Applicant information pack

CLINICAL RESEARCH FELLOW IN

OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY

Based at Ipswich Hospital

Table of contents
1.0 Invitation to apply ................................................................................................................ 3

2.0 About our trust ..................................................................................................................... 4

3.0 Key relationships ................................................................................................................. 5

4.0 Department and role overview ............................................................................................ 5

5.0 Job description: duties and responsibilities ...................................................................... 7

6.0 Person Specification .......................................................................................................... 10

7.0 Training and Postgraduate Education .............................................................................. 11

8.0 General terms and conditions and information ................................................................ 12

1.0 Invitation to apply

Applications are invited for Clinical Research Fellow Doctor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

During the appointment, the Clinical Research Fellow will undertake studies leading to a higher
research degree. The appointees’ research work may take place in a department other than
Women’s and Children’s services work. They will provide on-call cover as part of the on-call
rota. Additional clinical work will only be undertaken with the agreement of academic and
clinical supervisors. The appointee cannot take part in any clinical work outside the employing
organisation.

The clinical post will include general clinical and administrative responsibilities in Obstetrics
and Gynaecology at Middle Grade Level. These include, Labour Ward, Antenatal Clinic,
Antenatal day assessment. Elective Caesarean section lists and Maternity Inpatient care as
well as Gynaecology outpatients, Acute /Emergency Gynaecology, Gynaecology Theatre and
Inpatient Care. There will be an associated supportive professional activity for aspects of
continued professional development and appraisal/revalidation.
2.0 About our trust
We’re an ambitious NHS trust committed to removing unnecessary stress and frustration for
you and your patients, providing you with more time to care and make the most of your skills.
If your ambition matches ours, we’d love to hear from you - come and join us.

This is an exciting time to be joining us. East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
was formed on 1 July 2018 from a merger of Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation
Trust and The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.

Our larger scale will provide you with opportunities to develop skills and experience, and our
time matters philosophy will help us to see patients at the right time, attract and retain the best
people and provide the latest treatments locally.

Our vision for the future is simple: to provide the communities we serve with excellent
healthcare and build a better future for east Suffolk and North Essex. We look forward to you
joining us and being part of this vision.
 3.0 Key relationships
Academic Supervisor – Prof Colin Martin, Clinical Director, Institute of health and
wellbeing, University of Suffolk

Clinical Supervisor – Dr Ruta Gada, Consultant Obstetrician, Associate Clinical Sub

Dean for UGME, Ipswich Hospital, ESNEFT

Clinical Director of Research – Dr Richard Smith, Consultant Nephrologist, Clinical

Director of Research, ESNEFT

All Research and Development Teams across sites

4.0 Department and role overview

Department

The Obstetrics and Gynaecology department is managed within Group 2, Women’s and
Children’s Services.

The clinical management team are as follows:

Divisional Clinical Director Dr Andrea Turner

Clinical Lead (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) Miss Wendy MacNab

General Information

The Department is located on the main Ipswich Hospital site.

The Medical Staff

Consultants:

CONSULTANTS Abbreviation Secretary Ext no. Special Interest / Clinics

Mr Rohit Sharma RKS Chrissy 5182 Ambulatory Lead, PMB,

Colposcopy, Minimal and open
B surgery
Miss Haroona Khalil HYK Janet & 5009 College Tutor; Diabetic
Louise Antenatal Services Lead
Colposcopy, PMB, Rota Lead

Mr Barnaby Rufford BDR Glenys 5011 Gynae-oncology Lead

Miss Wendy MacNab WM Glenys 5011 Colposcopy Lead, Governance

Lead, Gynae-oncologist
Miss Mythili Nalam MXN Janet & 5009 Unit lead for gyne-oncology
Louise
Mrs Mamta Banerjee MB Sam 1662 Maternal Medicine

Miss Ruta Gada RG Sam 1662 Diabetic ANC, Birth option

clinic, Maternal Medicine
Mr Nishi Deole ND Sam 1662 Fetal Medicine, Obstetric lead

