Job summary
- Main area
- Rheumatology
- Grade
- Band 7 AFC
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed Term)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 193-MS2165NCG
- Employer
- Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Berkshire Hospital
- Town
- Reading
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 26/12/2025 08:00
Employer heading
Physician Associate in Rheumatology/ General Medicine
Band 7 AFC
At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”
Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements. The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.
We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions
We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate
We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live
We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice
At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.
Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us. We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.
Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity to for a Fixed Term post as Physician Associate in the Rheumatology Department at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. This will be for a 12 month period will be from 1 March 2026 to 1 March 2027.
The Rheumatology department has a dynamic role for a physician associate which involves both outpatient clinics, musculoskeletal ultrasound, joint and soft tissue injections, practical procedures including point of care ultrasound (POCUS) and inpatient work in General and Acute Medicine. The successful applicant will work alongside a team of consultants, junior doctors and a full multidisciplinary team.
This unique opportunity will enable the successful applicant to shape the role of Physican Associates in the department in the future.
Main duties of the job
A specialist Physician Associate within Rheumatology.
It is expected that the Physician Associate will be required to;
Review patients in outpatient clinics and on Castle Ward and facilitate subsequent management of their care in conjunction with the Rheumatology team. Order appropriate investigations, interpret results, form a list of differential diagnoses and recommend treatment accordingly.
• Perform pertinent assessments for all patients along with the multidisciplinary team to improve patient outcomes
• Perform diagnostic/ therapeutic procedures subject to training and experience. These include (but not exclusively) joint and soft tissue injections, musculoskeletal ultrasound.
• Ensure documentation is legible and clear
• Ensure all pathway documentation is completed according to the Trust Guidelines
• Consolidate, develop and maintain specialist medical knowledge. Keep up to date with current guidelines and maintain best practice.
Working for our organisation
In addition to general rheumatology, we have now developed sub- speciality clinics; an Early Inflammatory Arthritis Service with ultrasound scanning has now been set up. A clinical pathway is now in place for urgent assessment of suspected giant cell arteritis (GCA). The department was undertaken assessments from Get It Right First Time (GIRFT) and National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), achieving compliance in the standards of care. We are a high recruiter to the HQIP National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit which is embedded in our clinics.
There is already a well–developed Axial Spondyloarthropathy service. The department was selected as a centre of excellence for the NASS Aspiring to Excellence programme in 2019. There are 2 specialist physiotherapists attached to this service. The team were award the NASS Team Changemaker Award in 2025.
The Rheumatology department also operates a weekly metabolic bone clinic and was instrumental in setting up the Royal Berkshire Fracture Liaison Service (FLS). The Fracture Liaison Service took part in the RCP Quality Improvement Collaborative and has collaborates with the radiology department to identify patients with incidental vertebral fractures. The service has had excellent clinical outcomes in the last national FLS-Database report is now one of the top 5 performing units nationally.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The successful applicant will be involved in the following:
1. Rheumatology outpatient clinics (2 clinics per week seeing follow up patients supervised by Consultant Rheumatologist)
2. Remote Monitoring of patients through supporting the Advice Line which is accessed by rheumatology patients.
3. Perform all common joint and soft tissue injections once trained under supervision
4. Support junior doctors in providing supervised cover for General Medicine and Rheumatology inpatients on Castle Ward.
5. Undertake Good Medical Practice and become involved with Departmental research and clinical trials
6. Assist Department in completing National Early Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) and submission of data to Biologics Registry (BSRBR)
7. Participate and support remote monitoring of rheumatology patients on disease modifying drugs (DMARDs) on the DAWN system and working with Clinical Nurse Specialists and Admin team.
It is envisaged that the role would be developed flexibly over time in accordance with the needs of the service and a subspecialty interest of the post holder could be developed. The appointee will undergo a period of training, supervision and accreditation to activities relevant to the department.
The post holder will be supervised by a designated consultant and will also have individual mentors to overview their career development.
The Physician Associate will have a role in helping to facilitate and improve the placements of the PA students from the University of Reading and develop and expand PA roles within the RBFT.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Clinical/Professional
• Review patients in outpatient clinics and on Castle Ward and facilitate subsequent management of their care in conjunction with the Rheumatology team. Order appropriate investigations, interpret results, form a list of differential diagnoses and recommend treatment accordingly.
• Perform pertinent assessments for all patients along with the multidisciplinary team to improve patient outcomes
• Perform diagnostic/ therapeutic procedures subject to training and experience. These include (but not exclusively) joint and soft tissue injections, musculoskeletal ultrasound.
• Ensure documentation is legible and clear
• Ensure all pathway documentation is completed according to the Trust Guidelines
• Consolidate, develop and maintain specialist medical knowledge. Keep up to date with current guidelines and maintain best practice.
• Work with the medical team to achieve the targets for quality improvement
• Support and contribute to new:FU ratios in the OP setting
• Communicate the outcome of clinical encounters to GPs and other health professionals in a timely fashion.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Ability to organise, prioritise workload and take responsibility for the clinical care of patients under the supervision of the medical team.
- Ability to communicate and work effectively with colleagues, patients, relatives, nurses, other staff and agencies.
Desirable criteria
- Clinical experience and training in virtual hospital services.
- Experience of service design and improvement.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- BA/BSc degree prior to undertaking PA programme (A)
- PG Dip in Physician Associate from a UK training Programme (A)
Desirable criteria
- MSc in Physician Associate studies
Management and Audit
Desirable criteria
- Experience of Clinical Audit
- Experience of quality improvement and service development
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Antoni Chan
- Job title
- Clinical Lead in Rheumatology
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01183227969
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