The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Specialist Registrar: Job description
Staffing
Dr Heather Mackinnon Consultant Whole time
Dr Edward Broadhurst Consultant Whole time
Dr Mervyn Jaswon Consultant Maximum Part-Time
Dr Andrew Robins Consultant Whole time
Dr Roly Blumberg Consultant Whole time
Dr Joseph Raine Consultant Whole Time
Dr Helen Bantock Community Consultant Whole time
Dr Wendy D’Arrigo Community Consultant Part time
Dr Wynne Leith Associate Specialist Paediatrician NICU
Dr Amin Salem Staff Grade Paediatrician General Paediatrics
*Middle Grade Fellows Four new posts to be appointed*
Specialist Registrars Three Whole time post holders comprising usually;
One (Year 5) from September
One (Year 5) from September
One (Year 1) from September
One (Year 5) substantive Flexible SpR
Two Community WTE post-holders participating in on call rota
Two Clinical Middle grade clinical fellows at present
SHO's 6 in General Paediatrics and 5 in Neonatology (& 1Neonatal Trust doctor)
Eight SHOs rotating between General & Neonatal Paediatrics
Three of these SHOs rotate to GOS for 1 year after the Whittington.
Two SHOs, 6 months General Paediatrics only (GPVTS post holders)
One SHO, 6 months Neonatal Paediatrics only
(e.g Paediatric, Obstetric or Anaesthetic Trainee)
PRHO Rotating through paediatrics, medicine & surgery every 4 months.
On call 1:5 with SHOs in General Paediatrics, but off duty by 22.30hrs.
The Department
The children’s ward consists of 23 inpatient beds, (total admissions approximately 2000 per year, and a 6 bed paediatric day unit (approx. 2400 per year) with a well established system of ambulatory care
The paediatric out-patient department deals with an attendance of approximately 10 000 per year, comprising of regular general paediatric clinics and a daily emergency GP referral "10-12" clinic. Specialised clinics for haematology (the department has a special interest in thalassaemia and sickle cell disease) asthma, child development, diabetes, endocrinology, cardiology, dermatology, rheumatology, cystic fibrosis and neurology take place within the Department.
There are close relationships with the Departments of Haematology, Microbiology, Obstetrics and Child Psychiatry and good links with the Community Child Care services.
The Neonatal Unit currently has 16(+2) cots, 6 of which are equipped for intensive care. The neonatal unit cares for in-born babies, and accepts both in-utero and ex-utero transfers. There are over 3,200 deliveries per year in the hospital and approximately 280 admissions to the neonatal unit in 2003. This resulted in more than 1400 neonatal intensive care days. The local population is a mixture of many ethnic and social groups and provides many challenging obstetric and neonatal problems.
Students from the Royal Free & University College Medical School are regularly attached to the department and the junior staff are expected to participate enthusiastically with their teaching. All training posts are recognised for the DCH and MRCPCH .
Paediatric training offered at the Whittington
Training in paediatrics is organised and supervised by the college tutor Dr Raoul Blumberg and unit training director Dr Joseph Raine. Each Registrar, SHO and Trust Grade doctor has a nominated supervisor (one of the six consultants). The trainee must ensure that he / she makes an appointment to meet with their nominated supervisor within 2 weeks of commencing the post to discuss educational aims and opportunities. Thereafter the trainee should make an appointment to see their nominated supervisor three monthly for formal appraisal and career guidance.
Induction sessions will be organised by the RCPCH Tutor, and specifically includes training and revision in paediatric resuscitation as appropriate.
Protected training half-days are held on Wednesday afternoons jointly with The Royal Free Hospital. Training sessions alternate between the two sites. All specialist registrars except one covering should attend. Teaching aims to cover the major aspects of the paediatric syllabus on an annual basis. In addition to set paediatric topics, there presentations on managerial and research aspects within paediatrics of appeal to middle grade staff in the department.
Staff Support
Key members of the Child and Family psychiatric team have been leading staff support sessions on the Neonatal unit for many years and this opportunity has recently been re-initiated on the general paediatric ward.
