Job summary
- Main area
- Palliative Medicine
- Grade
- NHS Medical & Dental: Specialist Grade
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 5 sessions per week
- Job ref
- 249-7237471
- Employer
- Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Great Western Hospital
- Town
- Swindon
- Salary
- £96,990 - £107,155 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Specialist in Palliative Medicine
NHS Medical & Dental: Specialist Grade
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.
Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.
We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.
The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.
If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.
Job overview
This role is a substantive post within the department of Palliative and End of Life Care reflecting the value the Trust is placing on ensuring we are delivering the best care for our patients and their loved ones in their last years of life. In conjunction with the other Consultants, this post will provide a multi-disciplinary specialist palliative and end of life care (P&EOLC) service within the acute hospital, in reaching to the Victoria Centre also on the hospital site.
The department prides itself on focusing and supporting each individual to identify what matters to them, what makes them happy in their working life and how we can work together to support that.
Candidates are required to hold entry or working towards entry onto the GMC specialist Register
Main duties of the job
The role will provide specialist advice, support and education throughout the hospital with a focus at the front door – which has just had a £30 million facelift including a thoughtful structured process for people with palliative and end of life needs.
The P&EOLC service is provided Monday- Friday with out of hours advice offered via a telephone helpline to Prospect Hospice – our local independent hospice with whom we work closely, providing occasional mutual cross cover when required.
Working for our organisation
Our STAR values are at the heart of everything we do. You can expect to see them in the way we act and the way we treat each other. Our values make us who we are. We will expect your values and behaviours to reflect the STAR Values of the organisation:
Service We will put our patients first
Teamwork We will work together
Ambition We will aspire to provide the best service
Respect We will act with integrity
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached Job Description for full details of the role, and read these and the role opportunities below noting that we feel people bring their best selves when they are doing what inspires, challenges and brings them joy.
The post holder will contribute to the support of an MDT that reflects their interest and carry out joint visits following these meetings. The post holder will join the rota to hold the referral and advice phone supporting queries within and external to the P&EOLC team.
The department is dynamic with opportunities to get involved in regional and national work. If quality improvement drives you, the Trust has an Improving Together ethos with opportunities to make real and lasting changes – big and small.
The Trust has a thriving and respected ‘Academy’ providing undergraduate education to Bristol, Kings and Oxford medical students. As well as supporting our two palliative care clinical teaching fellows, there are opportunities to be involved in specialist and general undergraduate education and support with financial remuneration.
The department is actively involved in research with a supportive and knowledgeable research department and, if interested, the successful candidate would be encouraged to undertake research projects.
The appointee will have access to a shared office, with a desk and mobile DECT phone and a personal laptop at the Great Western Hospital. They will have secretarial support and full remote IT access is available for home SPA working.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide senior medical care, advice and support across the acute hospital care settings with occasional foray into the local hospice and community settings.
- Provide specialist advice, support and information to patients and carers through direct consultations.
- Provide hospital inpatient reviews throughout the week and outpatient reviews as required.
- Lead multidisciplinary team meetings across clinical settings.
- Contribute as a senior member of the team, liaising with the other consultants, and other service department managers to ensure a seamless and integrated service for patients and families.
- Develop close working relationships with hospital clinical teams, providing remote clinical advice, undertaking clinical reviews and assessments.
- Attend the GWH Palliative and End of Life Care MDT meeting.
- Contribute to medical audit, service improvement and integration initiatives.
- To support the Clinical Lead in policy and strategy development as a senior member of the Division Management Team.
- To contribute to the leadership and development of Services under the direction of the Clinical Lead and Associate Medical Director and in line with the Trust’s business plans.
For further information please see the attached Job Description
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Fully registered with the GMC
- MRCP
- Be accredited or equivalent on the specialist register for the specialty. Or be working towards this with good evidence of attainment thus far
Clinical Experience
Essential criteria
- Minimum of 12 years medical working and 6 years working in specialist palliative medicine
- Evidence of Palliative medicine experience across all settings
- Ability to lead a multi-professional team and take full and independent responsibility for clinical care of patients
- Active interest in and advocate for patient safety and quality improvement
Managment Adminstration
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable ability to manage priorities
- Demonstrable multi-disciplinary team leadership skills
- Experience of audit and management
- Flexible approach to work organisation ability to lead project teams
- Evidence of management/leadership skills training
- Intermediate to advanced level IT skills
Teaching and Reseach
Essential criteria
- Keeps up to date with current research and best practice
- Ability to teach clinical skills to trainees and multi-disciplinary teams Interest in leading multi-professional education, supports a safe and supportive learning environment.
- Publications in peer reviewed journals
- Ability to supervise post-graduate research
Personal Attibutes
Essential criteria
- Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team
- Enquiring, critical approach to work
- Caring and empathetic attitude to patients
- Ability to communicate effectively with patients, relatives, GPs, hospital staff and other agencies.
- Commitments to Continuing Medical Education
- Willingness to undertake additional professional responsibilities at local, regional or national levels
- Willingness to work in other areas of the Trust or Trust wide sites if required as directed by the department Clinical Lead
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
- Dr Natasha Wiggins
- Job title
- Consultant in Palliative Medicine
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07467 336180
List jobs with Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Medical and Dental or all sectors