Job summary
Applications are invited to apply for the above post for the Department of Paediatric Rheumatology at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The post-holder will join a well-established multidisciplinary team, providing a comprehensive paediatric rheumatology and chronic pain service for the Thames Valley and surrounding region. The appointee will have the opportunity to work closely with consultants and allied professionals from the Children's Hospital Oxford, as well as a number of other DGH's throughout the region. There are close links with the adult rheumatology service. The appointee will also be part of the regional Chronic Pain service providing a comprehensive out-patient and intensive day case service to young people and families from across the region and beyond.

We are looking for innovative and enthusiastic Consultants with appropriate clinical and leadership abilities. Candidates should have experience of managing complex autoinflammation and hyperinflammation to help expand this aspect of the service. The post holder will be fully supported by a busy and friendly department and will be encouraged to take part in research and academic development. Close links to the University of Oxford provide an excellent opportunity to develop research interests in a variety of areas.

Main duties of the job
Applications are invited from candidates with appropriate training and experience for the post of Consultant in Paediatric Rheumatology at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 10 PA, primarily working at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre for outpatient-based care. Inpatient and acute care is provided with support from paediatric services at the Oxford Children's Hospital based at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

The post-holder will join the current consultant team of Paediatric Rheumatology consultants and a well-established clinical team working in the key areas of Paediatric Rheumatology and Chronic Pain. Candidates for this post should have experience managing complex autoinflammation and hyperinflammation to help expand this aspect of the service.

This appointment is on a pro-rata full-time basis, collectively providing 3.15 whole time equivalent consultants at this Paediatric Rheumatology and Chronic Pain tertiary centre.

Oxford is recognised as an NHS England designated provider of tertiary paediatric rheumatology specialist services (OXPARC), established in 2004, providing a secondary and tertiary care service for much of Thames Valley. Additional specialist services provided include a skeletal dysplasia service, sports medicine and autoinflammatory clinic. The service includes the Oxford Children and Young People's Chronic Pain (OXCYPP) service.

About us
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.

In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment. If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.

Job responsibilities
The position is available on a 10 PA job plan including a 1:3 telephone on-call commitment.

Objectives of the post:

• To support the clinical team in providing a high quality secondary and tertiary rheumatology service to the children and adolescents of Oxfordshire, Thames Valley and neighbouring counties
• To provide care for acutely unwell children and young people in the paediatric and intensive care setting where diagnosis is uncertain or requires multispecialty input, including complex multisystem inflammatory illnesses, hyperinflammation, HLH/MAS etc
• To provide comprehensive care for complex autoinflammation including periodic fevers, to help expand this aspect of the service.
• To support a comprehensive paediatric chronic pain service and to link closely with the programme director for rehabilitation service, Dr Konrad Jacobs, Consultant Clinical Psychologist.
• To support the multidisciplinary team and participate and lead multidisciplinary meetings
• To support and continue to develop clinical collaboration with other paediatric services in Oxford
• To provide clinical care, education and support for further development of outreach services and a clinical network for paediatric rheumatology across Oxfordshire and neighbouring areas.
• To contribute to recruitment and collection of data for established research portfolio.
• To contribute to the development of the research portfolio
• To contribute to paediatric training in rheumatology and to contribute to the provision of rheumatology teaching for other postgraduate trainees. Establish and develop sub-specialty training in paediatric rheumatology.
• To comply with the recommendations of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health over the provision of acute and specialty services for children

Person Specification
Professional qualifications
Essential

• GMC registration and active licence to practise
• MBChB or equivalent
• MRCPCH or equivalent
• On the GMC's Specialist Register, having obtained CCT (including where the CCT date is within 6 months of the scheduled AAC interview date), OR having obtained Portfolio Pathway (formerly CESR) approval, at the point of application

Desirable

• Higher medical degree MSc
• Higher medical degree PhD or MD

Professional training
Essential

• Certificate of completion of training (CCT) or equivalent in paediatrics
• Completion of competencies for sub-specialty training in paediatric rheumatology or equivalent
• APLS, BLS or equivalent in date
• Valid level 3 or equivalent safeguarding training

Desirable

• Clinical academic or research fellowship in a major UK centre or UK accredited equivalent
• Management qualification

Work experience
Essential

• Comprehensive experience in Paediatrics and Paediatric rheumatology within a tertiary paediatric rheumatology centre
• Experience in adolescent transition and/or young adult rheumatology services
• Competence in performing independent intra-articular steroid injections under local and general anaesthesia
• Experience in prescribing and monitoring complex immunomodulatory, biologic therapies etc
• Experience managing complex patients requiring multi-specialty input, including those needing intensive care support
• Experience in conducting autoinflammatory disease clinics and managing complex autoinflammatory conditions

Desirable

• Experience working as a locum or substantive Consultant in Paediatric Rheumatology in the UK
• Experience working in additional tertiary paediatric rheumatology centres within established clinical networks in the UK
• Experience in a clinical laboratory setting affiliated with paediatric rheumatology services
• Experience conducting chronic pain clinics independently or working within a major paediatric pain centre
• Experience conducting outreach clinics independently
• Experience conducting skeletal dysplasia MDT clinics
• Experience conducting joint or specialised multidisciplinary clinics with infectious diseases and immunology

Level of responsibility
Essential

• Demonstrable ability to make independent, high-level clinical decisions at consultant level and to manage complex clinical cases

Leadership skills
Essential

• Evidence of leadership in clinical and management setting

Desirable

• Leadership experience in regional or national project
• Leadership qualification

Organisation and management skills
Essential

• Effective administrative and time management skills. Experience in clinical management

Desirable

• Evidence of additional management responsibilities

Professional - extra skills or achievements
Essential

• Evidence of significant contribution to successful teamwork and service improvement

Communication and interpersonal skills
Essential

• Good spoken and written English. Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills. Able to communicate well with children, parents and teams

Desirable

• Demonstrable evidence of effective and collaborative working with multidisciplinary team (MDT) colleagues

Teaching and training skills
Essential

• Experience of formal and informal contribution to teaching and training

Research skills
Essential

• Experience in recruiting and contributing to research studies and clinical trials
• GCP or equivalent training

Desirable

• Presentations at national and international meetings
• Peer reviewed publications

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).

Employer details
Employer name: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address: John Radcliffe Hospital, Hedley Way, Headington, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Paediatric Rheumatology Consultant, Akhila Kavirayani, paediatricrheumatology@ouh.nhs.uk, 01865721564

Reference number: 321-MS-CON-8195043
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Consultant