PARTICULARS OF THE POST OF
POST CCT FELLOWSHIP IN PAEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE
Women’s and Children’s directorate, RHSC, Glasgow.
Personal Specification for the Post
This is a new 12 month post (9 months paediatric critical care, 3 months paediatric anaesthesia or
paediatric emergency medicine) created as a result of the progressive international development of
one of the largest Paediatric Critical Care Units (PCCU) in the UK. We wish to attract a senior
medical trainee who is in their final stages, or has completed, supra-speciality training (adult or
paediatric) in either critical care, anaesthesia or emergency medicine. The successful applicant will
function as a senior clinician to consolidate / gain clinical experience in paediatric critical care
medicine and enhance their ability to manage the critically ill child. Previous experiences within
these specialties will enable the applicant to gain maximum exposure to the range of cardiac,
general, extracorporeal life support and retrieval services offered within the Paediatric Critical Care
Unit.
Brief Description of Hospital
This post is based at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Yorkhill, Glasgow, where the duties will
primarily be performed.
The Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, is one the largest children’s hospitals in the UK
and provides a complete range of paediatric specialities in a single institution. The Hospital is
unique in Scotland providing critical care to general paediatric medical patients (including
metabolic medicine, haem-oncology, stem cell transplantation); surgical patients (including neurosurgical and trauma patients, renal transplantation); surgery for Congenital Heart Disease (including
the ‘Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome’ program, interventional cardiology, ECMO and Ventricular
Assist Devices, and complex airway surgery), and the unique retrieval service that involves advice,
support and the transportation of critically ill children by road or air (helicopter / fixed wing)
throughout Scotland (including the Islands and remote and rural locations), and occasionally
internationally. The appointee will receive the broadest possible exposure to all the services
accommodated within the paediatric critical care unit.
It is an exciting time for Children’s Services within Greater Glasgow & Clyde as the Royal Hospital
for Sick Children will relocate to the new Children’s Hospital within the South Glasgow Hospitals
campus in 2015. This will enhance service developments to deliver state of the art medical care in
purpose built surroundings where children’s physical and emotional needs have been considered at
every stage of the project, and build upon our well established international reputation. In addition a
collaborative enterprise will unite Scotland’s transport system (ScotSTAR) to amalgamate adult,
paediatric and neonatal transport teams, accommodate the Emergency Medical Transport Service
and provide for ECLS retrievals.
The Structure of the Department
The PCCU accommodates approximately 1000 admissions per year, 40% being cardiac, within 22
identically equipped beds with state of the art monitoring and a computerised clinical information
system. Beds can be used flexibly according to demand to accommodate all dependencies
irrespective of patient acuity. The unit operates an ‘open’ culture and therefore encourages multidisciplinary team working. There are 10 WTE consultant staff who operate a working pattern that
provides individual consultant delivered care to each of the general and cardiac patient cohorts. A
third consultant provides the out-of-hours on-call service. Duties include: resuscitating, stabilising
and micro-managing the critically ill planned or unplanned admission(s) from the ward/ER/theatre
or externally; supervising handover(s) and ward round(s); teaching, audit, research and adopting
quality improvements initiatives. There are approximately 10 WTE junior fellows and frequent
medical attendees of all grades who have sought personal arrangements to gain experience of the
PCCU. Allied health professional teams intrinsic to the unit include a well established cohort of
experienced Advanced Nurse Practitioners who provide unit and autonomous transport cover,
pharmacists, physiotherapists, dietetics, and a respiratory physiologist.
The Work of the Department
The post ensures a wide exposure to the following disciplines:
National Services:
Cardiac Critical Care:
Pre and post-operative management of patients with simple or complex congenital heart
disease undergoing palliative/definitive surgery or catheter intervention
ECMO/VAD:
ECMO centre for 20 years offering haemodynamic support for cardiac and respiratory
disorders or sepsis. Transport capability available by road or air. All provided with
Levotronix technology.
Complex Airway:
Evolving centre for major airway surgery including slide tracheoplasty.
General Critical Care:
General medical
Speciality medical
(Haem-oncology, Infectious diseases, Metabolic medicine, Endocrinology,
Neurology, Respiratory and long term ventilation, gastroenterology / hepatology)
General surgical
Speciality surgical
(ENT, Neurosurgery, Interventional neuro-radiology)
The Job
a) Title: Post-CCT Fellowship in Paediatric Critical Care Medicine
b) Names of Consultant Members of Department:
Dr A McIntyre
Dr Jennifer Scarth
Dr Chris Kidson
Dr Neil Spenceley
Dr Mark Davidson
Dr Julie Richardson
Dr Richard Levin
Dr Alastair Turner
Dr Colin Begg
Dr Warren Rodriguez (From October 2013)
c) Duties of the post:
Training will be provided in the following areas:
Cardiac Critical Care including ECMO
General Critical care
Remote and rural transport (road and air)
Research and audit
Paediatric anaesthesia / Paediatric emergency medicine
Quality improvement activities
It is expected that the successful applicant will contribute to research and teaching as part of their
overall training. The learning objectives are for the successful applicant to become familiar with all
aspects of paediatric critical care medicine.
d) Clinical Commitments:
The successful applicant will work in the PCCU for 9 months and have the opportunity to continue
for a further 3 month period or alternatively gain 3 months experience in paediatric anaesthesia or
paediatric emergency medicine. On-call duties will be confined to critical care. The rota is a Band
2A shift pattern.
e) Teaching:
The appointee will be expected to participate in the organisation and presentation of some of the
‘protected-time’ unit-based postgraduate teaching sessions, and encouraged to attend the weekly
clinical journal club meetings, microbiology and radiology meetings within the constraints of the
rota. In addition there is the opportunity to attend transport, ECMO and the wider hospital teaching
curriculum.
f) Research:
The unit has an eagerness to evolve its research / audit program. Participation to contribute or
initiate research / audit projects in consultation with consultant group and senior audit and research
nurse will be encouraged.
g) Library Facilities:
Good library facilities exist in each of the hospitals, at the University of Glasgow and in the Royal
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. In addition a computer is provided with access to
most journals via NHS Scotland e-library. There are excellent Medical Illustration Services. Audit
Facilitators and assistance with statistical analysis are available.
f) Study and Training:
The post is not intended to contribute to formal postgraduate training. However, the duties and
training provided is identical to the general training given to (inter)national GRID trainees rotating
through the unit and therefore should the appointee transfer from another unit with their training
number, this status can be reviewed. Study leave within the United Kingdom will be in accordance
with the Terms and Conditions of Service.
Terms and Conditions of Service
The post is covered by the Terms and Conditions of Service for Hospital Medical and Dental staff
and by the General Whitley Council Conditions of Service where appropriate.
The appointment is full-time.
Salary Scale: TBC
Single accommodation may be available to rent on the hospital site.
Conditions of Appointment
For all new entrants to the Health Service, a medical examination will be required prior to
confirmation of the appointment.
Every employee, Contractor or Self Employed person working on the Yorkhill Division premises or
elsewhere on behalf of the Division has a legal duty, to take all reasonable care for their own health
and safety as well as that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.
The Yorkhill Division is an Equal Opportunities Employer. The policy is that all employees and
job applicants should be afforded equal opportunities in employment irrespective of their sex,
marital status, race, religion, creed, colour, age or disability.
For arrangements to view the hospital or discuss the post further please contact Dr Neil
Spenceley