Consultant Medical Microbiologist

Job summary
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are looking to appoint a Microbiology Consultant to join the Microbiology team of four Consultants working cross site at all Trust sites.

The post is whole time - 10 PAs (less than full time will be considered) and is based at Southport Hospital. Agile working will be considered.

There is an Category A on call requirement - Currently 1 in 6

Applicants are required to be fully registered with a licence to practice with the General Medical Council at the time of application and be on the GMC Specialist Register or due to obtain their CCT within six months of the date of interview.

Applicants that are non-UK trained, will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT.

Interviews will take place on Monday 19th October, 2026

Main duties of the job
There are opportunities to build the clinical service through Antimicrobial Stewardship taking on the lead role with contributions towards Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) Service, Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings and additional ward presence.

Our Pathology Service provides Pathology for Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (NHS) Trust as well as the surrounding community.

Each year the laboratory performs over 6.5 million tests which are dealt with by medical, scientific, clerical and support staff in a range of departments

• Haematology and Transfusion
• Biochemistry and Immunology
• Microbiology
• Cellular Pathology
• Phlebotomy (Blood Taking)
• Bereavement

The Trust's Pathology department is accredited to ISO15189: Please follow this link to access the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) websiteand type the department's UKAS ID to access the schedule of accreditation for each of the department.

The UKAS ID codes are as follows Biochemistry and Immunology 8871, Cellular Pathology 8908, Haematology and Transfusion 8864 and Microbiology 8857.

A formal job plan will be agreed between the appointee, the existing Consultant Microbiologists, and the Clinical Director, within 3 months after the commencement date of the appointment.

Depending on the demands of the service, as with the flexible work patterns of most Medical Microbiologists, sometimes a greater or lesser proportion of time may be spent between infection control and clinical microbiology.

About us
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.

From 1stJuly we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.

The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.

Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:

• CAREthat is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
• SAFETY that is of the highest standards
• COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
• SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
• PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients

Our achievements include:

• Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.

Job responsibilities
For more information regarding the main responsibilities and requirements essential for this role please refer to the supporting documents heading and review the job description and person specification which will outline the duties of the role including a proposed job plan.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
£338 million (PFI) investment has re-built and modernised both Whiston and St Helens Hospitals, resulting in modern state of the art health care facilities for the treatment and care of patients. St Helens Hospital was completed in 2008 and Whiston Hospital in 2010. The hospitals include 887 inpatient beds with state-of-the-art CT and MRI facilities existing on both hospital sites. CT and MRI scanners at St Helens have also recently been upgraded including installation of a high field 3 Tesla MRI scanner. The DEXA scanner is also located at St Helens Hospital.

The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk, and Newton hospitals.

The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery, and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.

As a Trust, our aim is to provide a high-quality service to all patients. We strive to meet the best standards for professional care whilst being sensitive and responsive to the needs of individual patients. Our valued workforce is recognised for their unique skills and talents with our teams of experts winning national awards on a regular basis.

Whiston Hospital
Whiston Hospital a busy teaching hospital which provides a comprehensive range of acute Medical and Surgical Services, Emergency Services, Maternity Services, Paediatrics and Medicine for Older People. The Regional Burns and Plastic Surgery Units are also based on this site. There is a Critical Care Unit consisting of ICU, HDU, CCU and an onsite Cardiac Catheter Laboratory. The stroke consultants deliver 24/7 thrombolysis to eligible patients presenting with acute stroke. There is a 30-bed Stroke Unit which accommodates both acute stroke patients and those with rehabilitation needs.

St Helens Hospital
St Helens Hospital is an Ambulatory Care Centre providing Intermediate Care and Day Surgery. Rheumatology, Dermatology and Diabetes services are based on this site and within easy reach of other acute specialties at Whiston Hospital.

Southport Hospital
Southport Hospital is a General Hospital that includes adults accident and emergency services, intensive care, and a range of medical and surgical specialities. There is also an outpatients service. The North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre at Southport hospital provides specialist care for spinal patients from across the North West, North Wales, and the Isle of Man.

The hospital, which replaced the Southport General Infirmary and the Southport Promenade Hospital, opened in September 1988.

