr S Hunt
Dr E Campbell
Dr K Doherty
Dr S Hughes
Dr T Peukert
Dr S Kearney
Dr J McKinley
Dr M Kinney
Dr F Kennedy
Dr L Best
Dr R Kee
Dr R Robinson
There are around 14,000 adult Neurology outpatient attendances per annum at Belfast,
and 3,000 inpatients and day cases. In Paediatric Neurology annual outpatient
attendances are around 1,400 and 200 inpatients.
TheConsultant Neurosurgeons provide a regional service to the people of Northern Ireland:
Mr M Shanmuganathan
Mr T Flannery
Mr A Abouharb
Mr N Simms
Ms N Johnston
Mr N Peev
Mr P Weir
Mr J Poots
Mr T Hirst

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There are over 4,000 adult Neurosurgery outpatient attendances per annum, and 1,500
inpatients and day cases. There are around 400 Paediatric Neurosurgery outpatients per
annum and 180 inpatients and day cases.
There arecurrently three locum Consultant Neurophysiologists who have Regional
responsibility for the service which includes electroencephalography, video telemetry,
evoked responses, nerve conduction studies, electromyography, ambulatory monitoring
and sleep studies.
Neurophysiology services are provided within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust at
the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) and the RBHSC. The Neurophysiology Department
currently employs 7.8 whole time equivalent (WTE) Clinical Physiologists and the
Department is supported by 3.5 whole time equivalent administrative/secretarial staff.
Research and audit is actively undertaken and encouraged within the Neurophysiology
Service.
The regional respiratory intensive care unit is near to the Neurology Department and
provides facilities for patients requiring ventilatory support.

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JOB SUMMARY/MAIN PURPOSE:
The main duty of the consultant will be the provision with consultant colleagues of a clinical
neurophysiology service in Northern Ireland with responsibility for the diagnosis and
treatment of neurological conditions and the proper functioning of the department.
Main Duties/Responsibilities
1. Responsible for patients referred to the unit for investigation and treatment in the
hospital wards and outpatient clinics.
2. Attends his/her outpatient sessions and is responsible for the appropriate
management of these patients, either within the hospital or advising the referring
practitioners on appropriate care.
3. May be required to consult in various areas of the hospital outside the
Neurophysiology Department and other hospitals within Northern Ireland.
4. Is expected to share in the management of other Consultants’ patients in their
absence, e.g. annual leave, study leave or sick leave.
5. Undertakes the administrative duties associated with the care of his/her patients
and in the running of the Clinical Department.
6. Actively participates in the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students,
including Nursing and Professions Allied to Medicine.
7. Participates in Departmental Audit Meetings and Postgraduate Conferences.
Managerial Responsibilities
The post holder will:
• undertake administrative duties associated with the care of his/her patients and
the running of the department in conjunction with colleagues
• be expected to be involved in the planning, implementation and management of
the neurophysiology services
• may be required to undertake, from time to time, various management roles in
relation to the activities of the specialty and the Belfast Trust
• Delegate appropriate responsibility and authority to the level of staff within his/her
control, consistent with effective decision making, while retaining overall
responsibility and accountability for results.

