Job overview
We are looking for a dynamic paediatrician/neonatologist to join our friendly and dynamic team at Whittington Hospital Local Neonatal Unit.
The Whittington is a major provider of secondary care to the local boroughs of Islington and West Haringey and is one of the three main teaching campuses of the Royal Free and University College Medical School.
Our Local Neonatal unit is part of the North East Central London Perinatal Network and shares good links with the local Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University College London Hospital. We are in the process of expanding our services to accommodate an increasing number of deliveries on the maternity unit (currently 3000 deliveries pa) following the conclusion of the Startwell review.
We offer you the opportunity to work in a friendly and cohesive department providing high-quality services. There is a strong focus on multidisciplinary teaching, and we have a consistently excellent training reputation.
We welcome enquiries from applicants on the specialist register and from trainees who are within six months of CCT and General Paediatric CCT holders with appropriate neonatal experience.
Interview date: 02 December 2025.
Main duties of the job
Please see the full Job Description and the Person Specification for further details about the job role.
Working for our organisation
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Duties of the post
This is a 9 PA Consultant Neonatologist post focused on providing acute neonatal care. General paediatric services are delivered separately by a dedicated team onsite at tier 1-3 levels. The role is structured around an 8-week cycle of clinical and supporting activities, with attending responsibilities and on-call duties shared 1:8.
The successful candidate will be expected to:
1. Deliver high-quality, consultant-led care in the neonatal unit.
2. Participate in the ongoing development and strategic planning of the neonatal service.
3. Engage in multidisciplinary collaboration and quality improvement initiatives.
4. Contribute to the education and supervision of junior doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals.
5. Take part in clinical governance, including audits, incident reviews, and service evaluations.
The timetable will change from time to time in consultation with all consultants, dependent upon the changing needs of the Trust and subject to formal annual job plan review. It is anticipated that there will be a change in terms of attending responsibilities with the potential expansion in consultant establishment. The job plan is reviewed annually and may be adjusted to reflect service needs, personal development goals, and Trust priorities.
Please see the attached job description for full and further details.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
6. MRCPCH or equivalent
7. Valid Level 3 Safeguarding training
8. Valid BLS and NLS training
9. Entry onto the Specialist Register or equivalent (e.g. CESR) or within 6 months of obtaining a UK CCT Paediatrics with special interest in Neonatal Medicine or UK CCT in Neonates
Desirable criteria
10. Higher degree (MSc/PhD/MD)
11. NLS Instructor
12. Previous experience as a consultant
13. Valid APLS training
Professional Experience
Essential criteria
14. Comprehensive general paediatric and neonatal knowledge
15. Minimum 2 years Neonatology at SpR/Middle grade level, including at least 18 months in a Neonatal Unit accredited for training by the Neonatal CSAC.
16. Training and competency in neonatal ventilation and cranial ultrasound
Desirable criteria
17. Ability and experience to perform additional neonatal ultrasound such as echocardiography and POCUS
18. Broad experience of working within the NHS
19. Formal training as simulation facilitator
Ability
Essential criteria
20. Excellent practical and technical skills
21. Ability to communicate effectively
22. Ability to work as part of a multi- disciplinary team
23. Demonstrates leadership and organisational skills
24. Knowledge and training in child protection
Desirable criteria
25. Outpatient experience
26. Evidence of effective leadership and management skills
Audit
Essential criteria
27. Understanding of NHS systems and audit processes
28. Evidence of service improvement projects and audits
Desirable criteria
29. Evidence of involvement and /or experience in risk processes such as Serious Incident reviews and patient safety systems
Education, Research, Publications
Essential criteria
30. Experience and interest in undergraduate teaching
31. Skill and ability in formal and informal teaching for both under/ postgraduate students and nursing/midwifery staff
32. Educational supervision accreditation
Desirable criteria
33. An understanding of current issues in medical education and training
34. Previous experience in trainee supervision
35. Knowledge of current changes in paediatric training
36. Higher teaching qualification
37. Presentations at National or International meetings
38. Publications in peer reviewed journals
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS
To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:
39. Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
40. Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
41. Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
42. Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
43. Participate in required training and supervision.
44. Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.