Job summaryLOCUM CONSULTANT IN CARDIOLOGY WSI IMAGING (CRM) & HEART FAILURE
We are seeking to recruit an innovative and progressive Consultant with an interest in imaging and heart failure to join our Cardiology team. The appointee will cover our new hospital Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) during the on call with outpatient clinics at City hospital Birmingham and/or Sandwell General Hospital. Applications are welcomed from candidates with CCT (or equivalent) with an interest in imaging who are on the General Medical Council's Specialist Register in Cardiology or who will be within six months of obtaining their CCT at the time of interview. In addition, applicants should demonstrate within their application that they are fully trained in general Cardiology, can manage CMR independently. This job is a locum job for a period of 6 months with possibility of extension to a year depending on circumstances.
Closing date: 12th September 2026
Interview date: 24th September 2026
Main duties of the jobThe appointee will perform first class imaging (CMR) for elective outpatient cases and urgent inpatients where required as well as help the heart failure team.
On-call for Cardiology wards and general cardiology 1 in 10 (with internal cover).
The appointee will also cover clinics (general Cardiology & specialty), ward rounds and administration duties and also have flexible imaging cover. The post will be based primarily at MMUH for ward rounds and oncalls. The Trust has reconfigured its services in preparation for the implementation of the Right Care Right Here Programme and the post-holder therefore is required have outpatient work continuing on at least one of the other sites.
The appointee will take equal responsibility with existing Consultants for the proper functioning of the clinical service, working with clinical and managerial colleagues towards achieving and maintaining national maximum waiting times and developing clinical pathways.
About usSandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWB) serves Birmingham and the Black Country - one of the country's most culturally diverse areas. It's a friendly and welcoming place - a place where you can belong, and a place where you can grow.
We care for our patients, we care about our population, and we care about our people.
Our values - Ambition, Respect and Compassion - are at the heart of who we are. They guide us every step of the way; how we work with each other, and how we look after our patients and their families; how we respect and value the rich diversity of our team and our community.
Our Trust has always aspired to be more than a hospital, more than a healthcare provider. Our purpose is to "Improve the Life Chances and Health Outcomes of our Population." It is what inspires, drives, and unites us every day. It's what makes us unique.
We want working at SWB to feel like more than just a job. We want our Trust to be a place where you can feel you belong. A place where you feel happy, safe, and rewarded. A place where you can develop your career in whatever way you choose. When we say we're 'with you all the way' we want you to know that we mean it. Visit the SWB website to find out more about our ambitions and people plans.
DetailsDate posted: 23 September 2026
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Consultant
Salary: £113,565 to £150,569 a year per annum
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 6 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 381-ME-8247149
Job locations: Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, Grove Lane, Smethwick, B66 2QT, United Kingdom
Job responsibilitiesDr Vinoda Sharma is currently Specialty Lead for Cardiology; Dr Stavros Apostolakis is the Clinical Director for Admitted Care, of which Cardiology forms a part; Dr Chetan Varma (also a consultant cardiologist) is the Group Director for Medicine and Emergency Care. MMUH has Medical Admission Units adjacent to the Emergency Departments. The Trust runs a ward-based system for general medical patients.
Cardiology day time dutiesThe cardiology consultants provide a seven day service for cardiology patients at MMUH. The appointee will participate in day time general cardiac duties as Cardiologist of the Week (COW) at MMUH Cardiology department on a 1 in 10 rota (8am-6pm weekdays), reviewing and managing Cardiology patients, and 8am -2pm on the weekend of the COW week. AMU Cardiology referrals in MMUH are covered by the Interventional Cardiologists who perform a 1:8 cover Monday to Friday from 08:00-12:30 noon. On call weekend interventional cardiologists do a Saturday morning list for acute ward patients. Both consultants are supported by a dedicated cardiology registrar on call rota.
On the MMUH AMU, there is a daily consultant ward round on the acute medical unit (after initial assessment by the RMO and medical on-take team) in which patients needing prolonged specialist cardiac or catheter lab management are transferred the Cardiology A2 ward. All the patients requiring cardiology management are reviewed by the cardiology team with daily ward rounds on the cardiology wards, acute medical unit and ward referrals. All suspected acute coronary syndrome patients will be seen, as well as those with significant arrhythmias and those with heart failure.
Out-patient Clinics at Sandwell and City HospitalsAt Sandwell Hospital, the out-patient department is directly adjacent to the cardiology department and therefore access to exercise testing, echocardiography and rhythm management facilities. At City Hospital, the Birmingham Treatment Centre also provides out-patient facilities adjacent to the Cardiology Department. The appointee would have two cardiology clinics per week. There may be a requirement for the appointee to do outpatient work outside the hospital in line with the Right Care Right Here programme. At present there were a total of about 18000 outpatient attendances per year in the cardiology Dept. Modern IT systems (UNITY) support delivery of service to improve rapid turnover and communication with primary care and all our patient records are electronic.