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• Take such action as may be necessary in disciplinary and grievance matters in
accordance with the procedures laid down and approved by the Trust.
• Identify objectives with the Clinical Director and agree an action plan ensuring
personal development.
• Participate in the selection and appointment of staff in accordance with hospital
procedures
General Responsibilities
Employees of the Trust are required to promote and support the mission and vision of the
service for which they are responsible and:
– At all times provide a caring service and to treat those with whom they come into
contact in a courteous and respectful manner.
– Demonstrate their commitment by their regular attendance and the efficient
completion of all tasks allocated to them.
– Comply with the Trust’s Smoke Free Policy.
– Carry out their duties and responsibilities in compliance with the Health and Safety
Policies and Statutory Regulations.
– Adhere to Equality and Good Relations duties throughout the course of their
employment.
– Ensure the ongoing confidence of the public in-service provision.
– Maintain high standards of personal accountability.
– Comply with the HPSS Code of Conduct.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Terms & Conditions
This appointment is subject to the Consultant Terms & Conditions of Service (Northern
Ireland) 2004, and as amended.
Registration
Registration with the General Medical Council and License to Practice must be
maintained.
Salary
As per current Consultant salary scale in line with the Consultant Terms & Conditions of
Service and pay circular HSC (TC8) 1/2012.
Indemnity
Employees are normally covered by the HPSS and Community Health Service Indemnity
against claims for medical negligence. However, certain circumstances may not be covered
by the Indemnity, especially where a separate fee is received. The Department of Health,
Social Services & Public Safety (DHSS&PS) therefore advises that membership of a
medical defence organisation is maintained.
Team working
The successful candidate will be expected to work with local managers and professional
colleagues in the efficient running of clinical services and will share with consultant
colleagues in the medical contribution to management.
Subject to the provisions of the Terms and Conditions of Service, the successful candidate
is expected to observe the Unit’s agreed policies and procedures, drawn up in consultation
with the profession on clinical matters and to follow the standing orders and financial
instructions of the Trust.
The applicant will be expected to adhere to consultant terms and conditions of service (NI)
2004 as amended, in addition to all Trust policies and procedures.
The successful candidate will be expected to make sure that there are adequate
arrangements for hospital staff involved in the care of his/her patients to be able to contact
him/her when necessary.

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Consultant Appraisal
Appointees are required to participate in Consultant Appraisal processes in accordance
with DHSS&PS requirements.
Quality
Patient satisfaction must be at the forefront of the concern of each member of staff. Every
patient is to be treated as an individual and provided with high quality service in terms of
courtesy, kindness, interest and efficiency.
Residence
In order to meet any on-call requirements of the post, the appointee is required to reside
within a reasonable distance to their principal place of work, as per terms and conditions
of service.
Type of Appointment
The appointment shall be on a whole time basis, or part-time by agreement, based on the
needs of the service.
Medical Examination
Appointment to this post is subject to a satisfactory pre-employment health assessment
with the Trust’s Occupational Health service.
Pension
Membership of the Health Services Superannuation Scheme is voluntary. There is
reciprocity between the Northern Ireland scheme and that in mainland Britain.
Private Practice
All private professional services and fee paying services that are not part of the Contract
of Employment must be undertaken in accordance with Schedules 9, 10 and 11 of the
Contract of Terms & Conditions of Service (NI) 2004.
Date on which post is available
The appointees may take up post upon satisfactory completion of essential Pre-
employment checks.

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Time off in lieu
Any time off in lieu would be in line with Trust policy.
Visiting
For further information regarding this post, or to arrange a visit, you are encouraged to
informally contact: Dr Stella Hughes, Consultant neurologist/Clinical Director, Royal Group
of Hospitals, Belfast, Telephone: 02896155910.
Canvassing
Canvassing will disqualify. Any approach to a member of the Belfast HSC Trust or a
member of any Committee or Panel of the hospital by or at the request of a candidate, will
be treated as canvassing.
Removal Expenses
If eligible a fixed relocation grant may be available to assist with essential removal
expenses, as outlined in the Trust’s “Re-Location and Associated Expenses Policy”. The
amount must be agreed in advance of incurring expenditure.
Other Facilities
The Royal Victoria Hospital is approximately 1.5 miles from Belfast City Centre. Belfast is
now a vibrant, busy city with a wide range of cultural, sporting and other recreational
activities. For those with children of school age there is a full range of public and private
schools. Public schooling is free and of a very high standard. Housing in Belfast is of good
quality and affordable, and getting to & from work is generally easy, by car, bicycle and
public transport.
Equality
Employees of the Trust are required to comply with the Trust’s Equality Scheme. A full
copy of this scheme is available in the Human Resources Directorate, Employment
Equality Team.
Ionising Radiation Regulations
The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (2000) require that any person
clinically or physically directing a procedure which involves exposure to radiation should
have appropriate training. This can be provided locally as necessary.
Records Management
All employees of Belfast Health & Social Care Trust are legally responsible for all records
held, created or used as part of their business within the Belfast Health and Social Care