Mr Djavid Alleemudder DIA Sarah 5658 Fertility Lead

Miss Maria Cooke MC Karen 5004 Pregnancy Advisory Lead

(TOP), Psychiatric Pregnancy
disorders ANC

Miss Joanne Cook JRC Sarah 5658 Early Pregnancy Lead, Audit
Lead, ANC
Miss Saadia Sakib SS Sarah 5658 Labour ward lead, Fetal
monitoring, VBAC
Miss Lim Teo ULT Sarah 5658 Fertility

Miss Amy Ivare AMI Karen 5004 Uro gynaecology

Mr Jonathan Ford JF Karen 5004 Fetal medicine

Specialty Doctors:

There are also a number of full and part time junior doctors in training within the Department

Other Staff:
Direct professional relationship with midwifery, nursing and secretarial staff.
5.0 Job description: duties and responsibilities

JOB TITLE: Whole-Time Clinical Research Fellow in Obstetrics &

Gynaecology

GRADE: Clinical Research Fellow/Specialist Registrar

DEPARTMENT: Obstetrics and Gynaecology

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Medical Director

REPORTS TO: Divisional Clinical Director

HOURS: Basic 40 hours plus out of hours

LOCATION: Ipswich Hospital

The Post

The Clinical Research Fellow doctor will have a job plan which will include protected academic
time along with responsibility of supporting the Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology team.

They will have an assigned academic and a clinical supervisor during the post. The plan is to
undertake a research project which will involve completing a systematic review and
opportunity of working towards a research project. This will involve writing a research proposal
and gaining ethical approval. The post holder will have opportunity to register for higher degree
at University of Suffolk.

The clinical role will be at the Middle Grade level in terms of clinical responsibility. They will
have responsibilities in clinical and administrative roles within Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Additionally, the post holders will take part in the on-call/out of hours rota (1:9) in line with the
requirements of the department, which will form part of the job plan. Responsibilities will also
include the supervision of junior staff and involvement in a regular teaching programme as
well as participating in weekly meetings and monthly audit meetings.

There will be support for CPD and appraisal within the job in line with current NHS contract.

Should you wish to visit the hospital, please make the necessary arrangements through the
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, Ipswich Hospital. Telephone: 01473 703009.
Informal enquires should be made by email to Miss Gada, Consultant Obstetrician:
ruta.gada@esneft.nhs.uk or Frances Farnworth, Assistant Director of Research and
Development: Frances.Farnworth@esneft.nhs.uk
Key Information about the Post, Duties and Responsibilities
GENERAL

The post-holder will:

 Work with colleagues to provide a service with the highest standard of care
 Work with the multi-professional team following care pathways and clinical guidelines
 Follow and maintain good working practices
 Offer educational, clinical support and leadership to junior medical colleagues, nursing
colleagues and other members of the multi-disciplinary
 Ensure appropriate information is made available to staff to measure clinical performance
and enable meaningful benchmarks to be established and evaluated within your area of
responsibility
 Ensure there is a robust process for reviewing the quality of services provided, explaining
the causes of success and failure and ensure the highest standards are maintained
 Provide a role model of professional leadership, which underpins the corporate values and
behaviours agreed by the organisation, ensuring these are understood and demonstrated
by the medical workforce within your area and take remedial action where poor behaviour
are demonstrated
 Participate in the appraisal of medical staff within the department in line with the Trust’s
agree policy

POST SPECIFIC

The post holder will be required to undertake a leading role in a major research project, as
directed by the clinical supervisor and a nominated academic supervisor. The research
project will entail project design in addition to data analysis and reporting the results in peer-
reviewed journals. Research projects will be in the areas of peripartum cardiomyopathy,
medical education and training.

 To provide a commitment to ESNEFT over the period to perform research leading

to a higher research degree
 To participate in department on call rota
 To plan and carry out research in accordance with the project aims
 To generate and display the results and interpret their physical implications
 To write progress reports and prepare results for publication and dissemination via
presentations and peer-reviewed journals
 To present research findings to colleagues and at conferences
 To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings
 To liaise, as appropriate, with industrial partners
 To develop contacts and research collaborations within the Department/Division
and wider academic community, to further the project aims
 To be responsible for the quality of data recorded. The data should be accurate,
legible (if handwritten), recorded in a timely manner, kept up to date and
appropriately filed
  The post holder may also be asked to carry out teaching duties or to collaborate in
another departmental research project
 To ensure mandatory training is up to date

