Job summary
We are pleased to share an opportunity to apply for the role of Lead Physician Associate at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.

This is a Trust-wide leadership role supporting the governance, development and safe deployment of Physician Associates across both hospital operating units -- City & Weston and Southmead. The post holder will act as a key point of contact between PA colleagues and Trust leadership, helping to strengthen PA governance, support professional development and ensure PA roles are well understood and appropriately supervised across clinical teams.

We are looking for an experienced Physician Associate with current GMC registration, strong clinical credibility and an interest in professional leadership, governance and workforce development. The successful candidate will need to be collaborative, organised and confident working across professional and organisational boundaries.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future development of the PA workforce within BFT at an important time for the profession.

Main duties of the job
The role will include:

• Supporting Trust-wide PA governance arrangements, including local SOPs and clinical standards
• Advising services on appropriate PA deployment, supervision and scope of practice
• Contributing to PA recruitment, induction, education and CPD
• Supporting PA appraisal, revalidation and professional development arrangements
• Acting as a communication link between PA colleagues and senior Trust leadership
• Working with clinical, education and workforce colleagues to ensure PA roles support patient care and complement medical training opportunities
• Maintaining a clinical commitment within the post holder's established specialty

About us
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.

Details
Date posted: 22 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year
per annum, pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 339-CMO1778-DAC
Job locations: Southmead Hospital, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, BS10 5NB, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
To read the full job description and main responsibilities of the role, please see document attached to this advert.

Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential

• Degree at 2:1 level or above, and Postgraduate Diploma/Master's in Physician Associate Studies from a GMC-recognised UK training programme (A)
• Current GMC registration as a Physician Associate (A)

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in medical education, leadership or management (A)
• Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certificate (A)

Experience
Essential

• Substantial post-qualification experience as a PA in a clinical setting (A)
• Experience working within NHS governance and clinical standards frameworks, including producing or contributing to clinical protocols, SOPs or guidelines (A, I)
• Experience of contributing to or leading recruitment processes (A, I)
• Ability to lead, motivate and develop a multidisciplinary team (A, I)
• Experience of educational development of Physician Associate students and medical students (A, I)
• Experience of clinical care redesign or transformation (A, I)

Desirable

• Previous PA leadership or coordination role; experience contributing to PA student placements or clinical education (A)
• Experience of governance or quality improvement work at departmental or organisational level; experience working across multiple clinical sites (A, I)

Knowledge, skills and abilities
Essential

• Working knowledge of national guidance on PA governance, supervision and deployment, and of NHS governance frameworks, including SOP development and clinical risk management (A, I)
• Understanding of the NHS workforce environment, including the role of PAs in multidisciplinary teams, and awareness of postgraduate training structures and the importance of protecting training opportunities for resident doctors (A, I)

Desirable

• Knowledge of Equality Impact Assessment processes and the Public Sector Equality Duty (A, I)

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to designing services around the needs of individual patients.