Job summary
Are you an experienced senior clinician with the ability to provide calm, strategic leadership during an exceptional situation?

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is looking to appoint highly credible and experienced Strategic Medical Advisers (SMA). As an SMA you will be trained to support the Trust's response to major and critical incidents. For clarity, this does not include routine NEAS escalation or surge commitment.

This is a unique and influential opportunity for a Consultant, GP Principal or equivalent senior clinician to be trained and accredited in specialist skills of emergency preparedness, resilience and response. In the event of activation, you will ensure that NEAS continue to provide the most effective clinical care possible when we are in the most challenging circumstances faced by an NHS ambulance service.

Recognising that the need for activation of the SMA hopefully is rare, there is an ask of post holders that they engage to bring in additional medical skill into NEAS

Main duties of the job
The Strategic Medical Adviser plays a critical role in supporting the Trust's Strategic Commander during major or critical incidents. Based in Strategic ("Gold") command you will be the most senior clinician within the command structure. You will provide expert strategic oversight and clinical leadership to support operational decision-making and patient flow across the region.

You will work closely with NEAS command and operational teams, blue light partner agencies, acute Trusts, ICB, NHS England and more to coordinate clinical resources, support casualty distribution and help maintain safe and effective services during incidents.

About us
We employ 3,500 staff in 63 locations and serve a population of 2,600,000 in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, and Tees over 3230 square miles.

Many people think the job of the ambulance service is to collect patients and take them to hospital, but we do much more!

Paramedic skills have developed hugely in recent years, meaning we carry out more treatment at the scene and en-route to hospital.

We have a dedicated clinical assessment service that allows us to provide patients with the most appropriate care from the beginning of the patient journey.

We have a specialised branch of the Trust called HART which deal with explosions or terrorist attacks.

Ultimately patients are the heart of everything that we do to support our mission of "safe, effective and responsive care for all".

We value and respect the diversity employees bring to our workplace. We recruit a workforce that reflects the community we serve, and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. To ensure we deliver on our aims in relation to diversity and inclusion we assess ourselves against a range of frameworks. We are ENEI Gold employer, Disability Confident Leader, Dementia Friendly, and part of Mind Blue Light programme and the Race at Work Charter from the Princes Responsible Business Network and are achieving across all objectives in NHS Equality Delivery System.

From 01/04/25 If your role needs a DBS you'll be subject to salary deduction totaling £49.50, spread over first and second pay.

Date posted: 19 October 2026
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Consultant
Salary: £139,798 a session Pro Rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 340-SMA-10-26

Job locations
North East Ambulance Service HQ, Bernicia House, Goldcrest Way, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE15 8NY, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Successful Candidates must live within 60 minutes of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Please ensure you refer to the job description attached for more information about the role and its responsibilities.

Essential Education, Qualifications and Training

• Consultant or equivalent accountable grade with a current licence to practise
• Affiliated to a Designated Body
• Minimum 3 years working at Consultant, GP Principal or Equivalent Grade
• Annual appraisals leading to revalidation
• Formal Support of your host Trust guaranteeing availability when on call
• Appropriate professional indemnity
• Evidence of clinical management and leadership

Desirable Education, Qualifications and Training

• Advanced Life Support (ALS)
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
• Major Incident Medical Management (MIMMS)
• Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS)
• Strategic Leadership in a Crisis
• Fellowship/Diploma in Immediate Care (Royal College of Surgeons)
• Experience in NHS Emergency Planning & Preparedness
• Experience of working across organisational boundaries and developing multi-disciplinary professional partnerships

Essential Experience

• Evidence of clinical management and leadership skills
• Evidence of working across NHS organisational boundaries

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Medical Director, Katherine Noble, katherine.noble@neas.nhs.uk, 07952930963

Employer's website: https://www.neas.nhs.uk/