Training Opportunities
Day / Time / Meeting / PlaceMonday / 08.30 - 100
13.00-14.00 / Neonatal Unit Grand round
Obstetric/Neonatal liaison meeting / NNU
Academic Centre
Tuesday / 08.30-10.00
16.30-18.00 / Joint General paediatric ward round
General Paediatric
Multi-disciplinary Liaison meeting / Ifor Seminar Room
Ifor Seminar Room
Wednesday / 12.30-13.45
14.00-17.00 / Whittington Hospital Staff round
Training half-day / Whitt 1st and 3rd weeks
RF 2nd and 4th weeks
Thursday / 13.15-14.00
14.00-15.00 / Neonatal Business meeting
Neonatal Multi-disciplinary psycho-Social liaison meeting / NICU Seminar Room
NICU Seminar Room
Friday / 08.30-09.30
12.30-13.30
13.30-14.00
01.00-02.00 / Haem/Microbiology &Paed Meeting
Journal Club
Paediatric X-Ray Meeting
GP Meeting / Ifor Seminar Room
Ifor Seminar Room
XRay Department
Academic Centre
Hospital Training and Audit Half Days
The paediatric department participates in the regular Training and Audit half days and Specialist Registrars are expected to actively participate in audit projects, contribute to new projects and develop a working understanding of the audit process.
Many other lectures, seminars and workshops take place, including the very popular and successful short teaching courses at the Centre for Medical Education on the Whittington campus
Location of the post
The duties of the post are located entirely at the Whittington Hospital.
The Paediatric Specialist Registrars and Middle Grade fellows
There are 3 areas where the full time paediatric SpR’s are based; “Ifor”, the general paediatric ward, “4D”, paediatric outpatient clinic and the Neonatal Unit. A period of 4 months is spent in each with flexibility for cross-cover during periods of leave. All SpR’s/Middle Grades are assigned a supervising consultant s will be assigned, and initial meeting should take place within the first 2 weeks of beginning the post.
Pattern of work
The specialist registrar currently works an on call rota, with the day off after nights on-call but with additional posts this will change to a partial or full shift rota to enable New Deal compliance
Academic and Departmental
Participation in Journal club, presentation of cases of interest at joint paediatric teaching
And an audit project
General Paediatric duties
The general paediatric registrar are responsible for inpatient general paediatric care, including assessment of ambulatory care patients, support of the SHO for paediatric calls from Accident and Emergency during the day and participating in weekly training half days. The work is varied and experience will be gained in acute and general paediatrics, the management of patients with sickle cell disease, shared care oncology as well as child protection work.
The specialist registrar would be expected to both lead and accompany the attending consultant on the regular daily ward round in co-operation with nursing staff and SHO’s.
Duties include:
Liason with nursing staff, parents, medical and support services
Supervision of ward work and record keeping by SHO’s
Liason with the attending general paediatric consultant
Systematic “handover” of patients and their problems to fellow registrars at shift changes
Participation in general paediatric clinics
Liason with tertiary units for shared care patients
Attendance and participation with joint medical meetings and training
Medical student and SHO teaching
Neonatal Duties
The neonatal registrar are expected to acquire the skills to manage the ill term newborn and premature infant. Duties are broad but well defined and include support and teaching of junior medical staff, cooperation with nursing staff, liaison with labour ward and obstetric colleagues and communication with the attending neonatal consultant
Clinical duties include:
Participation in the consultant rounds (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and leading the ward round (Tuesdays and Thursdays).
Supervision of and participation in daily record keeping, updating of results supervision of SHO discharge summaries and completion of complex summaries.
Assistance to SHO’s on labour ward, and postnatal wards and a postnatal ward round on Tuesday morning.
Liaison with paramedical staff and social services
Assessment of new neonatal referrals in Monday Neonatal Clinic and follow up of specific cases from the postnatal wards and neonatal unit.
Social and Parental support
Communication with parents of infants on the neonatal unit and presentation of cases at the neonatal unit multi-disciplinary psychosocial meeting.
