Locum Consultant Cellular Pathologist & Gynaecological Histopathology
Closing date: 19 March 2026
This is a Locum consultant post to cover maternity leave for 6 months with possible extension. The Department of Cellular Pathology is seeking a locum full‑time (10 PA) consultant to join a dynamic and supportive team of colleagues. The post holder must have a demonstrable major interest in genealogical pathology with a current diagnostic gynaecological pathology practice. The laboratory has full UKAS/ISO accreditation status.
As an organisation, we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This includes asking certain groups of staff to work more flexibly so that we can offer services to patients in the evenings and at weekends. Work flexibility may be required in the future under the new Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust consultant contract.
Main place of employment: Guy’s, St Thomas’ sites and the new Synnovis Blackfriars Hub Laboratory (near Southwark tube station).
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be accountable to the Clinical Lead in Cellular Pathology.
Specialist Interest: The Department operates a system of specialist reporting, each consultant having one or more special interests, which facilitates dealing with difficult cases and enhances patient care in accordance with Calman‑Hine recommendations. The specialist diagnostic pathology to be delivered by this locum post is gynaecological histopathology. A second specialist interest is possible as a minor component depending on departmental requirements.
Professional Development: The successful candidate will be expected to participate in CPD and this will form part of the supporting programmed activities in the agreed job plan.
About us
Cellular Pathology Department
The Department of Cellular Pathology provides services to Guy's & St Thomas' Hospitals, local general practitioners in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Strategic Health Authority and local Coroners. It is a major cancer and infection referral centre. The main Cellular Pathology Department is located at St Thomas' Hospital, 2nd Floor North Wing.
Job responsibilities
Gynaecologic pathology:
GSTT is a major tertiary referral centre for Gynaecological oncology patients within South East London. The current gynaecological histopathology team consists of 6 consultants – Dr Giuseppe Culora, Dr Padma Menon, Dr Alexander Polson, Dr Olga Wise, Dr Mina Mansy, Dr Holly White & Dr Ahmed Ali. The team also has other speciality interests.
The department deals with a mixture of biopsies and resections, including complex cancer specimens, and accepts referrals for expert opinion or multidisciplinary discussion.
There is a large regional weekly gynaecological oncology MDM, with typically around 45 patients discussed each week and attended by clinicians from referring hospitals in South East London. The pathology consultants support a team of 4 specialist surgical gynaecological oncologists whose range is continuously expanding, having recently started to perform ultra‑radical surgery for ovarian cancer while continuing to offer exenteration surgery, fertility‑sparing surgery for cervical cancer and state‑of‑the‑art brachytherapy treatment for cervical cancer. Services offered to patients with vulval disease are also evolving with the establishment of a joint clinic between a gynaecological oncology surgeon and dermatologist.
The annual average total histopathology workload for the main department is circa 40,000 specimens, excluding skin and head & neck histopathology which are delivered from separate ultraspecialist laboratories within the Trust.
The department is actively involved in recruiting patients to national and international studies following the appointment of a dedicated research nurse, with pathological support provided by the gynaecological pathology team.
GSTT also currently hosts a large cervical cytology screening service and has a large colposcopy unit.
The team are actively involved in teaching undergraduate students and pathology trainees. Up to 2 histopathology trainees are allocated to the gynaecological pathology team on a monthly basis and are involved in all aspects of specimen dissection, histological interpretation and report writing.
Provide High Quality Care to Patients
* The post holder must be medically qualified and maintain GMC full and specialist registration and hold a current licence to practice.
* To develop and maintain the competencies required to carry out the duties required of the post.
* To ensure prompt attendance at agreed direct clinical care Programmed Activities.
* To provide expert histopathology services with the object of ensuring a high standard of patient care.
* To participate in clinical and other service activities with the object of ensuring a high standard of patient care.
Research, Teaching and Training
* Collaborate with academic and clinical colleagues to enhance the Trust’s translational research portfolio, at all times meeting the full requirements of Research Governance.
* Provide high quality teaching to medical undergraduates and members of other health care professions as required by the Clinical Director.
* Act as educational supervisor and appraiser as delegated by the Clinical Director to ensure external accreditation of training post.