Clinical:
 On call and Emergency cover
 Out of hours (on call) there is a 1:9 rota for middle grade doctors. Handover is 08:00 and
20:00 hours. For out of hours (20:00 - 08:00 hours) there is a resident ST grade or
Speciality Doctor covering Delivery Suite, Maternity Inpatients, as well as Gynaecology
Emergencies and Inpatients. This role is supported by a junior grade doctor resident, and
a Consultant on call (non-resident).
 During normal working hours the post holder will have a job plan to include 1 clinical
working day per week and the rest of time will be for the academic role. The clinical work
will be as agreed by academic and clinical supervisor. Opportunity will be available to
attend specialist clinics during the clinical working day.
 The on call/emergency cover role takes precedence over all other clinical work and you
are expected to remain within the hospital grounds when you are the duty registrar.
 At changeover time there should be a face to face handover of clinical cases and the bleep
on the Delivery Suite.

Supervision and Support of Colleagues

 There are nine junior grade doctors within the department – ST1/2 in O&G, GPST, and
foundation year doctors.
 The role of the middle grade doctors as their immediate senior, is to provide support and
supervision to junior grade doctors in caring for patients in both Obstetrics and
Gynaecology.
 With the transition of ST2 to ST3 in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Speciality training, the
department runs a system of support for the ST3’s for their first 6 months on the middle
grade rota.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR LEAVE

 Your entitlement to annual leave will be 27.

 Annual leave requests should be planned and advised within two weeks of initially taking
up your post
 Six weeks’ notice of leave must be given therein – any request for leave without this period
of notice may be refused
 Leave request forms must be submitted for approval to the appropriate Consultant, Clinical
Director (Clinical Lead) and Service Manager. Unsigned or incorrectly submitted forms will
be returned without approval which may delay your leave confirmation.
 Leave will not be granted unless/until an annual leave request form has been approved by
the Consultant/Service Manager / Clinical Director (Clinical Lead).
Please do not assume your leave has been approved until you receive a confirmation.
 Please refer to specialty guidelines for rules governing numbers allowed to be absent at
any one time, leave when on the on-call rota etc.
 6.0 Person Specification
Clinical Research Fellow (Doctor) in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Criteria Essential Desirable

Qualifications  MBBS or equivalent medical qualification  Part 2 MRCOG or
 Part 1 MRCOG equivalent

Eligibility  Eligible for full registration with the GMC at time of appointment
and hold a current licence to practice.
 Eligibility to work in the UK
Fitness To  Is up to date and fit to practise safely
Practise
Lang  All applicants to have demonstrable skills in written and spoken
uage Skills English adequate to enable effective communication about
medical topics with patients and colleagues demonstrated by
one of the following:
o applicants have undertaken undergraduate medical
training in English; or
o achieved the following scores in the academic
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
in a single sitting within 24 months at time of application
– Overall 7.5, Speaking 7.5, Listening 7.5, Reading 7.5,
Writing 7.5
If applicants believe they have adequate communication skills but
do not fit into one of these examples they must provide supporting
evidence
Health  Meets professional health requirements (in line with GMC
standards/ Good Medical Practice)
Previous  Possess up-to-date knowledge of principles and practices in  Experienced in
Experience Obstetrics and Gynaecology medicine outside
 Demonstrate experience in covering out of hours on middle Obstetrics and
grade rota for at least one year Gynaecology
 Two years previous experience at ST1-2 level (or equivalent) in  Participation in
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research projects
 Previous experience of research and publications
Skills and  Proven analytical skills  Clear plan for continued
knowledge  Ability to present themselves at conferences and seminars professional
 Excellent written communications skills and the ability to write development
technical reports clearly and concisely for publication
 Ability to organise and prioritise own work with minimal
supervision
 Ability to work to tight deadlines
 Ability to work as part of a team
 Ability to develop personal research projects
Probity  Demonstrated probity (displays honesty, integrity, aware of
ethical dilemmas, respects confidentiality)
  Capacity to take responsibility for own actions

7.0 Training and Postgraduate Education

Induction

An induction programme will be organised for you on commencement of the post.

