JOB DESCRIPTION AND PARTICULARS
RELATING TO THE POST OF
LOCUM APPOINTMENT FOR TRAINING
Specialty Registrar (LAT)
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
November 2015 – August 2016
Borders General Hospital, MELROSE TD6 9BS
THE POST
This job description provides some particulars about a vacant hospital placement, a Locum Appointment for Training (LAT) replacement for a rotational StR in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, which is offered as a 9 month placement. The post is located within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Borders General Hospital, Melrose, Scottish Borders TD6 9BS.
We require this post for 9 months, from November 2015 – August 2016. This placement offers the opportunity to gain broad experience and training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in a District General Hospital.
You should have evidence of achievement of foundation competences from a UKFPO-affiliated foundation programme or equivalent, by time of application in line with GMC standards/Good Medical Practice.In addition applicants must demonstrate:
- MBBS or equivalent medical qualification
- Full GMC registration and a licence to practice
- Successful completion of Part 1 MRCOG at time of application
The post is most suitable for doctors at ST3 or higher level who are seeking to gain experience in support of a future career in Obstetrics & Gynaecology,but all appropriately qualified applicants will be considered. The successful applicant will receive training opportunities at STR 3-7 level based on previous experience.Applicants should be able to demonstrate annual assessment of competencies and should ideally be registered with the RCOG training e-portfolio.
LAT placements have educational and PG Dean’s approval and training can be accredited (assuming a positive ARCP annual outcome) towards CCT – see LAT Credit Policy at the end of this job description.
There is an excellent Postgraduate educational programme regionally and locally and good library facilities on the Borders General Hospital site. In line with GMC regulations you will be allocated an Educational Supervisor and Named Clinical Supervisor, usually a Hospital Consultant within the Specialty. Your supervisor will meet with you on a regular basis during placement and will provide support and recommendation towards ongoing formative and end-point assessment of your progress. Successful applicants will be expected to attend the annual Deanery ARCP process in June.
Teaching and Training are taken seriously within the department. Trainee feedback (both at the annual ARCP assessments and via the GMC training survey) is consistently excellent within Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Monitoring of Junior Doctors Hours (New Deal)
There is a contractual obligation to monitor junior hours of work through local monitoring arrangements. Monitoring at the Borders General Hospital usually takes place twice per year (summer/winter) and you may be asked to take part in a monitoring exercise during this placement. Although it is a contractual obligation that you monitor your hours, the exercise is of benefit to everyone to assess working patterns and Working Time compliance.
BORDERSGENERALHOSPITAL
The BordersGeneralHospital is the district general hospital serving the Scottish Borders Region. It has 320 beds with 87 acute medical beds of which 12 are in a higher dependency area with monitoring and telemetry facilities. The hospital offers services in General Medicine, Haematology, Palliative Care, Medicine for the Elderly, Stroke Medicine, Paediatrics, General Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Ophthalmology, ENT, Obstetrics and Gynaecology. There is a 6 bedded ITU and an active outreach programme for critically patients. A recent development is the opening of the Margaret Kerr Unit in January 2013 has provided palliative care services in the Scottish Borders with a purpose-built environment from which to deliver specialist palliative care.
Within the Department of General Medicine there are specialists in Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Neurology and Rheumatology. Visiting consultants provide clinics for Oncology, Dermatology, Renal Medicine and Clinical Genetics.
The Emergency Department provides facilities for the reception, resuscitation, examination and treatment of patients in the Scottish Borders who require emergency admission, or immediate care and discharge. The ED service is well integrated with the Borders Emergency Care Service (BECS), which is the Primary Care out-of-hours service for Borders. Orthopaedic Outpatient and Fracture Clinic facilities are also provided within the Department. The department is managed by a consultant emergency physician, Mr J Kerr, who was appointed in November 2008, and he is charge lead of the department. Specialty Doctors, Salaried GPs, training grade doctors (FY2s, GP, orthopaedic and surgical trainees) manage ED patients supported by speciality medical staff from within the hospital. Nurse staffing within the ED is comprised of 23 registered nurses and 3 nursing assistants led by a senior charge nurse.