Neonatal procedures
Proficiency is expected in the following:
Central venous catheterisation (long line and umbilical venous lines)
Arterial catheterisation (umbilical and peripheral arterial lines)
Acquisition of skills while on the neonatal unit:
Cranial ultrasound examination and interpretation
Basic cardiac ultrasound
Teaching and supervision of Senior House Officers
Participation in the bi-annual induction program for new SHO’s
Neonatal practical procedures
Ventilator management
Supervision of TPN and fluid prescription
Record keeping
Shared responsibility for Neonatal Unit data sets and Neonatal Statistics
Neonatal Weekly Schedule
/Monday
/Tuesday
/Wednesday
/Thursday
/Friday
am / 8.30Joint Consultant NICU W/R
& Ward work / 8.30
NICU W/R / 8.30
Consultant NICU W/R
& Ward work
/ 8.30NICU W/R
& Ward work /
8.30
Consultant NICU W/R
11.00 Postnatal W/R / 11.00 Consultant Postnatal W/R / 12.30 Journal Club13.00
Perinatal Meeting
Obstetricians and Midwives / 13.00
Staff Support
NICU Seminar room / 12.15
Hospital Grand Rounds / 13.15 –14.00
Business Meeting /
13.30
X-Ray meeting
pm / 14.00Neonatal Follow-up clinic / Ward work / Training Afternoon
Whittington &
Royal Free / 14.30
Neonatal Multidisciplinary Meeting /
Ward work
“CLINIC” Specialist Registrar duties
The “Clinic Registrar” spends the majority of his/her time in Childrens Out Patients (Clinic 4D) but should be aware of what is going on on Ifor Ward and NICU as he/she is expected to “cover” Ifor Ward or NICU Registrar when they go off post take.
To ensure that the “Clinic Registrar ” know what is going on he/she should attend the NICU joint consultant round on Monday at 8.30 a.m. and the Ifor joint consultant rounds on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8.30 a.m. Attendance at the Obstetric/Neonatal liaison meeting at 1 p.m. on Mondays is usually possible in addition to Journal Club and X-Ray meeting at 12.30 and 1.30 p.m. on Fridays.
This position needs to be the most flexible “middle grade” in the department. He/she must be prepared to cover for absent colleagues (consultants/middle grades) in clinic as well as on Ifor Ward and NICU. He/she may be required to do extra clinic work at short notice, particularly the 10-12 emergency referral clinic.
The “Clinic Registrar” should act as a resource for advice and support to clinic nurses, e.g. they may require advice on management of babies with prolonged jaundice, or may need skilled help to take blood samples. He/She may be asked to assess/prioritise GP referrals (generally this task should be done by consultants).
The Clinic Registrar may be asked to look at pathology results and to take appropriate action (e.g. recalling child for repeat test, assessment or treatment).
Terms & Conditions:
The Terms and Conditions of Service as amended from time to time will apply to and govern this statement. The post holders are required to work with the Trust and the Task Force to ensure that the posts remain compliant
It is accepted that the holder of the post will also perform duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances at the request of the appropriate consultant. Such additional commitments arising under this subsection will be exceptional and in particular the doctor should not be required to undertake work of this kind for prolonged periods or on a regular basis.
Every effort will be made to ensure that the specialist registrar duty hours and middle grade fellows are equitably shared but there may be occasions where they will be expected to work flexibly in the interest of the service.
Main Conditions of Service:
1. The post is covered by the Terms and Conditions of Service for Hospital Medical and Dental staff.
2. The specialist registrar posts and the Middle grade fellows are whole-time for one year
3. The post is resident on-duty.
4. Pay scale will be as for SpR’s with additional London weighting
Conditions of Appointment:
1. A medical clearance is required prior to commencement of appointment.
2. The appointee will be required to demonstrate appropriate training in the Core of knowledge required in the Schedule to the Ionising Radiation (Protection of Persons Undergoing Medical Examination or Treatment). Regulations 1988, or prepared to under take such training.
3. Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, requires appointees to disclose any previous criminal record because of involvement in child protection work.
Further details of post: For informal details, contact Dr Raoul Blumberg on 020 7288 5616. Or e-mail:-
Annual leave:
All annual leave should preferably not be taken in a single 4 month rotation. Bank Holidays and Annual Leave days in lieu are internally covered. Locum cover for weekdays requires the standard minimum of 6 weeks notice.
Study leave:
At the discretion of your supervising consultant and leave co-ordinator
All paediatric SpR leave requests are co-ordinated by Dr Andrew Robins
Any queries relating to the appointment at the Whittington Hospital, please contact the
The Human Resources Directorate on Tel: 020 7288 5797.
LAS SPRjobdes June 04.doc