Job Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for ST5+, Specialty Doctors and Specialist Doctors in Intensive Care Medicine and/or Anaesthesia to join Retrieve, the South West Adult Critical Care Transfer Team as Transfer Doctors. The service is commissioned through University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and has two operational bases within the region.
Retrieve provides a single point of contact for all adult critical care transfer referrals 24 hours a day. All calls are managed by a Duty Consultant who triages, coordinates and can provide remote decision‑support if required. Over the 24 hour period Retrieve operates a dedicated transfer team from each of its operational bases – one in Launceston, Cornwall, covering the Peninsula sub‑region (Devon/Cornwall) and one in Bristol covering the Severn sub‑region (Gloucestershire to Somerset).
Main duties of the job
We are looking for dynamic and enthusiastic Specialty Doctors and Trainees to undertake adult critical care transfers working alongside Duty Consultants and Transfer Practitioners to deliver the day‑to‑day service. You will receive training and experience in transfer medicine with the aim of achieving autonomous practice status (with remote consultant supervision) during your time with the service. Following an orientation and induction programme in the first weeks of the role, Transfer Doctors will be initially directly supervised by Retrieve Duty Consultants. Transfer Doctors are expected to progress and undergo formal assessment following which, more distant supervision may be used, depending on the clinical case and Duty Consultant decision.
The post is therefore suitable for a doctor with Intensive Care Medicine and/or Anaesthesia experience who has the appropriate skill set to assess, resuscitate and stabilise critically unwell adult patients (including delivering advanced airway management) with remote supervision.
About us
Retrieve is the South West's dedicated Adult Critical Care Transfer Service. Commissioned by NHS England South West Specialised Commissioning, through University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and supported by the South West Critical Care Network, it serves the Acute NHS Trusts within the region.
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England.
UHBW has been rated by the CQC as 'Good' overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward‑thinking multi‑award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world‑leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them.
Details
Date posted: 11 December 2025
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Doctor – other
Salary: £65,048 to £111,441 a year pro rata
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 6 months
Working pattern: Full‑time, Part‑time
Reference number: 387‑S3793‑KC
Job locations: Either Peninsula, based in Launceston or Severn, based in Bristol
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description for a more detailed overview of the main responsibilities and person specification for this post.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Experience – Essential
* Experience within intensive care medicine or anaesthesia of independently (to ST5+ level, or equivalent) assessing, resuscitating and stabilising critically unwell patients
* Advanced airway skills (able to deliver unplanned emergency anaesthesia outside the operating theatre to a critically ill patient with remote supervision)
* Experience of critical care transfer
* Demonstrates good clinical judgement
* Completed transfer training course
* Understands and has taken part in audit and clinical governance processes
* Able to manage and care for complex cases with appropriate supervision
Desirable
* Designed and completed audits and/or quality improvement projects
* Experience of critical care transfer and retrieval and/or pre‑hospital emergency medicine in dedicated service
Skills and Abilities – Essential
* Ability to organise and prioritise workload
* Good communication skills
* Honesty and reliability
* Ability to work effectively within an MDT environment
* Flexibility
* Critical approach to work
* Demonstrates initiative
* Ability to gain confidence of both staff and patients
* Willing to undertake additional clinical duties when necessary, including cover for colleagues on leave
Desirable
* Ability to take on administrative roles within the organisation
* Ability to lead the multidisciplinary team
Additional and Aptitudes – Essential
* IT skills on all Microsoft packages
* Fluent English speaker
Qualifications and Training – Essential
* Full General Medical Council (UK) registration with Licence to Practice
* FFICM or FRCA or equivalent
* Advanced Life Support provider, trauma course provider (ATLS / ETC)
Desirable
* CCT in Intensive Care Medicine or Anaesthesia
* Other membership, fellowship or diplomas
* Relevant specialist courses (e.g. difficult airways, ultrasound etc)
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer details
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)
Either Peninsula, based in Launceston or Severn, based in Bristol
Upper Maudlin Street
Bristol
BS2 8HW
Employer's website
https://www.uhbw.nhs.uk/
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