There is a 6 bedded ITU run by the Anaesthetic Department who also run an acute haemodynamic support service with outreach staff from ITU liasing with ward staff.
There is an up to date laboratory service covering Haematology, Microbiology and Clinical Chemistry with ready access to more specialised investigations in Lothian laboratories and other laboratories in Scotland. The Radiology Department is well equipped for routine radiology, CT scanning, ultrasound, Doppler studies, nuclear medicine and MRI. CT coronary angiography and cardiac MRI are well established in the department.
NHS Borders is one of the CHKS 40Top Hospitals for 2014/15. The 40Top award is based on the evaluation of 22 key performance indicators covering safety, clinical effectiveness, health outcomes, efficiency, patient experience and quality of care.
There is an active post graduate programme under the direction of the Director of Medical Education with excellent facilities in the Educational Centre operated by Napier University.
DEPARTMENT OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY
The current bed status for the unit is:
- Labour Suite – five delivery rooms (one with a birthing pool) and a dedicated theatre within the main Theatre Block. There is an additional room for patients who have suffered peri-natal loss.
- 19 combined antenatal and postnatal beds in a single ward.
- Pregnancy Assessment Unit.
- 14 gynaecological beds on a 7-day basis.
There is around 1150 deliveries per annum and the birth rate has increased each year in the Scottish Borders since 2001.
Neonates requiring special care and short term intensive care are admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit. Those requiring long term intensive care are transferred to the regional neonatal unit at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.
MEDICAL STAFFING IN THE DEPARTMENT OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY
Consultants
Dr Brian Magowan, Head of Clinical Service
Dr Roddy Campbell
Dr Queenie Menezes
Dr Kate Darlow
Dr Faye Rodger
Dr Thiyagaraj Narrainen-Poulle
Career Grade/Junior Medical Staff
Associate Specialist (part-time)1
StR level 2/3 or higher – rotational4
GPST3
FY2 House Officer2
CLINICAL DUTIES OF POST
Under the direction and supervision of the Consultants:
- Clinical responsibility for the admission and initial investigation and treatment of patients in both Obstetrics and Gynaecology, including Labour Ward. These are considered ‘middle grade’ duties with direct consultant supervision during the day and indirect supervision out of hours.
- On call provision – participation in a 1:4.5 rota for nights and weekends
- Daily Ward rounds of the Ante-Natal and Post-Natal and Gynaecological Wards. Admission of list cases with preparation of theatre lists including pre operative wards rounds and (where appropriate) obtaining consent.
- Emergency admissions take place on a potential 24 hours per day, 7 days per week basis. Provision of O&G opinion across other specialties including the Emergency department.
- Attendance in Theatre and Out-Patient Clinics. Note some out patient clinics are held peripherally across the Scottish Borders*
- Preparation of discharge letters and timely dictation of clinic letters.
DEPARTMENTAL STRENGTHS:
There is a departmental commitment to education and training, which all consultants take very seriously. Much of the dayto day training is under direct consultant supervision. Training is broad with specific strengths including operative Gynaecology, intra partum care and Obstetric scan training. More specialised clinics are available at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, where maternal medicine, assisted conception and reproductive endocrinology services are delivered. Trainee and medical student feedback is extremely positive.
STUDY & TRAINING
NHS Borders has a vibrant Medical Education department and education centre. There are excellent educational links with the University of Edinburgh School of Medicine and Vetranery Medicine. There is a well-equipped postgraduate library within the hospital grounds available for study and reference purposes. As well as book and journals there is access to e-Library, CD Rom, Databases and other e-Sources e.g. Medline, Embase. For literature searches and inter library loans, the clinical librarian and library staff will assist.