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Trust, including patient/client, corporate and administrative records whether paper based
or electronic and also including e-mails. All such records are public records and are
accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000, the Environment Regulations 2004 and Data Protection Act 1998. Employees
are required to be conversant with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust policy and
procedure on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.
Environmental Cleaning Strategy
The Trusts Environmental Cleaning Strategy recognizes the key principle that “ Cleanliness
matters is everyone’s responsibility, not just the cleaners” Whilst there are staff employed
who are responsible for cleaning services, all Trust staff have a responsibility to ensure a
clean, comfortable, safe environment for patients, clients, residents, visitors, staff and
members of the general public.
Infection Prevention and Control
The Belfast Trust is committed to reducing Healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) and
all staff have a part to play in making this happen. Staff must comply with all policies in
relation to Infection Prevention and Control and with ongoing reduction strategies.
Standard Infection Prevention and Control Precautions must be used at all times to ensure
the safety of patients and staff. This includes:-
• Cleaning hands either with soap and water or a hand sanitiser at the appropriate
times (WHO ‘5 moments’);
• Using the correct ‘7 step’ hand hygiene technique;
• Being ‘bare below the elbows’ when in a clinical environment;
• Following Trust policies and the Regional Infection Control Manual (found on
intranet);
• Wearing the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE);
• Ensuring correct handling and disposal of waste (including sharps) and laundry;
• Ensuring all medical devices (equipment) are decontaminated appropriately i.e.,
cleaned, disinfected and/or sterilised;
• Ensuring compliance with High Impact Interventions.
Clause: This job description is not meant to be definitive and may be
amended to meet the changing needs of the Belfast Health and
Social Care Trust.

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JOB SPECIFICATION
POST: Consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology
LOCATION: Department of Neurophysiology
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
Notes to applicants:
1. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria
as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the
essential and desirable criteria.
2. Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out below, using the information provided
by you on your application form. Please note the Trust reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined
below at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.
3. Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you
are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA
1. Full registration with the General Medical Council plus a Licence to Practise.
2. Membership of a Royal College of Physicians in the U.K (MRCPUK) or equivalent
qualification.
3. Entry on the GMC Specialist Register for Clinical Neurophysiology via
(i) CCT (proposed CCT date must be within 6 months of interview
date), or
(ii) CESR, or
(iii) European Community Rights
4. All applicants to have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English that are
adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and
colleagues. Communication, reasoning and team-working skills to be demonstrated
on application and at interview.
5. Must have access to a means of transport to facilitate movement between sites. Where
disability prohibits driving, this criteria will be waived if the applicant is able to organise
suitable alternative arrangements
6. Eligibility to work in the UK as per UKBA Immigration Regulations.

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DESIRABLE CRITERIA
1. A relevant specialist interest would be an advantage.
2. Evidence of original work as demonstrated by publications, research and/or a higher
degree.
Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will need to demonstrate at interview that they have the
required competencies to be effective in this demanding leadership role.
The competencies required are detailed in the NHS Medical Leadership Competency Framework
(MLCF) available at
Medical-Leadership-Competency-Framework
Particular attention will be given to the following:
Leadership Domains
Demonstrating Personal Qualities
Working with Others
Managing Services
Improving Services
Setting Direction
NOTE:
Where educational/professional qualifications form part of the criteria you will be required, if shortlisted for
interview, to produce original certificates and one photocopy of same issued by the appropriate authority. Only
those certificates relevant to the shortlisting criteria should be produced. If educational certificates are not
available an original letter and photocopy of same detailing examination results from your school or college will
be accepted as an alternative.
If successful you will be required to produce documentary evidence that you are legally entitled to live and work
in the United Kingdom. This documentation can be a P45, Payslip, National Insurance Card or a Birth Certificate
confirming birth in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. Failure to produce evidence will result in a non-
appointment.

