Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine & Anaesthesia

Job summary
Working Full time : 10 sessions per week

The department is seeking to appoint a consultant intensivist, with sessions in anaesthesia. The candidate will integrate into the team of existing consultants to provide a complete intensive care service, including the equivalent of a full-time commitment to ICU hot weeks, ICU on call and weekend cover.

This post has arisen from a vacancy in the Department of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care. It will add resilience to ICU consultant staffing and support an appropriate ratio of consultants to patients as described in GPICS guidelines.

The job plan can be adapted to accommodate a single specialty ICM candidate.

The Intensive Care Unit consists of 21 single rooms, each of which can be used for either level two or three care. Fifteen beds are commissioned on a flexible level 2/3 basis, funded as seven level three and eight level two beds. The additional rooms allow for future expansion, provide surge capacity and allow the ICU team to work flexibly to accommodate patients while maintaining staff patient ratios. The unit supports the tertiary South Mersey Arterial hub's activity.

The successful candidate could be a single-CCT intensivist or hold CCTs in both ICM and anaesthesia or another specialty such as emergency medicine. It is also open to those who are within six months of attaining CCT.

Main duties of the job
The successful post holder will be responsible for providing intensive care cover along with the other intensivists. Currently all the Intensivists are also anaesthetists who provide elective and emergency anaesthesia care when not on their intensive care hot weeks or on the ICU. The on-call commitment will be 1:11 (including this post) to cover the intensive care on call rota. The weekend on-call commitment will be 1:11 for long days and overnight on call. There are additional short-day weekends (so that there are two intensivists for the morning ward rounds) making the overall weekend commitment 1 in 7.5 or approximately 7 each year.

Irrespective of other commitments, the post holder will contribute fully to the ICU on call, daytime and weekend ICU consultant cover. If the candidate undertakes anaesthesia (in a consultant or non-consultant capacity), they will work a 10 PA contract with core 1.5 SPA included to meet the needs for appraisal and revalidation.

About us
The Trust's services are provided from three locations: o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds. o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery

Person Specification
Qualifications & Skills

• Essential: Full registration with the GMC with licence to practise
• FFICM or equivalent Diploma
• CCT (or equivalent) with entry on Specialist Register for Intensive Care or within six months of anticipated CCT on the date of interview
• If proposing to undertake consultant-level anaesthesia sessions: FRCA or equivalent Diploma. CCT (or equivalent) with entry on Specialist Register for Anaesthesia or within six months of anticipated CCT on the date of interview.
• Minimum of 7 years' experience in ICM and anaesthesia/emergency medicine/acute medicine
• Minimum of 1 year worked within NHS

• Desirable: Additional degree or post-graduate qualification (MRCP, MD etc)

Clinical Experience and Effectiveness

• Essential: Smooth progression through training consistent with personal circumstances
• Evidence of ALS competencies.

• Desirable: APLS, ATLS or ETC

Teaching & Training Experience

• Essential: Evidence of achieving GMC standards to be recognised as a clinical supervisor
• Active regular participation in teaching and training of medical and para-medical colleagues

• Desirable: Extensive / formal experience in medical education including regional teaching.
• Formal Educational Qualification
• Life support course instructor

Clinical governance/ management

• Essential: Active consistent engagement with clinical audit
• Regular commitment to continuing medical education
• Evidence of reflective practice
• Good understanding of NHS management structures

• Desirable: Evidence of implementing change to improve patient care
• Evidence of leadership in anaesthesia/critical care
• Evidence of involvement in clinical research
• Presentations at regional and national meetings
• Publications in peer reviewed journal

Personal Attributes

• Essential: Evidence of: Good organisational skills, Commitment to team working, Leadership qualities, Good interpersonal skills, Excellent written and spoken English, Industry and enthusiasm, Flexibility in a changing work environment, Caring and responsible attitude to colleagues

• Desirable: Evidence of: Potential for wider hospital leadership roles.

Other Requirements

• Essential: To live within 10 miles of the Trust (unless negotiated otherwise)

• Desirable: Member of a medical indemnity organisation

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship: 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 (Apply through our website). 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 (Apply through our website).

UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please visit NHS Careers website (Apply through our website).