Job overview

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust (WCFT) is an independent specialist neurosciences NHS Trust hospital providing a high quality, integrated and multidisciplinary neurosciences service to Cheshire, Merseyside, North Wales, the Isle of Man and part of West Lancashire which totals a population of 3.5 million people. For the second time in 2019 the Walton Centre NHS Trust has been rated outstanding by CQC. It is a dynamic organisation that has an excellent reputation for delivering high quality care.

The WCFT is the regional Major Trauma Centre for the North West in partnership with Aintree University Hospitals as a part of Merseyside Major Trauma Centre Collaborative (MTCC), has been delivering a 24/7 Mechanical Thrombectomy service since 2021 and is a nationally recognised centre for MRgFUS & LITT services.

The hospital is 5 miles from the centre of Liverpool and is based in a virtually self-contained, purpose-built building which was opened in 1998. The Centre has 99 neurosurgical beds, 29 neurological beds, 30 non-acute rehabilitation beds, 10 acute rehabilitation beds, 4 pain-relief beds and a Critical Care Unit with 20 beds.

An ethos of evidence-based medicine sits firmly in the unit, and clinical research is strongly supported, among doctors and allied health care professionals.

Main duties of the job

At present there are 23 substantive Consultant Anaesthetists and 4 Specialty doctors working regularly within the ACSA accredited Department of Neuroanaesthesia & Neuro Critical Care, providing daytime cover for theatre, critical care and neuroradiology. The department has approval for 12 Speciality Trainees from Mersey & Welsh Deaneries. The Consultants provide an on-call service for adult neuro-critical care and neurosurgical emergencies on two separate on-call rotas for Neuroanaesthesia & Neuro Critical Care.

Working for our organisation

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only NHS trust to hold dual accreditation for the Investors in People. We invest in people and we invest in wellbeing standards and have been awarded Gold status for both. The Walton Centre is a leader in the treatment and care of neurology and neurosurgery, placing the patient and their family at the heart of everything we do. As the only specialist hospital trust in the UK dedicated to providing comprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, spinal and pain management services we are proud to be rated as an Outstanding Trust by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and champion change throughout the field of neuroscience. Originally formed in 1992, the Trust received Foundation Trust status in 2009.

With around 1,450 staff, The Walton Centre treats more than 127,000 outpatients and 18,000 inpatients each year. We have leading specialists and incredibly dedicated staff delivering excellent clinical outcomes for brain, spinal and neurological care nationally and internationally. Teams across our site in Fazakerley, Liverpool, offer a world-class service in diagnosing and treating injuries and illnesses affecting the brain, spine and peripheral nerves and muscles, and in supporting people suffering from a wide range of long-term neurological conditions.