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HSC Values
Whilst employees will be expected to portray all the values, particular attention is drawn to the following values
for this role

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CONSULTANT JOB PLAN
NAME:
JOB PLAN FOR PERIOD: Initial three months
GMC:
SPECIALTY: Clinical Neurophysiology
CONTACT DETAILS:
SERVICE GROUP: Acute Services
1. Whole time consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology for Belfast Health & Social
Care Trust.
WTE: 1.0
General Provisions and Accountability Arrangements
2. You will be expected to work with management and professional colleagues in the
efficient running of clinical services and will share with consultant colleagues in the
medical contribution to management. You will be expected to make sure that there
are adequate arrangements for hospital staff involved in the care of your patients to
be able to contact you or another delegated consultant when necessary.
3. All medical and dental staff employed by Health and Social Care Trusts are expected
to comply with the governance and assurance arrangements of the Trust.
4. The training and supervision of medical/dental students and junior medical/dental
staff is an important aspect of most consultants’ jobs and should where appropriate
be accommodated in your job plan. You may also be required to teach other members
of the multidisciplinary team.
Job Plan Review
5 This job plan is subject to review at least once a year by you and the
Clinical/Associate Medical Director before being approved by the Service Group

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Director. For this purpose, a copy of the current job plan, (and job description if
appropriate), including an up-to-date work programme, objectives agreed at annual
appraisal and any notes provided by either side - of any new or proposed service or
other developments need to be available. In the case of a new employee a review of
the job plan will take place 3 months after commencement and annually thereafter as
above. You can request a job plan review at any time if your workload changes.
6. If it is not possible to agree a job plan, either initially or at an annual review there are
agreed procedures for facilitation and appeal with the final decision normally being
accepted by the Trust Board.
7. Regional guidance on job planning is available and should be used to inform the
process.
8. Job Purpose (including other NHS responsibilities as appropriate)
Please set out the overall purpose and key functions of job
- You will provide regional Clinical Neurophysiology services based in the Royal
Victoria Hospital.
As with all staff in the Belfast Trust, job purpose is subject to regular review in light of
emerging pressures and priorities. In particular the Trust would wish to highlight at this
time, that you will be required to work with other colleagues in seeking to attain access
and other targets set by DHSSPS.
9. Objectives
Please set out objectives under following subheadings, with details of how they are
to be achieved. Objectives should cover direct clinical care (DCC), supporting
professional activities (SPA), your personal development plan and other duties.
Programmed activities (Pas) will be based on these objectives plus other duties, other
HPSS responsibilities and the service to be provided for which you are responsible.
An outline of activities against which PAs can be allocated and some general guidance
is given in appendix 1 of this document. SPAs are divided between core and common
SPAs. All consultants will receive 1.5 core SPAs for specified activities as outlined in
appendix 1. Additional common SPAs will be by agreement between the consultant
and his/her clinical manager and based on the objectives set out below. External
duties will be considered within the job plan, either within PAs or through discretionary
leave. Accepting external duties must be with the agreement of the service group.
The onus will be on the consultant to demonstrate how the impact of an external duty,
on direct clinical care, can be minimized.
9.1 Service Developments/Objectives