General

There is an excellent Postgraduate Medical Centre with a lecture theatre. The centre
includes seminar rooms and a small but extensive library on a site adjacent to Colchester
General Hospital. The Library supplies books, journals, some interactive software and
access to electronic bibliographic databases and journals.

Time will be allowed for the appointee to attend meetings etc. for the purposes of Continuing
Medical Education.

The post-holder will be required to participate in programmes for teaching medical students
and training junior doctors. It is expected that this will be an integral part of everyday clinical
activity.

The post-holder will be required to keep himself/herself fully up-to-date with their relevant
area of practice and to be able to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the Trust.
Professional or study leave will be granted at the discretion of the Trust, in line with the
prevailing Terms and Conditions of Service, to support appropriate study, postgraduate
training activities, relevant CME courses and other appropriate personal development needs.

Post Specific

Unlike to many other hospitals Ipswich hospital facilitates on call room for registrar while they
are on call to carry on admin and training supporting activities. The junior doctors’ mess has
facilities for the making of hot beverages and snacks. Meals are taken in the hospital
restaurant.
8.0 General terms and conditions and information
Applicants for Clinical Research Fellow posts must have full GMC registration with a licence
to practice.

The post is covered by the Terms and Conditions of Service of Hospital Medical and Dental
Staff (England and Wales).

Salary scale – as per Doctors & Dentists in Training (2016 Contract)- MT04 pay scale (Part-
time staff will be paid pro-rata)

Candidates will be required to complete a Health Statement and the Trust may require an
officer to pass a medical examination as a condition of appointment.

Because of the nature of the work of this post it is exempt from the provisions of Section 4(2)
of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974 by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act
1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975. Applicants are, therefore, not entitled to withhold information
about convictions, including those which for other purposes are "spent" under the provisions
of the Act, and, in the event of employment, any failure to disclose such convictions could
result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Trust. Any information should be sent to the
Trust Medical Director in an envelope marked for his/her personal attention and will be
completely confidential and be considered only in relation to an application for positions to
which the order applies.

‘The Trust is committed to providing safe and effective care for patients. To ensure this, there
is an agreed procedure for medical staff that enables them to report, quickly and confidentially,
concerns about the conduct, performance or health of medical colleagues’ (Chief Medical
Officer, December 1996). All medical staff practising in the Trust should ensure that they are
familiar with the procedure and apply it.

Counselling
The incumbent’s pastoral and professional supervisor will be his/her supervising consultant,
but where conflict might arise the Clinical Director will take his/her place or, when appropriate,
nominate a non-medical counsellor.

Medical Negligence
The post-holder agrees to:

 Co-operate fully with The Trust and its Legal Advisors in the investigation of any Patient
Complaint/Incident involving but not limited to any allegation of negligence or misconduct
on the part of the post-holder.
 To provide The Trust, on request, with a full written statement concerning the said Patient
Complaint/Incident.
Clinical Governance
The post-holder will participate in clinical governance activities, including clinical audit, clinical
effectiveness, risk management, quality improvement activities as required by the Trust, and
external accrediting bodies.

Management
The post-holder will be required to work within the Trust's management policies and
procedures, both statutory and internal, accepting that the resources available to the Trust are
finite and that all changes in clinical practice or workload, or developments requiring additional
resources must have prior agreement with the Trust. He/she will undertake the administrative
duties associated with the care of his /her patients and the running of his/her clinical
department under the direction of the lead clinician and/or directorate chair.

Admissions Policy
The responsibility for identifying available beds rests broadly with the Administrator/On-Call
Manager but the responsibility for allocating patients and agreeing which bed to use rests with
the On-Call Doctor.

Hours of Duty
The post-holder should be prepared to perform duties in occasional emergencies and
unforeseen circumstances. Commitments arising in such circumstances are however,
exceptional, and the post-holder will not be required to undertake work of this kind for
prolonged periods or on a regular basis.

Infection Control
Infection Control is everyone’s responsibility. All staff, both clinical and non-clinical, are
required to adhere to the Trusts’ Infection Prevention and Control Policies and make every
effort to maintain high standards of infection control at all times thereby reducing the burden
of Healthcare Associated Infections including MRSA.

