Community Locum Consultant in Palliative Medicine
The closing date is 26 July 2026

Job summary
East Cheshire NHS Trust is looking to appoint a dynamic, enthusiastic consultant for 10 months fixed term to cover maternity leave. The post holder will join the integrated specialist palliative care team based at Macclesfield District General Hospital. This post will have a specific focus on specialist palliative care within the community. The successful candidate will join two part-time consultant colleagues.

Macclesfield is a very pleasant Cheshire market town located on the edge of the Peak District. It is within easy travelling distance of many major cities. It is only two hours from London by train. Manchester International Airport is less than half an hour away by car. There are opportunities for a wide variety of lifestyle and interests and the area is renowned for good housing and schools.

Main duties of the job
The post attracts 8 PAs and at present there is no on-call commitment.

The Specialist Palliative Care Team are based at Macclesfield District General Hospital and support patients across the hospital site and in the community, visiting patients in their own homes or other places of care such as nursing and residential homes. The post-holder would have a particular focus on community palliative care, supporting the wider team and community colleagues to provide exceptional palliative and end of life care within patients' own homes and care homes.

Locally, there is East Cheshire Hospice, a 15 bedded in-patient facility with close ties with the trust. There are thriving day hospice services, a well-established hospice at home service and adult and child bereavement services. The successful candidate will provide support to East Cheshire Hospice by providing senior medical input to the hospice in-patient unit for 2 PAs per week.

About us
NHS Medical and Dental salaries are set at a national level. For new starters not already working to UK Medical and Dental terms and conditions of service will be appointed to the minimum paypoint. The starting salary paypoint can only be increased when there is evidence of relevant, completed years' experience in terms of nature, type and level of role. The evidence required to increase a starting salary would be Payslips and details noted in the application form i.e. complete employment history

Please be aware that this post requires an Enhanced with Barred list Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, the cost of which is payable by the successful candidate.

If you have lived or worked abroad for 6 months or more in the last 5 years you will need to obtain an overseas police clearance. Further information can be found on the additional information links at the bottom of the advert.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• MRCP or equivalent recognised for specialty training in Palliative Medicine
• Full registration with General Medicine Council (GMC) with license to practice

Desirable

• Postgraduate diploma or higher degree in Palliative Medicine or other relevant subjects e.g., medical ethics, medical education

Clinical Experience
Essential

• Ability to take full and independent responsibility for clinical care of patients.
• Experience of specialist palliative care in a wide range of settings, including management of complex cases and active participation in MDT meetings
• Experience of providing palliative care to patients with both malignant and non-malignant conditions
• Thorough knowledge of principles and practice of palliative care
• Be a decision maker
• Experience of working in the NHS

Desirable

• Evidence of service development

Management and Administrative experience
Essential

• Commitment to plan and develop quality service

Desirable

• Evidence of service development

Clinical Effectiveness
Essential

• Ability to use the evidence base and clinical audit to support decision-making

Desirable

• Evidence of having undertaken audit

Teaching and Training Experience
Essential

• Experience of successfully supervising and teaching junior doctors and other staff

Desirable

• Formal training in teaching skills

Research Experience
Essential

• An awareness of current specialty developments, initiatives and issues

Desirable

• Knowledge and experience of the application of information technology to Medicine
• Previous research-based publications / presentations to national/ international meetings

Other Role Requirements
Essential

• Please refer to the job description and person specification for further details regarding the role requirements

Additional Information
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).

Employer details
Employer name: East Cheshire NHS Trust
Address: Macclesfield District General Hospital, Victoria Road, Macclesfield, SK10 3BL, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.eastcheshire.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Contact
Consultant in Palliative Medicine: Kathryn Gaunt
Email: k.gaunt@nhs.net
Phone: 07813663724