Job summary
Working Full time: 10 Sessions per week

The Trust is seeking to appoint a full-time Consultant Cardiologist to join its established team of cardiologists and play a key role in the continued development and expansion of the cardiology service.

The department offers a comprehensive range of diagnostic and treatment facilities, including CT coronary angiography, dobutamine and exercise stress echocardiography, transoesophageal echocardiography, and a dedicated Cardiology Day Suite providing on-site cardiac pacing services. As part of a growing department, you will work alongside a dynamic, flexible, and highly motivated team of consultants and specialist practitioners. The successful candidate will benefit from strong multidisciplinary support, including regular one-to-one meetings and guidance from the Clinical Lead.

Following the completion of a major refurbishment in August 2021, the Cardiology Ward and Coronary Care Unit (CCU) were redesigned to create a modern Cardiology Unit comprising 16 inpatient beds within a single ward area. Of these, six beds are monitored and ten are non-monitored. In addition, six telemetry monitors are available for use across other inpatient areas throughout the Trust, enhancing the unit's ability to provide specialist cardiac care.

Main duties of the job
We provide a 7 day in reach service to our 53 bedded AMU, with support from the Cardiac Specialist Nurses during the working week. We are exploring new models of working with our primary care colleagues in the community as well as closely integrating services with our regional tertiary referral centre, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. We were proud to receive a favourable review by the GIRFT team in Dec 2019 and our future development plans reflect the suggestions of this report.

Clinical

• Ward rounds for inpatients, including a daily inreach to the AMU for cardiac patients
• Reviewing and advising on the management of inpatients referred by other specialists within the hospital
• Specialist Cardiology clinics
• Diagnostic Imaging - including CTCA, TOE and Stress Echo.

Non-Clinical

• Responsible for the training of Core and Speciality Trainees, Foundation doctors.
• Develop Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Speciality Doctor
• Supervising Audit projects and CME
• Attend weekly meetings
• Attend monthly meetings (Speciality team, Local Heart Disease Network etc.
• Development and promotion of evidence-based practice and guidelines
• Active contribution to the departmental Clinical Governance structure
• Multi-disciplinary team working and leadership
• Relevant participation in management
• Other appropriate duties and responsibilities

About us
The Trust's services are provided from three locations:

o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.

The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery

Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• MRCP
• CCST/CCT in Cardiology within 6 months of interview
• CESR or European Community Rights
• Registered on the GMC Specialist Register

Desirable

• MD/PhD

Experience
Essential

• Wide clinical experience in Cardiology
• Experience in teaching
• Demonstrate the use of clinical audit within the service

Desirable

• Special interest in cardiac imaging, anatomical and functional
• Recognised teaching skill course or qualification

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.

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).

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