Opening hours for the library are available on the hospital intranet and advised at induction. At time of publication:
Monday–Thursday: 9.00 am – 9.00 pm
Friday: 9.00 am – 5.00 pm
Out of hours access to the library is available via swipe card (provided on arrival after completion of induction).
Each month there is a PG educational half day when clinics and other sessions are cancelled to allow ALL to attend except when involved with emergencies. For O&G specialty trainees there is monthly (mandatory) PG teaching and a strong in house teaching program. Candidates will be encouraged to join the Edinburgh Obstetrics Society.
GENERAL INFORMATION – FACILITIES AND ACCOMMODATION
There is a Doctors’ Mess within BordersGeneralHospital to allow doctors to relax, especially when they are on-call. A large 32” widescreen TV and Sky Digital is available as well as a PC with E-mail/Internet facilities. Refreshments include instant coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, brown and white bread with jams and butter and chocolate biscuits. Daily papers are provided including, the Times, Scotsman, and Daily Express. Junior doctors are expected to contribute to the running costs of the mess and £7 is debited from your salary per month if you intend to use these facilities.
There is a squash court available in the hospital grounds at no charge to employees and weekly aerobics/keep fit classes available for a small charge. There are many leisure facilities available locally including golf, rugby, swimming. Fishing on the world famous River Tweed can be arranged through local angling association. NHS Borders has an arrangement for reduced membership of a local Leisure Centre/Gymnasium.
Transport links have improved greatly. After an absence of almost 50 years, the ‘Borders Rail Link’ has now opened, with train services to central Edinburgh running every thirty minutes (journey time 50 minutes approx). Tweedbank Station is a few minutes walk from the Borders General Hospital.
There is a regular bus service between the Scottish Borders towns and Edinburgh, and also to Berwick upon Tweed, Newcastle and Carlisle.
There is a residence in the grounds of BordersGeneralHospital and single rooms may be available for doctors wishing to reside full time in the Borders area. Residence in our accommodation is entirely voluntary. Should your main place of residence be elsewhere we will make the facility of an on-call room or similar available when you are allocated weekends or night duty on your rota pattern. We make this facility available for health and safety reasons so that you would not be required to undertake unnecessary commuting whilst undertaking these duty shifts. This facility would be available at no charge and there is no income tax or council tax liability. Parking for residents is free.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
The Terms and Conditions of Service are taken from the Hospital Medical and Dental Staff (Scotland) and the General Whitley Council Conditions. A copy is available from Medical Staffing, Human Resources Department, BordersGeneralHospital. In addition, they can be found on the NHS Scotland website (SHOW) on the following link:
Current salary scale for Specialty Registrar (LAT): £31,931 - £48,123 per annum, placing depends previous experience. The supplement is 80% out of hours banding (Band 2A).
Contracted hours of duty: Basic working week and an out of hours on-call commitment on a 1:4.5 nights full shift and weekends approx, which includes prospective cover. The banding supplement is 2A (80%).
Duration: The appointment is for 9 months. There is minimum duration for LAT posts of 3 months.
Residence: The post is not compulsory – single accommodation will be provided at an abated rental charge in the Hospital residencies if this is suitable, but please note this is a taxable benefit. Assistance may be provided with married or family accommodation in the local area if this is required depending on availability. Financial assistance with relocation if moving to the Borders area is available, subject to meeting the eligibility requirements of the NHS Borders Relocation Policy.
Superannuation The post is superannuable unless the postholder opts out of the scheme or is ineligible to join and remuneration will be subject to deduction of Superannuation contributions in accordance with the NHS (Superannuation) (Scotland) Regulations.
Leave Entitlement There would be 26days combined annual leave / public holidays in the 9 month duration of this appointment.
General Medical Council All medical and dental staff must be registered with the General Medical Council with a licence to practice. This certificate must be produced at interview, when you commence work and on subsequent occasions as requested. This also applies to proof of re-registration of the annual subscription.