Ormskirk Hospital
Ormskirk Hospital is a General Hospital and provides womens and childrens services, including accident and emergency services, surgery, and maternity care.

The hospital provides these services for patients living across West Lancashire, Southport, and Formby.

Life in Merseyside and West Lancashire
Merseyside, which includes the great city of Liverpool, is within easy reach of North Wales, the Lake District and the Peak District and provides an interesting mix of rural and urban life.

Liverpool is a vibrant, music city which has undergone a renaissance in recent years and has recently been named European City of Culture.

High quality schools are available in and around Merseyside and West Lancashire. The area has many sports facilities including championship golf courses, several sailing clubs and one of the finest windsurfing venues in Britain.

People from Merseyside and West Lancashire are renowned for their friendliness and quick-witted humour and the region sports two of the finest football teams in the Premier League.

The town of St Helens is renowned for its glassworks and rugby. The district has a population of around 340,000 and is of mixed residential, industrial, and rural character. It is situated on the edge of Merseyside, between the open countryside of Cheshire to the south and Lancashire to the north.

Southport is a seaside town and has a population of around 90,000. Southport lies on the Irish Sea Coast and is fringed to the north by the Ribble estuary. Town attractions include Southport Pier, the second longest seaside pleasure pier in the British Isles and Lord Street, an elegant tree-lined shopping street. Southport today is still one of the most popular seaside resorts in the UK and hosts various events including an annual air show on and over the beach, the largest independent flower show in the UK and the British Musical Fireworks Championship.

Ormskirk is an historic Market town surrounded by beautiful countryside, reserves, and wildlife. Ormskirk has quaint village streets, winning restaurants and farm shops and is also home to the award-winning Edgehill University.

Distance to Liverpool City Centre:
From Whiston Hospital 13.3 miles
From St Helens Hospital 15 miles
From Southport Hospital 19.9 miles
From Ormskirk Hospital 18.1 miles

Distance to Manchester City Centre:
From Whiston Hospital - 26.6 miles
From St Helens Hospital 27.7 miles
From Southport Hospital 42.4 miles
From Ormskirk Hospital 35.4 miles

Qualifications
Essential

• Full and specialist registration, hold a licence to practise with GMC (General Medical Council), or eligible for registration within 6 months of interview.
• Applicants that are UK trained, must ALSO be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview.
• Applicants that are non-UK trained, will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT.
• Fellowship (FRCPath) of Royal College of Pathologists or show evidence of equivalent qualification.

Desirable

• Diploma in Hospital Infection Control (or equivalent).
• Higher Research Degree (MD or PhD).
• Recognised management qualification
• MRCP or show evidence of equivalent qualification
• Recognised teaching qualification

Knowledge & Experience
Essential

• Evidence of thorough and broad training and experience in relevant specialty
• Able to take responsibility for delivering service without direct supervision.
• Knowledge and experience of relevant speciality
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice

Desirable

• Ability to organise and manage people and resources

Skills
Essential

• Broad range of IT skills.
• Good knowledge of, and ability to use, spoken and written English
• Ability to communicate effectively with clinical colleagues, colleagues in pathology and support staff
• Ability to present effectively to an audience, using a variety of methods, and to respond to questions and queries
• Ability to develop effective working relationships on an individual and multi-disciplinary basis with all levels of staff
• Ability to communicate effectively with clinical, scientific, technical, and managerial colleagues.
• Ability to be a flexible team member
• Ability to cope with and effectively organise the workload of a consultant.
• Ability to practise independently as a consultant
• Ability to take responsibility and show evidence of leadership.
• Ability to adapt and respond to changing circumstances.
• Ability to work under pressure and cope with setbacks
• Awareness of personal limitations
• Understanding of clinical governance and the individual responsibilities it implies.
• Knowledge of the principles of clinical audit and evidence of participation.
• Participation in continuing professional development (CPD) scheme and, where relevant, evidence of participation.
• Experience of teaching
• Knowledge of the principles of research

Desirable

• Experience of teaching undergraduates.
• Experience of supervising trainee pathologists.
• Evidence of involvement in research.

Other
Essential

• Meets professional health requirements
• Willingness to travel to and work in other sites necessitated by the role

Desirable

• Full driving licence.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).