Performance Management
* Work with medical, nursing and managerial colleagues to ensure high performance in the following areas:
* Clinical efficiency (e.g., LOS reductions, reducing cancelled operations and DNA rates).
* Quality of outcomes (e.g., infection control targets, reducing re‑admission rates).
* Financial management (e.g., cost improvement programmes, managing locum agency spend, monitoring drug budget).
* Operational efficiency (e.g., day‑case rates, waiting list activity and demand management).
Medical Staff Management
* Ensure junior doctors’ hours comply with EWTD and New Deal.
* Maintain systems and procedures to control and monitor leave for junior medical staff and ensure appropriate cover, including on‑call commitments.
* Participate in recruitment of junior medical staff as required.
* Participate in team objective setting as part of the annual job planning cycle.
* Be responsible for the annual appraisal of all doctors in training, Trust doctors, Clinical Fellows and non‑consultant grades as delegated by the Clinical Director/General Manager.
Governance
* Review clinical outcomes in designated areas using external benchmarking data, identify and advise variances to the Clinical Director.
* Participate in clinical audit, incident reporting and analysis and ensure resulting actions are implemented.
* Work closely with the Directorate, Patient and Public Involvement panels on clinical and services developments as delegated by the Clinical Director.
* Ensure NICE requirements are reviewed, implemented and monitored and that clinical guidelines and protocols are adhered to by junior medical staff.
* Keep fully informed about best practice in the speciality areas and discuss implications for practice changes with the Clinical Director.
* Role‑model good practice for infection control to all members of the multidisciplinary team.
Strategy and Business Planning
* Participate in the business planning and objective setting process for the directorate and Trust where appropriate.
* Represent the Trust at appropriate clinical networks/other external clinical meetings, as delegated by the Clinical Director.
Leadership and Team Working
* Demonstrate excellent leadership skills with regard to individual performance, clinical teams, the Trust and when participating in national or local initiatives.
* Work collaboratively with all members of the multidisciplinary team and Kings Health Partners as required.
* Chair regular meetings for the specialties.
* Resolve conflict and difficult situations through negotiation and discussion, involving appropriate parties.
* Adhere to Trust/departmental guidelines on leave, including reporting absence.
Person Specification
Professional Qualifications
* Full and Specialist registration (and a licence to practise) with the General Medical Council (GMC), or be eligible for registration within six months of interview.
* If UK trained, must also be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview.
* If non‑UK trained, must show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT.
* FRCPath or equivalent.
* PhD or other higher postgraduate degree in Medicine or Science.
* Any additional medical or sub‑specialty qualifications either national or international.
Clinical Experience
* Comprehensive clinical experience in histopathology.
* Proven record of experience as a trainee in histopathology.
* Continuing and recent diagnostic practice experience in gynaecological histopathology, as a major specialist interest; another specialty interest may be considered as a minor component.
Clinical Skills
* Ability to work as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team.
* Familiarity with modern morphological and molecular diagnostic techniques.
Audit Management & IT
* Evidence of contribution to effective clinical governance, audit, clinical risk management and IT skills.
* Understanding of principles of audit.
* Evidence of understanding the role of clinical management.
* Evidence of leadership in developing clinical services.
Research, Teaching skill & experience
* Understanding of the principles and applications of clinical research.
* Evidence of original research and publication in histopathology.
* Ability to supervise junior staff in diagnostic work.
* Experience of teaching and training undergraduates, postgraduates and junior medical staff.
* Teaching qualification.
* Communication: Ability to communicate with clarity and intelligently in written and spoken English; ability to build rapport, listen, persuade/ negotiate.
* Accountability: Ability to take responsibility, lead, make decisions and exert appropriate authority.
* Interpersonal Skills: Empathy, understanding, listening skills, patience and ability to work co‑operatively with others.
* Able to change and adapt, respond to changing circumstances and cope with setbacks or pressure.
* Ability to work as part of a team.
* Staff Management: Experience of performance management, developing and motivating staff.
* Finance: Knowledge of finance and budgets.
* Previous experience in management positions, e.g., speciality lead, clinical lead, clinical director.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service is required to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
£109,725 to £145,478 a year p.a. excl. London Zone
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