Detailed job description and main responsibilities

ORGANISATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
This post is for 10 Programmed Activities (PAs) per week to provide consultant input within the Medical Oncology Breast Disease Group at East Cheshire Foundation trust (Macclesfield) and Acute Oncology at the Christie Withington site for a 12-month fixed term maternity leave cover.

Role Purpose

Breast Oncology:

The Medical Oncologist appointed will work with the Breast team to provide a comprehensive clinical service for breast patients. This includes patients in the outpatient, inpatient and ambulatory settings, delivering Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) and providing Medical Oncology input to the breast MDT. 
The Breast Disease Group, Chaired by Dr Anne Armstrong and Dr Vivek Misra currently consists of 11 Clinical and 9 Medical Oncologists. These oncologists manage all of the breast cancers diagnosed within the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Network, with many oncologists delivering a peripheral service through MDTs and clinics. Systemic therapy is delivered centrally or given to patients at peripheral or outreach clinics according to agreed protocols. Radiotherapy is delivered at The Christie or at satellite units in Salford and Oldham.  

This year the whole Medical Oncology team will see around 940 New patients and around 14,000 Follow up patients through the Breast team clinics.  

All Disease Group consultants work as part of a multi-disciplinary team supporting the delivery of this work including Nurse Clinicians, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Clinical Fellows, Specialist Trainees, Pharmacists and Research Nurses

The Disease Group has a strong emphasis on research with an active systemic therapy and radiotherapy trial portfolio supported by 7 Research Nurses and 5 Clinical Trial Administrators. The Breast Disease Research Sub-group has a 6-weekly business meeting to which all members of the Disease Group are invited.

Acute Oncology:

The Trust provides an inpatient service for selected non-elective admissions where the reason for
admission is primarily related to the patient’s underlying malignant diagnosis or its treatment. All
admissions are already in receipt of oncology care at the Trust. 

The normal route of admission is via our 24hr hotline which triages patients and diverts patients to their Acute Trust A&E if appropriate (e.g. chest pain and acute abdominal pain). This is, therefore, not an unselected intake. Those who are admitted usually spend the first 24 – 72 hours on an acute assessment ward (staffed during the day by a consultant in Acute Medicine) and are then transferred to one of the base wards if their admission requires a longer stay.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The medical establishment provides The Breast Disease Group, Chaired by Dr Anne Armstrong and Dr Vivek Misra consists of 9 Clinical and 8 Medical Oncologists.

The appointee will be based at The Christie @Macclesfield service and will provide senior input to Outpatient clinics, Chemotherapy Services and Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings and acute oncology at Macclesfield with breast clinics for central Manchester breast patients being carried out remotely from Macclesfield.

The role will be responsible for:

Acute Oncology (2 PAs): 

The Appointee with provide consultant level support to the acute oncology service provided at The Christie, Withington Site.

This post aims to provide increased dedicated consultant acute oncology clinical time with strategic development and leadership of the service.

•    Supporting education and training of the AO and other healthcare teams and ensuring that the MDT works to the most recently published national and network guidelines and protocols in AO.

•    Leading on Quality Surveillance processes and provide assurance to East Cheshire Executive Team that standards of care are being consistently maintained and ensure an ongoing awareness and understanding of the Trust’s overarching responsibilities for delivery of cancer services.

•    Work collaboratively to support the development of business cases related to AO with local operational teams, including provision for cancer ambulatory care.

Breast Oncology (6PAs):

•    Management of Breast patients receiving standard and clinical trials including treatment decisions and ongoing care.

•    Participating in all relevant aspects of clinical governance, including maintaining up to date protocols, guidelines and clinical audit, under the supervision of the other consultants in in the unit.

•    Contribute to current research projects and establish new opportunities to expand and develop research within the team.  

•    Revision and development of evidence-based protocols for patients and undertaking the administrative duties associated with the care of their patients.

•    Maintaining a level of continuing professional development consistent the recommendations of the Royal College and Physicians. 

•    Contributing to the undergraduate teaching of medical students on oncology topics. 

•    Providing lectures for the busy postgraduate teaching programme.

•    Actively contributing to the training of juniors doctors and other multi-disciplinary team members in both in-patient and outpatient departments.

•    Undertake clinical audit as a member of The Christie Medical Staff Committee. 

The post holder will have access to office accommodation with computer, intranet and internet and secretarial support. There is provision for both flexible working, possibility of less than full time working and working from home where applicable to the appointee’s timetable.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
The Trust supports the requirements for CPD as laid down by the GMC and royal colleges and is committed to providing time and financial support for these activities. The Christie Hospital offers a mentoring scheme for all new consultants on appointment.  

Job Planning
The job plan outlines the requirements of the post and may be altered by joint agreement with the Divisional Clinical Director and Service Manager and in response to service needs.  Job Plans are also subject to an annual review (May – September) as detailed in the Trust’s Job Planning Policy.  It is expected that the initial Job Plan discussion will take place within the first six months of employment at the Trust.

The annual review will examine all aspects of the job plan (including any Educational components) and will also include an assessment of professional development with defined goals for the future.

Job Plan Timetable
The timetable below is indicative and will be confirmed on commencement in post.  

It is the requirement of the Trust that all new consultant colleagues must have 0.25 SPAs within their job plan to support Trust appraisal and supervision requirements.  This can either be as appraiser or a supervisor for medical staff or Advanced clinical Practitioners.