University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)
Consultant in Acute Internal Medicine

The closing date is 27 November 2026

Job summary
The Department of Acute Internal Medicine is a dynamic, collaborative, and forward-thinking service, led by consultants from a diverse range of specialty backgrounds, including Acute Internal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Medicine for Older People, and Emergency Medicine. This breadth of expertise creates a stimulating clinical environment that promotes shared learning, innovation, and excellent patient care. The successful applicant will be expected to both contribute to and benefit from this collective knowledge and multidisciplinary approach.

We welcome applications from physicians who are GMC registered with accreditation in General Internal Medicine and who are passionate about delivering high-quality acute medical care within a modern acute medicine service.

Main duties of the job
The clinical duties of the post include the following:

• 8 Direct Clinical Care (DCC) Programmed Activities (PAs) within Acute Medicine, delivered across both hospital sites as required. Duties include the assessment and management of patients within Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) and the Acute Floor; reviewing patients referred from Primary Care and the Emergency Department; providing advice and guidance to community clinicians regarding acute medical presentations; and delivering senior supervision, support and teaching to junior medical staff.
• General Internal Medicine (GIM) on-call commitment, currently 1:8, attracting a Category B low-frequency availability supplement (1% of basic salary). The on-call commitment is undertaken overnight (19:00-08:00) and is primarily advisory, providing senior telephone support to the resident medical team. Attendance on site is rarely required but may be necessary in exceptional circumstances.
• 2 Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) Programmed Activities, providing protected time for appraisal and revalidation, continuing professional development (CPD), clinical supervision, education and training, audit, quality improvement, clinical governance, and other professional or leadership responsibilities.

About us
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always deliver Excellent Care Everywhere, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating.

Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in.

We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

Details
Date posted: 06 November 2026
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Consultant
Salary: £113,565 to £150,569 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 279-MWRSCHCONACUTE-708
Job locations: Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, BN2 5BE, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
The Acute Medical Unit (AMU) at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) is delivered by consultants from the Acute Medicine department on a rotational basis and is supported by a dedicated junior medical workforce. The unit comprises 27 inpatient beds, with a significant proportion of acute medical activity managed through the adjacent Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) service, reflecting the departments commitment to ambulatory care and admission avoidance.

The service operates in line with the same clinical standards, pathways and consultant-delivered care model as the Royal Sussex County Hospital site, ensuring consistency of patient care and professional practice across the Trust. While the range of on-site specialties is naturally smaller than that available at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, PRH benefits from close collaboration with Respiratory Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology, and Medicine for Older People services. In addition, Gastroenterology and Cardiology consultants provide regular on-site input, and patients requiring more complex or urgent specialist interventions can be rapidly transferred to the Brighton campus, ensuring timely access to the full range of tertiary and specialist services available across University Hospitals Sussex.

The Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) in Brighton a tertiary referral centre and provides comprehensive acute medical services within a modern Acute Floor environment. The service is centred around a 26-bedded Acute Medical Unit (AMU), which is co-located with the Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit, in close proximity to the Emergency Department and Radiology services, facilitating rapid assessment, investigation and treatment of acutely unwell medical patients.

Acute Medicine services at RSCH operate within a well-established consultant-delivered model, providing timely senior clinical decision-making and access to a broad range of specialist and tertiary services. The close integration of the AMU, SDEC and Emergency Department supports efficient patient flow, early specialist input and the delivery of high-quality acute medical care across a diverse range of presentations and levels of complexity.

Interviews potentially September 26

Person Specification
Experience/Qualifications
Essential:

• Basic medical degree
• FRC/MRCP or its recognised equivalent
• Full and specialist registration (with a licence to practise) with the GMC or be eligible for registration within six months of the interview. If you trained in the UK, you must also have a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Acute Internal Medicine or be within six months of receiving it by the interview date. If you trained outside the UK, you must provide evidence that your qualifications are equivalent to the UK CCT. (Equivalence must be confirmed by GMC by date of AAC)

Desirable:

• Higher Degree
• Additional postgraduate qualifications, such as BSc, MSc, MD, PhD, or equivalent higher degree

Clinical Skills & Experience
Essential:

• Experience working in and leading an Acute Medicine Unit or equivalent.
• Experience carrying out medical procedures, including, but not limited to, pleural procedures, ascitic drains, and lumbar punctures

Desirable:

• Experience working in other acute services, such as cardiology, respiratory, frailty, and intensive care medicine
• Accreditation in use of point of care ultrasound (POCUS)

Knowledge
Desirable:

• Breadth of experience in and outside specialty

Organisation & Planning
Essential:

• Experience and ability to work in multi-professional teams.
• Understanding of: NHS / Clinical governance / Resource constraints

Desirable:

• Evidence of managerial skills: Achievements / Course attended

Teaching Skills
Essential:

• Evidence of an interest and commitment to teaching

Desirable:

• Recognised teaching qualification

Academic & Research
Essential:

• Evidence of participation in audit

Desirable:

• Research experience
• Publications
• Prizes and honours

Career Progression
Essential:

• Appropriate progression of career to date

Personal Attributes
Essential:

• Evidence of: Good communication skills both oral and written

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.

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.

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

Employer details
Employer name: University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)
Address: Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, BN2 5BE, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Interim Clinical Lead for Acute Internal Medicine, Dr Gareth Watts, Gareth.Watts1@nhs.net, 01273696955

Supporting documents
Privacy notice: University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)'s privacy notice