Cardiac Intervention/PacingMMUH is equipped with state of the art Siemens Artis Icono Biplane catheter labs adjacent to each other with plans to install a third catheter lab in the provided space. Cath lab coordination is supported using the dedicated Labyrinth@ IT system and dedicated nurse Cath Lab Coordinator. One cath lab runs routinely from 8am-6pm and Saturday mornings from 9am -12pm, with the second lab running 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Angiograms and pacing are supported using the Change Healthcare@ system, images being visible on any PC within the Trust at any time by the cardiology team as well as Cath reports and BCIS returns.
The Trust has a longstanding PCI programme and has undertaken coronary intervention with off-site surgical support from neighbouring cardiac surgical facilities for over 2 decades. A primary angioplasty service for acute myocardial infarction was established in the early 2000s, with 24 hours, 7 day service running since January 2005. There is a full Emergency department at the new Midlands Metropolitan Hospital.
Bradycardia pacing has been carried out on the Trust sites for over 30 years and biventricular pacing (CRT) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation since 2006. We now have a dedicated subcutaneous ICD service run by Dr Shah and Dr Maher
There are well-developed cardiac imaging services at both City and Sandwell Hospitals.
Our echocardiography department is fully accredited by the British Society of Echocardiography and IQIPS for all provided services: Transthoracic echocardiography, transoesophageal echocardiography, stress echocardiography and training.
Cardiac diagnostics is a busy department with 12 sonographers (8 with BSE accreditation), performing more than 12,000 TTEs. The department also performs more than 600 stress echocardiograms and more than 100 TOEs per year. We offer a range of stress echocardiography services including dobutamine stress echo, treadmill exercise stress echo and supine bike exercise stress echo.
A comprehensive nuclear cardiology service is well established on the City site under the direction of Dr A Notghi and Dr M Pandit.
Coronary CT is performed at Sandwell with a Siemens Somatom Definition Flash 256 slice scanners, capable of acquiring a full CT coronary angiogram in a single heartbeat with minimal x-ray exposure. The Cardiac CT programme is expanding rapidly, currently we do 2000 scans a year, but this is predicted to increase in Midland Metropolitan Hospital and with further implementation of the latest NICE guidance for the management and investigation of stable chest pain.
Cardiac MRI is performed with a Siemens Avanto 1.5 Tesla MR scanner at the Sandwell site. The service is on an expansion curve and it is anticipated the current list of approximately 500 scans a year to increase further in the next 12-18 months. It is anticipated that stress perfusion CMR will become incorporated into the normal workflow at MMUH.
Participation in the imaging service (CMR) is expected from a suitably qualified applicant.
The single-site Acute Hospital (MMUH) benefits from co-located specialist services which will support the new Emergency Department with dedicated imaging facility and Assessment Units. It provides state-of-the-art treatment and care for patients from Sandwell and across the region and will become the civic heart of the area and a point of pride for the community.
The working week for a full-time consultant is comprised of 10 programmed activities (PAs) each of which has a nominal timetable value of 4 hours with 1.75 PAs for SPAs. Programmed activities that take place outside the hours of 7am and 7pm Monday and Friday or at weekends or on public holidays will have a timetable value of three hours rather than four. For this post direct clinical care (work relating directly to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness) includes a minimum of 1 imaging session per week, emergency work (including whilst on-call), outpatient activities (minimum of 2 clinics per week), multi-disciplinary meetings about direct patient care, and administration directly related to the above. Supporting professional activities (that underpin direct clinical care), include participation in training, medical education, continuous professional development, formal teaching, audit, clinical management and local clinical governance activities.
For more information on the job role and responsibilities, please refer to the Job Description attached.
For an informal discussion, please contact:
Dr. Chetan Varma, Consultant Cardiologist and Group Director for Medicine on 0121 507 5841, Email: c.varma@nhs.net
Dr Vinoda Sharma, Consultant Cardiologist and Specialty Lead on 0121 507 5841, Email: vinodasharma@nhs.net
Person SpecificationQualifications:Essential- Entry on the Specialist Register in cardiology (or entry expected within 6 months from the date of interview)
Desirable- Higher Degree
- Imaging CMR Fellowship
Clinical Experience:Essential- Clinical training and experience equivalent to that required for gaining CCT in cardiology
- Ability to take full and independent responsibility for the management of acute cardiac emergencies
- Ability to take full and independent responsibility for the care of patients and independent in imaging (CMR).
Desirable- Special interest that complements the existing consultants (heart failure.)
Management and Administrative Experience:Essential- Ability to organise and prioritise workload effectively
Clinical EffectivenessEssential- Experience of conducting clinical audit
Teaching and Training experience:Essential- Ability to teach clinical skills to medical and nursing staff and other disciplines.
Desirable- Formal training in teaching
Research, Innovation and Service Improvement Experience:Essential- Ability to apply research outcomes to clinical problems
Desirable- Knowledge and experience of the application of information technology to cardiology
- Publications in relevant peer-reviewed journals in the last five years.
- Evidence of having undertaken original research
Other Requirements:EssentialThis 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). 
