Senior Clinical Fellow for Respiratory Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC)

Job summary
Fixed term contract till 3rd of August 2027.

This is an exciting time to join the department of respiratory medicine at the Royal Sussex County Hospital Brighton. Our department moved into the brand-new state of the art Louisa Martindale Building in June 2023. The respiratory ward is located on level C9, and we have two dedicated bays and a clinic room for our Respiratory Same Day Emergency Unit.

The aim of the Respiratory SDEC are for people with respiratory symptoms to be rapidly assessed by a specialist multi-disciplinary respiratory team and have increased access to rapid diagnostic respiratory tests (i.e. spirometry, FeNO, thoracic ultrasound etc) and thoracic Radiology. This will enable prompt diagnosis and start of the correct therapeutic pathway in an ambulatory setting.

Main duties of the job
Patients presenting to ED with a respiratory complaint and clinically stable to be assessed in an SDEC unit will be transferred to the Respiratory SDEC. They will be fully assessed by the clinical fellow; necessary investigations will be organised and when results available the patient will be discussed/reviewed by the respiratory physician of the day. Treatment and management plan will be decided, and patient will either be admitted for inpatient care or discharged with appropriate follow-up.

About us
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Details
Date posted: 16 October 2026
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Doctor - other
Salary: £76,582 a year per annum
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 279-MWMED-SDEC-133
Job locations: Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

• Admission avoidance clinics: Patients known to the respiratory consultants /CNS will contact the team when they are unwell. These patients may have complex respiratory infections, airways disease, or interstitial lung diseases. They will be booked to attend the respiratory SDEC where a clinician will assess them and discuss with the respiratory physician of the day.
• Pleural clinic: Patients presenting to A&E/GP with a new unilateral pleural effusion will be seen directly by a member of the respiratory team. After a thorough history and examination, a thoracic ultrasound will be performed. When there are no contra-indications, a diagnostic pleural aspiration will be performed the same day. Patient will then be appointed to the correct follow-up pathway.
• Ambulatory primary spontaneous pneumothorax management: Patients presenting to A&E with a spontaneous primary pneumothorax will be directed to the respiratory SDEC for their management. We plan to implement an ambulatory chest drain pathway for patients requiring intercostal drainage but well enough to be managed in an ambulatory setting. The clinical fellow will have the opportunity to participate in setting up this pathway and evaluating its implementation.
• Pathway for faster diagnosis of lung cancer: Patients presenting to the radiology/A&E department with chest x-ray findings suggestive of a lung malignancy will be directed to the respiratory SDEC. They will be seen directly by a member of the respiratory team, the correct investigations (CT chest, diagnostic aspiration, bronchoscopy, PET, EBUS) organised and prompt follow-up in the lung cancer clinic will be arranged. Earlier intervention with the correct test means patients are diagnosed earlier and are therefore fitter for treatment. This is increasingly important with newer anti-cancer treatments such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy.

We expect to develop further ambulatory respiratory care pathways as the service develops.

Person Specification
Teaching Skills

• Essential: Evidence of an interest and commitment to teaching
• Desirable: Recognised teaching qualification

Personal Attributes

• Essential: Evidence of good written communication skills

Experience/ Qualifications

• Essential: Basic medical degree
• Essential: Postgraduate qualification or appropriate specialist qualification
• Essential: Full GMC Registration with a licence to practice
• Essential: Advanced Life Support Certificate from the Resuscitation Council UK or equivalent
• Essential: Completed foundation training in the UK or signed CREST form
• Desirable: Higher Degree

Clinical Skills and Experience

• Essential: Clinical experience in General Medicine in the UK at least 6 months
• Essential: Understanding of clinical risk management
• Desirable: Postgraduate experience of working in Intensive Care or High Dependency Medicine

Knowledge

• Desirable: Breadth of experience in and outside specialty

Organisation and Planning

• Essential: Experience and ability to work in multi-professional teams
• Essential: Understanding of: NHS / Clinical governance / Resource constraints

Academic and Research

• Essential: Evidence of participation in audit
• Desirable: Research experience
• Desirable: Publications
• Desirable: Prizes and honours

Career Progression

• Essential: Appropriate progression of career to date

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 (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).

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

Employer details
Employer name: University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)
Address: Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE, United Kingdom
Employer's website: (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Respiratory Consultant, Dr Wayomi Perera, View email address on meeveem.com, View phone number on meeveem.com

Equal opportunities and diversity statements are included in the About us section above.