Job summary
Job title Locum Medical Officer Palliative Medicine
Hours WTE 0.8 (4 days a week), weekend cover up to 1 in 6
Salary In line with BMA pay scales for locally employed doctors
Contract Fixed term post for 1 year from December 2026
Location Wildwood Drive, Worcester WR5 2QT

The role
We are currently seeking to recruit a locum Medical Officer to cover maternity leave for a year, to join our experienced and friendly Medical team working clinical sessions within our purpose-built inpatient unit which has 14 inpatient beds. This post would suit a doctor interested in Palliative Medicine coming out of Foundation training or at IMT stage or a doctor looking for an opportunity to gain experience in Palliative Care.

Our Medical Team currently comprises 2 Consultants, 1 Specialist Doctor, 2 Specialty Doctors and rotational Resident doctors.

St Richards Hospice use an electronic patient record and have access to the Shared Care Record across Worcestershire. The Hospice also supports medical student training and has an education centre with links to Worcester and Birmingham Universities, and a tele-mentoring hub.

Summary of the post
The post is for a fixed term of 12 months to cover maternity leave and offers 8 PAs. This comprises 7 clinical sessions 1 session for professional development. The post holder will contribute to a non-resident weekend on call rota (currently approximately 1:6) which is renumerated separately.

Main duties of the job
Main Roles and Responsibilities
The role will be based on the inpatient unit at St Richards Hospice where you will be required to:

• Work with the medical team to ensure that all inpatients have a timely holistic review of symptoms and create appropriate management plans.
• Admit patients with a wide range of clinical diagnoses and assess their needs holistically, creating management plans, ACPs and escalation plans.
• Manage discharge of patients, including completing comprehensive discharge letters, TTOs and completion of FP10 prescriptions.
• Present patients in the weekly consultant ward round.
• Work in partnership with the multi-disciplinary team, and take part in weekly MDT meetings.
• Contribute to care after death, including death certification and cremation paperwork, liaising with Medical Examiners and referral to the Coroners office when necessary.

Contribute to a non-resident weekend on call rota (currently approximately 1:6). This is renumerated separately to your base salary.

About you
Applicants should have full GMC registration with a license to practise and will have completed at least 1 year of post-registration experience.

You will be a strong team player with excellent communication and ICT skills. Your job plan will encourage professional development and active participation in audit, educational and quality improvement activities

About us
What we offer
We offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits including;

• Fantastic team where everyone is welcomed and empowered to give their best
• Supportive management keen to develop you
• Generous annual leave (seven weeks including bank holidays)
• Benenden Healthcare offering diagnosis, treatment, 24/7 GP and mental health advice lines, discounts etc. or Cash plan giving cash back for day to day healthcare such as optical or dental costs
• Opportunities for flexible working
• Family friendly policies
• Fabulous subsidised on-site cafe
• Pension scheme and opportunity to continue NHS pension for clinical staff
• Free Will writing service

Find out more
For further information about this exciting opportunity, please contact Dr Kath Newton (consultant / medical team lead) on 07969 989611 or knewton@strichards.org.uk

Applications can be made directly from our website or on NHS jobs.

This post requires an enhanced DBS disclosure.

Closing date 09 September 2026
Interview date Week beginning 14 September 2026

Job responsibilities
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:-
The post holder with work closely with nursing staff and wider multi-disciplinary team as well as medical colleagues. The Medical Team currently comprises:

• Consultant Palliative Care - Clinical Director Medical Lead
• Specialist Doctor - Clinical Director Strategy and Governance Lead
• Consultant Palliative Care - Herefordshire and Worcestershire NHS Health and Care Trust, with shared consultant care of St Richards Inpatient unit.
• Specialty Doctors
• Trainee Doctors - the team is also supported by Palliative Medicine Specialty Trainees, GP trainees and Foundation Doctors on rotation

JOB SUMMARY:-
As part of the multi-disciplinary team, the post holder will have clinical responsibilities for patients in the In-patient Unit. They will be expected to work collaboratively with colleagues to provide the highest standards of care, developing services to meet the changing needs of patients and raising the profile of palliative medicine

Main Duties and Responsibilities
1. Clinical
Admission and assessment of planned and emergency new patients to the In-Patient Unit on day of admission. Medical cover for the inpatient unit during weekday hours is between 8.30am and 5pm. The post holder will work a shift of 8 hours (2 PAs) per day, which will be reflected in the proposed job plan.

Medical review of in-patients according to need, (as identified via their Phase of Illness and IPOS), allowing holistic assessment and management of palliative medicine problems, monitoring of symptoms and assessment of clinical needs.

Working closely with the multi-disciplinary team, taking on board their insights, concerns and ideas. Participation in the weekly in-patient MDT meetings.

Keeping thorough and accurate records of all interventions and contacts relevant to patient care in the electronic patient record (SystmOne).

Timely writing of discharge summaries to GPs and other correspondence, communicating with other agencies as required.

Communication with patients family or carers, with the patients consent, assisting in their support and providing information as necessary.

Liaison with medical and nursing staff in the hospitals and community when requested to do so.

Completion of Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and liaison with the Worcester Medical Examiner Office.

Completion of Coroners referral when necessary including writing of Coroners statement when asked to by the Coroners office (in liaison with the patients named Consultant).

Provision of medical support to the Living Well Centre, will be given in emergency situations or if delegated by the community consultant. This is expected to be infrequent.

Participation in the weekend/bank holiday medical rota for the Hospice Inpatient Unit, supported by a second on-call Consultant in Palliative Medicine. The frequency is no more than 1 in 6 weekends. Weekend hours are 10-4pm on a Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday. Duties include assessment of inpatients identified as requiring medical review by the senior nursing team or the doctors from the preceding day. Assessment and management of emergency and planned admissions to the Hospice.

2. Education and Learning
To maintain registration of the General Medical Council.

To participate in the Individual Performance Review (IPR) process and respond to the agreed development plan.

To undertake statutory, mandatory and role enhancement training as directed.

To maintain their own continuing medical education to support the requirements of annual appraisal and revalidation and maintain and develop skills and expertise.

The post holder will participate in the education of the multi-disciplinary team including doctors in training, GPs, nursing staff and medical students as appropriate.

Time for these Supporting Professional Activities is reflected in the proposed job plan, within your usual working week. This may be flexible to ensure effective clinical cover to the Inpatient Unit.

3. Quality Improvement (Research and Audit)
To participate in clinical audit and quality improvement projects in accordance with agreed Clinical Governance and Clinical Quality programmes, and in liaison with the Clinical Directors.

To attend and participate in regular Medical Team Meetings (fortnightly) and Medical Quality Meetings.

4. General
To maintain confidentiality of all information with regard to patients, families, staff and volunteers of St Richards Hospice in accordance with the Hospices confidentiality policy.

To take responsibility for being up to date with all Hospice policies and procedures, and to adhere to these.

To be a supportive member of the Hospice team, bringing any issues to the attention of the line manager.

To build good working relationships with staff and volunteers of St Richards Hospice and with external multi-disciplinary teams.

To promote the philosophy of St Richards Hospice at all times and to uphold its core values of Care, Compassion, Professionalism and Commitment.

To be aware of the Hospices charitable and fundraising events and participate as appropriate.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Degree in Medicine
• Full registration and a licence to practise with the GMC.
• At least 1-year post-registration experience

Experience
Essential

• Experience of independently reviewing and clerking patients
• Ability to review patients and create holistic management plans.
• Experience of working within multidisciplinary teams

Desirable

• Experience in Palliative Care

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 (opens in a new window).

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.