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Outline service developments and key targets that you are committed to
and will impact on your personal objectives and PAs.
- You will maintain elective Neurophysiological services to The Royal Victoria
Hospital, Belfast City, Craigavon Area Hospitals, Mater / Altnagelvin Hospitals
- You will work with other professionals on developing a “hub and spoke” network
for the service.
- There will be opportunities to join the established spinal cord monitoring service
and to develop new services such as epilepsy and functional surgery.
9.2 Personal Objectives
Outline the objectives against which PAs will be allocated, both for direct
clinical care and supporting professional activities. Also outline objectives
with respect to other NHS duties/external duties for which there is agreement
that the Trust will support you
- You will deliver 7 outpatient sessions per week, (approx. 322 per year).
- You will work with team members to ensure continuity of care for patients within
the service and agreed activity objectives.
- You will work with Directorate management to ensure optimal use of clinical
resources
(Please reference your personal development plan, as agreed at appraisal and
ensure these objectives are included.)
9.3 Team Objectives
This job plan outlines the number of DCC PAs that you would normally expect to
perform on an annual basis. In so doing, the purpose is to clarify for you the Belfast
Trusts’ expectation that you would attend these PAs. However, both parties recognise
that it may not be possible for you to do so because of factors partly, or entirely, out
with your control. In such circumstances the Trust may ask you to be flexible in trying
to maintain the level of service and take on alternative duties/PAs. Any alternative
PAs that you undertake would be by mutual agreement and would as far as possible,
not disrupt planned activities already outlined in your job plan. The Trust also
undertakes to provide reasonable notice of such changes.

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Failure to fulfil this commitment due to factors outside your control would not result in
any penalty to you; specifically it would not be grounds for preventing pay progression.
10. Education and teaching responsibilities
All consultants in the Belfast Trust are expected to undertake informal teaching arising
in the course of clinical work. Additional teaching activities may be agreed as part of
SPAs.
Please provide detail of agreed undergraduate, postgraduate and multidisciplinary
teaching activities:
Please complete the attached questionnaire to assist in the planning and
development of undergraduate educational activity– (Appendix 2).
11. Research
Research time will generally only be allocated within SPAs where there is an
external funding stream to cover the costs and where trust governance procedures
have been fully complied with.
Please provide detail of agreed research activity.
Please complete the attached questionnaire to assist in the planning, development
and governance of research – (Appendix 3).
12. Resources and Support required to meet job plan
You will have dedicated secretarial support. You will have dedicated office space
with access to a PC.
Doctors in Belfast Trust can access a mentoring service on an informal basis. The
Trust is proceeding to make this a formal mentoring service for doctors.

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Programmed Activities
13.1 The table below gives a breakdown of the total agreed PA’s on average per week
and the agreed annualized PAs due to the nature of certain elements within the job
plan.
Programmed Activity Number of
PA’s per
week
Number of PAs
annualised
Direct Clinical Care 8.5
Supporting Professional Activities
Core SPAs 1.5
Common SPAs
University (joint appointments)
Total PAs 10
13.2 External duties/other NHS responsibilities
Please insert duties/responsibilities as agreed with your clinical director/associate
medical director.
14. The following indicates all your regular weekly commitments as agreed. It does not
include activities that occur on an ad hoc basis. Ad hoc ward attendance to ensure
continuity of care of patients and clinical administration time is included in your Direct
Patient Care PA’s. The timetable does not include external duties unless timetabled in
SPAs.

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Day Time Work Activity Location
PAs:
DCC
PAs:
SPA
Comments
(E.G. Agreed/
Cancelled
following
Weekend
On-Call)
Monday
9.00-13.00 EEG (RVH)
RVH/outreach
1
13.00 -17.00 NCS/EMG Clinic RVH/outreach 1
17.00 -18.00 Patient Admin RVH/outreach 0.25
Tuesday
09.00 -11.00 Grand Round SPA RVH 0.5
11.00-13.00 SPA RVH 0.5
13.00-17.00 NCS/EMG Clinic RVH 1
17.00-18.00 Patient Admin RVH 0.25
Wednesday
09.00 - 13.00 NCS / EMG Clinic RVH 1
13.00 - 14.00 Patient Admin RVH 0.25
14.00-17.00 EEG/EP/Video
EEG/Patient Admin
RVH 0.75
Thursday
09.00 -13.00 NCS/EMG Clinic RVH 1
13.00 -14.00 Patient Admin RVH 0.25
14.00-16.00 SPA RVH 0.5
Friday
09.00 – 13.00 NCS/EMG Clinic RVH 1
13.00 - 14.00 Patient Admin RVH 0.25
14.00-16.00 Inpatient NCS/EMG RVH 0.5
Weekend
Sat and Sun Predicted On-call
On-call period Unpredicted
emergency On-call
work 1:4
Total 8.5 1.5
15. Emergency Work
Not applicable
16. Private Practice and Fee Paying Services
You are not currently undertaking regular private practice as outlined in your job
plan and have agreed to undertake / are undertaking an additional PA (if offered),
up to a maximum of 11 PA’s per week, as detailed in the terms and conditions of
service.
17. Programmed Activities
The above timetable represents an indicative job plan which will be subject to

