Detailed job description and main responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST

Clinical and Diagnostic Service

1. To provide, in collaboration with microbiology consultant colleague, a timely, reliable and comprehensive diagnostic service for Airedale Hospital and Primary Care users.

2. To provide advice and support to clinical colleagues, and to be available to discuss management of patients with infections.

3.  To provide an out of hours advice service on a shared on-call basis between Airedale and Bradford Hospitals and potentially other Trusts that join Integrated Pathology Solutions joint venture subject to further discussion and agreement.

4. To participate in providing the Infection Prevention service with the nursing team.

Service Delivery

5. To maintain a close working relationship with the other Airedale Consultant Microbiologist, the Bradford Consultant Microbiologists and Infectious Disease Consultants and the technical and scientific staff within the Department. Consultant staff are expected to work within the established management structure and abide by Departmental and Trust Policies.

6. To participate in the effective running of the Department, contributing to an equitable share of workload and facilities, the efficient use of staff and resources and the development of the service in support of the changing needs of clinical users and the Trust.  It will be necessary to take delegated responsibility for agreed areas of the service, and to deputise for the Head of Department, or other lead roles, as necessary.

7. To ensure participation in Departmental and external audit and quality assurance (QA) in Microbiology.   

8. To work with the Clinical Director, the Lead Clinician for Microbiology, the Managing Director of Pathology, the Head of Microbiology, the Quality Manager and other medical and scientific staff of the Pathology Service in the delivery of an efficient and effective pathology service.

9. To assist in co-ordinating the Pathology Department's response to any 'major incident’ occurring within the district, in accordance with the Trust’s Major Incident Procedure.

Professional Standards and Clinical Governance

10. To maintain good clinical practice and contribute to mechanisms established within the Trust for the purposes of Clinical Governance including compliance with professional standards, quality assurance, risk and adverse incident reporting and participation in National Confidential Enquiries and Audits.

11. To maintain and develop skills and knowledge in the specialty and to participate in the Royal College of Pathologists’ Continuing Professional Development scheme.

12. To participate in annual Consultant appraisal, revalidation and job plan review, in accordance with the Trust’s Consultant appraisal and job planning procedures.

Clinical Supervision and Training

13. To contribute to the professional supervision and training of medical, scientific and technical staff within the Department.

General

14. To abide by Trust policies and procedures, including the Health & Safety, Risk Management and Control of Infection Policies, and procedures relating to personnel, recruitment and disciplinary matters.

15. To undertake any other duties necessary for the successful performance of the role, commensurate with the grade.

CLINICAL PRACTICE AND LIAISON

The consultant microbiologist attends the Intensive Care Unit MDT and sees patients with bacteraemias or other complex infections. Ward visits to other areas including neonatal unit, the paediatric ward, the Haematology-Oncology Unit, and other wards are ad hoc.

There are weekly antibiotic stewardship ward rounds with the lead antimicrobial pharmacist.

The microbiologists attend:

·          Antimicrobial stewardship group

·          Infection control committee

·          Water and Ventilation safety groups

·          RCAs for MRSA bacteraemia and C difficile

There is an OPAT service, developed by the Acute Collaborative Care Team. The consultant microbiologists advise on management plans.