Occupational Health and Exposure Prone Procedures (EPP): All entrants to NHS Borders must be certified medically fit, and the appointment is conditional on such certification; therefore the applicant will require to be assessed by an Occupational Health Service (normally by questionnaire but occasionally an appointment will be required.) The holder of this post may be required to undertake on a regular basis exposure prone procedures (EPPs). As this could potentially place patients at risk, candidates must show evidence of appropriate immune status, or agree to undergo the necessary procedures. This is checked by the Occupational Health Service.
Medical Indemnity: You are normally covered by the NHSHospital and Community Health Services indemnity against claims of medical negligence. Health Departments advise that employees maintain membership of a defence organisation, as in certain circumstances (especially in services for which a fee is paid) the doctor may not be covered by the indemnity.
No Smoking Policy for Staff NHS Borders operates a No Smoking Policy. It is a condition of your employment that you must not smoke whilst you are on duty. Failure to observe this rule could result in disciplinary action. When selecting new staff, NHS Borders does not discriminate against applicants who smoke but applicants who accept an offer of employment will, in doing so, agree to observe NHS Borders’ policy on smoking.
Equal Opportunities in EmploymentNHS Borders Equal Opportunities Policy affirms that all applicants should be afforded equal opportunities in employment, irrespective of their age, gender, marital status, race, religion, creed, sexual orientation, colour or disability.
Further Enquiries
Further enquiries and arrangements to visit the Borders General Hospital should be made to Dr Roddy Campbell, Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecology or Dr Brian Magowan, Head of Clinical Service , 01896 826732.
Applications
For an informal discussion about the training programme please contact Dr Claire Alexander, Consultant on 0131 242 2520
How to apply:The completed application form should be sent to by the closing date quoting the reference number. No applications will be considered after this time. Please note we no longer accept CV's as a form of application. All NHS Scotland, NHS Lothian and NHS Borders medical vacancies are now advertised on
A paper application form can be downloaded from the website.
Please quote reference TG 823
Closing Date: 3rd October 2015
Interview Date 12th October 2015
PERSON SPECIFICATION
LOCUM StR in OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY - LOCUM APPOINTMENT FOR TRAINING (LAT)
Candidates should provide evidence in his/her application of attainment of at least the entry criteria – the national person specification is attached or can be viewed on the website as below:
BASIC ROTA DETAILS – StR in OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY
Template work pattern
Wk / Mon / Tue / Wed / Thu / Fri / Sat / Sun1 / A: Wk Day OC
08:30 08:30 / C: Post Call
08:30 09:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / A: Wk Day OC
08:30 08:30 / C: Post Call
08:30 09:00
2 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / A: Wk Day OC
08:30 08:30 / C: Post Call
08:30 09:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / B: Wkend OC
08:30 08:30 / B: Wkend OC
08:30 08:30
3 / C: Post Call
08:30 09:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / A: Wk Day OC
08:30 08:30 / C: Post Call
08:30 09:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00
4 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00 / Stnd Day
09:00 17:00
Extract from Reference Guide for Postgraduate Specialty Training in the UK
LAT Credit Policy
5.42 Specialty Training Registrars (StRs) may have training undertaken in a Locum Appointment for Training (LAT) post credited towards their total training in a given specialty and the related CCT or CESR CP.
5.43 The LAT post must be an approved specialty training post, with the appointment made according to the specialty Person Specification in open and fair competition. In all respects the LAT post should be equivalent to a training post within a full specialty programme, with the exception of limited tenure.
5.44 A StR in a LAT should enrol with the appropriate specialty College/Faculty prior to the finish date of the LAT post in order for the post to count towards specialty training. This is to enable access to the appropriate assessment tools to demonstrate attainment of required competencies.
5.45 Retrospective credit for LAT posts previously undertaken will not be granted.
5.46 Enrolled LAT posts of 3 months or more will automatically count towards training where satisfactory progress is confirmed or unless otherwise notified by the host LETB/deanery.