All staff employed by the Trust have the following key responsibilities:
 Staff must wash their hands or use alcohol gel on entry and exit from all clinical areas
and/or between each patient contact.
 Staff members have a duty to attend mandatory infection control training provided for them
by the Trust.
 Staff members who develop an infection (other than common colds and illness) that may
be transmittable to patients have a duty to contact Health & Wellbeing Department.

AMENDING THE JOB DESCRIPTION: It is expected that as the organisation develops and
changes, it may be necessary to vary the tasks and/or the responsibilities of the postholder.
This will be done in consultation with the post-holder and it is hoped that agreement can be
reached to any reasonable changes.

CONFIDENTIALITY: The post-holder must at all times maintain complete confidentiality of

the material and information that they handle. Any matters of a confidential nature, or in
particular, information relating to diagnoses and treatment of patients and individual staff
records must not, under any circumstances, be divulged or passed on to any unauthorised
person or persons. The post-holder must respect patient named confidentiality in keeping
with “Caldicott principles”.

DATA PROTECTION: The post-holder must at all times respect the confidentiality of
information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. This includes, if required
to do so, obtaining, processing and/or using information held on a computer in a fair and
lawful way, holding data only for the specified registered purposes and using or disclosing
data only to authorised persons or organisations as instructed.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: The post-holder will be expected to comply with all statutory
legislation, Trust Financial Framework Guidance and approved national and local policy. The
post-holder is also expected to be aware of the Trust’s Risk Management Strategy which
includes the responsibilities placed on them by the Health & Safety at Work etc Act (1974)
and the Clinical Governance Framework. All employees are expected to comply with all Trust
Policies and Procedures.

GENERAL: The post-holder will be expected to be responsible for his/her continuing

professional development and to take a proactive approach to maintaining personal and
professional effectiveness in an evolving role.

The duties and responsibilities described in this Job Description are intended to be indicative
but not exhaustive of the responsibilities of the post-holder. As the Trust develops, the
requirements of the job may change and the post-holder is expected to adapt to these
changes.

HEALTH AND SAFETY: HEALTH AND SAFETY: Employees must share responsibility for
abiding by health and safety policies and regulations, infection prevention and control policies
and act in accordance with the Risk Management Policy. This includes compliance with The
Health Act 2006 Code of Practice for the prevention and control of healthcare associated
infection (available on the Trust Intranet). In addition, be aware of the responsibilities placed
on them by the Health & Safety at Work etc Act (1974) to ensure that the agreed safety
procedure is carried out to maintain a safe environment for themselves, other employees and
visitors.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY AND ANTI-HARASSMENT: The post-holder will

immediately report to their line manager any breach or suspected breach of both equal
opportunity and anti-harassment guidelines

SMOKING CONTROL POLICY: The Trust has adopted a smoking control policy. The policy
applies to all staff, patients and visitors, and extends to the hospital grounds as well as
internal areas.
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN

Everyone employed by the Trust regardless of the work they do has a statutory duty to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children. When children and/or their carers use our
services it is essential that all child protection concerns are both recognised and acted on
appropriately. You have a responsibility to ensure you are familiar with and follow the
Southend Essex and Thurrock (SET) child protection procedures and the Trust's
supplementary child protection guidance which is accessed electronically on the Trust's
website. To ensure you are equipped to carry out your duties effectively, you must also attend
mandatory child protection training and updates at the competency level appropriate to the
work you do and in accordance with the Trust's safeguarding children training guidance.

SAFEGUARDING ADULTS

Everyone employed by the Trust regardless of the work they do has a duty to safeguard and
promote the welfare of vulnerable adults. When patients and/or their carers use our services
it is essential that all protection concerns are both recognised and acted on
appropriately. You have a responsibility to ensure you are familiar with and follow Trust
policies in relation to safeguarding vulnerable adults. To ensure you are equipped to carry
out your duties effectively, you must also attend mandatory vulnerable adult protection
training and updates at the competency level appropriate to the work you do and in
accordance with the Trust's vulnerable adult protection training guidance.

We strive to provide excellence by valuing; listening and learning from the patients and carers
we serve to ensure we provide a service that genuinely meets their needs.