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review with the agreement of the post holders to reflect proposed service
developments as outlined in section 9.1. Usually 4-8 patients would be expected in
an average NCS/EMG clinic with 10-12 EEGs per session, depending on age and
clinical complexity. The job plan totals 10 PA’s per week, and there may be
opportunities for additional PAs subject to negotiation.
On-call cover is one weekend in every four and time in lieu is offered in line with
Trust guide lines.
18. Agreement
(to be completed and forwarded to Medical Director’s Office)
Signed:
……………………………
Signed:
…………………………
Consultant:
…………………………….
ClinicalDirector/
Associate Medical
Director:
………………………….
Date:
……………………………..
Date:
………………………….
Signed:
……………………………
Signed:
…………………………
Medical
Director or
Deputy:
…………………………….
Head of School:
………………………….
Date:
……………………………..
Date:
………………………….
(for joint appointments)

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APPENDIX 1
PROGRAMMED ACTIVITES
Programmed activities (PAs) are linked in the job plan to each consultant’s service,
personal and where appropriate, team, objectives. They are categorised as direct
clinical care (DCC) and supporting professional activities (SPAs). For the purposes of
job planning within the Belfast Trust in 2008/2009 the following guiding principles will be
applied to ensure consistency across our service groups and sites.
DIRECT CLINICAL CARE (DCC)
DCC covers:-
• Emergency attendance
• Out-patient or other clinic
• Operating session (including anesthetics)
• Ward round
• Other patient treatment or relative consultation
• Telephone advice to hospital
• Multidisciplinary meetings about direct clinical care
• Investigative, diagnostic or laboratory work
• Public health duties
• Travelling time between sites, not to usual place of work
• Patient administration
• Service Linked teaching (eg during ward rounds)
• Clinics and operating sessions
• Clinical supervision
SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (SPA)
Core SPA - All consultants will be allocated 1.5 PAs. Core SPA includes time for
activities that will support revalidation and ensure the quality and safety of services.
These activities include:
• Appraisal
• Job Planning
• Audit (attendance at audit meetings and general audit activity)
• CPD - attain CPD targets as set out by your Royal College / Specialty
Association and comply with requirements for appraisal and revalidation.
Core SPA also includes 2 hours to be used flexibly. The consultant and medical
manager should agree appropriate use of this time, based on the consultant’s
objectives, development needs and responsibilities.

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Appendix 1 continued
Common SPA
To be agreed on basis of both Trust and consultant’s requirements.
Common SPA may include:-
• Clinical management (not directly affecting patient care)
• Service maintenance and development
• Teaching responsibilities or specified roles
• Undertaking specific audit projects and / or audit responsibilities or lead
roles/activities associated with clinical and social care governance.
• Other trust duties
• Postgraduate training and supervisory responsibilities
• Research
External duties (if small in quantity) may be accommodated in SPA time. If external
duties are more substantial, either separate PA allocation or special leave should be
used.
Research time will generally only be allocated within SPAs where there is an external
funding stream to cover the costs and where trust governance procedures have been
fully complied with.
The trust will generally expect that joint appointments meet their undergraduate
teaching responsibilities from within their university time.
Discretionary leave will be considered for external duties, and must be agreed in
advance with the clinical manager.
The consultant and the Trust should be flexible in order to minimise the impact of any
external duty on DCC if possible. There is an obligation on all parties to ensure that the
time required to undertake external duties are fairly allocated between consultants.