Department of Anaesthesia
Senior Clinical Fellow in Cardiac Anaesthesia, Thoracic Anaesthesia and/or
Vascular Anaesthesia
Job Description
Job Title: Senior Clinical Fellow in Cardiac Anaesthesia, Thoracic Anaesthesia and/or Vascular
Anaesthesia
Band: n/a
Hours of Work (p/w): 47
Service Centre/Directorate: Anaesthesia
Base: St George’s Hospital.
Accountable to: Dr Patrick Wong
Reports to: Dr Alex Dewhurst or Dr Grainne Nicholson
Responsible for: n/a
Key working relationships: Theatre Team, Anaesthetic Colleagues, Critical Care Colleagues
Role of the Department: Provision of anaesthesia across all surgical specialties. This post has
responsibilities for Cardiac, Thoracic and/or Vascular anaesthesia.
Job Summary: The St George’s Hospital Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgical Unit is a leading
UK centre for adult cardiothoracic and vascular surgery. There are approximately 1000 cardiac,
700 thoracic and 400 vascular cases admissions year. Clinical fellows will be offered experience
in the subspecialty area of their choice. They will be responsible for the preoperative assessment
and anaesthetic management of cardiac, thoracic and/or vascular cases. Initially they will
undertake cases under the supervision of a Consultant Anaesthetist but as they gain experience
they will be expected to manage solo/mentored lists to allow themselves to develop their own
practice. The post is a 1:8 full shift rota. Day shifts will be allocated to theatre experience in the
above subspecialties. Night shifts are on the senior specialist trainee (ST6/7) rota covering
cardiothoracic and neurosurgical theatres and intensive care with consultant supervision. After
10pm second line cover is provided for the emergency department in the event the anaesthetist
on for general theatres is occupied.
Interested candidates may contact the cardiothoracic module director Dr A T Dewhurst
(adewhurst@nhs.net) or the lead anaesthetist for vascular anaesthesia Dr Grainne Nicholson
(gnichols@sgul.ac.uk) via email or via the St George’s switchboard 020 8672 1255.
Trust Vision & Values:
The postholder is expected to have a clear understanding of how this post contributes to the
achievement of the trust vision of:
By 2015 we will be a thriving Foundation Trust at the heart of an integrated healthcare system.
One that delivers improved patient care at a community, hospital and specialist setting, supported
by a unique and nationally recognised programme of research, education and employee
engagement.
We expect all our staff to share the values that are important to the Trust, being Excellent, Kind,
Responsible & Respectful, and behave in a way that reflect these.
Main Duties/Key Results Areas: This post is intended for senior trainee anaesthetists, or those
with CCT who want to enhance their CV by developing further clinical experience. The candidate
will choose which of the three areas (cardiac, thoracic or vascular) they wish to specialise in and
will spend the majority of their time doing these lists. Possession of the fellowship examination or
equivalent is required and previous experience of a system similar to the NHS essential.
Candidates would be expected to have a minimum of 3 to 6 months experience in their chosen
subspecialty. Training time in the cardiothoracic and vascular intensive care unit can be arranged.
This is accredited for higher intensive care training. Although there is always a degree of
consultant supervision, the intention of this post is to develop the skills and confidence required to
apply for consultant posts. Suitable candidates will be allocated solo/mentored lists to allow them
to develop their individual practice.
St George’s Hospital Cardiothoracic unit is one of the busiest in the country, providing adult
cardiothoracic services to part of London and the southern counties. Over 1000 cardiac and
around 700 thoracic procedures are performed annually. Successful candidates will gain a broad
experience in delivering adult cardiothoracic anaesthesia. The ability to perform TOE is not
essential and training will be provided. There will be the opportunity to attend formal TOE training
and a weekly echocardiography meeting. Applicants would be expected to be competent to sit the
British Society of Echocardiography exam in TOE by the end of this post.
St George’s Hospital is a leading UK centre for endovascular aneurysm surgery and is a tertiary
referral centre for all areas of vascular surgery. The surgical workload includes 250 EVAR/
TEVARs, 50-60 carotid endarterectomies, in excess of 15 mesenteric revascularisation
procedures and 60-70 lower limb revascularisations per year. Candidates wishing to sub
specialise in vascular anaesthesia would spend the majority of their time on vascular lists.
Clinical Fellows are expected to actively participate in research and audit as well as attend multidisciplinary and clinical governance meetings. The St George’s cardiothoracic unit conducts a
comprehensive teaching programme for trainee staff.
Participation in specific research projects will be encouraged and facilitated. Successful applicants
will be expected to present at departmental and national meetings
The following responsibilities are common to all posts in the Trust.

To have responsibility for the Health, Safety and Welfare of self and others and to comply at
all times with the requirement of the Health and Safety Regulations.

To ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during
the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the
provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.

To work in accordance with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities policy to eliminate unlawful
discrimination in relation to employment and service delivery.

To ensure skills are up-to-date and relevant to the role, to follow relevant Trust policies and
professional codes and to maintain registration where this is a requirement of the role.

To comply with St. George’s Healthcare No Smoking Policies.

To undertake such duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the
responsibilities of the grade and the needs of the service.
This job description is not an exhaustive document but is a reflection of the current
position. Details and emphasis may change in line with service needs after consultation
with the postholder.
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust is an Equal Opportunities employer and operates a No
Smoking Policy.
Person Specification
Job Title:
Senior Clinical Fellow in Cardiac Anaesthesia, Thoracic Anaesthesia
and/or Vascular Anaesthesia
Band: n/a
Factor
Essential
Desirable
Method of
Assessment
Qualifications and
Training
GMC registration
FRCA or equivalent
CCT in Anaesthesia
Other postgraduate
medical qualification
A
Experience
4-5 years anaesthesia
3-6 months in chosen
subspecialty
Experience of NHS or
similar healthcare system
Intermediate level ITU
experience
A, I
Skills
Ability to undertake general
anaesthesia of noncomplex cases
unsupervised
Ability to undertake
complex cases
unsupervised
A, I
Knowledge
Knowledge underpinning
the delivery of anaesthesia
as above
A, I
Other
Ability to manage priorities
Ability to work within a team
Previous teaching
experience
Excellent written and oral
communication skills
Previous audit or
publications
Key:
I = Interview
A = Application Form
T = Practical Test
Management course or
teaching course
Interest in research
Clear career aim
A, I