Consultant - Palliative Care
The closing date is 28 May 2026
The Specialist Palliative Care Team at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has an exciting opportunity to join their team as they are seeking to appoint an additional Specialist Palliative Care Consultant with a specific focus on inpatient work. The successful candidate will join a clinical team of 3 Consultant Colleagues, 1 WTE Band 8a Practice Development Nurse, 7.2 WTE Band 7 Specialist Nurses and 2 WTE Band 6 Specialist Nurses cross site.
The Specialist Palliative Care Team are based at both Luton and Dunstable Hospital and Bedford Hospital and support patients across the hospital sites, visiting patients on the wards when required. The post holder will provide consultant advice in palliative care to specialist nurses, specialty doctors, GPs, consultant colleagues in other specialties and other health care professionals within the hospital as required. The Specialist Palliative Care Team at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust work closely with all hospice services within the area.
Main duties of the job
* Provision with Consultant colleagues of a service to Luton and Dunstable Hospital with responsibility for providing and advising on Palliative Care within the hospital
* To work with the palliative care team and wider team on Trust wide development of the palliative pathways
* To support the Community Teams and the wider system through regular board rounds and virtual ward
About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.
Our Values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Applicant Note
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.
Job responsibilities
Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust is an anchor organisation in the BLMK Integrated Care System. The Bedfordshire Care Alliance (BCA) is a collaborative of health and care providers working across the county of Bedfordshire to reduce inequalities and drive up improvements in population health outcomes. The BCA and BLMK ICB have both identified palliative and end of life care as a priority area. There is a recognition across system partners that we need to improve how we coordinate our services and also how we work together to avoid crisis hospital admissions. The BCA working group is developing a new model of care with our hospice collaborative and community partner organisations to support development of a coordination service and virtual ward as well as an unscheduled care hub to support calls before hospital conveyance.
This post holder will be key to shaping further developments and building a team of medical expertise to work across acute, community and hospice services.
We recognise that consultant posts require variety and a balance of work both specialist/ subspecialty interest. We are therefore keen that any new post holder develops their interest and contributes to patient care across different settings.
The trust aims to design and implement services, policies and measures that meet the diverse needs of our service, population and workforce, ensuring that none are placed at a disadvantage over others.
Further Responsibilities
* To take part in research and education and looking at new ways to teach End of Life Care.
* Cover for colleagues' annual leave and other authorised absences
* Any responsibility, which relates to a special interest
* Participating in medical audit, the Trusts Clinical Governance processes and in CPD
* Willingness to undertake additional professional responsibilities at local, regional or national levels
* The post holder must at all times carry out his/her duties with due regard to the Trusts Equal Opportunities Policy
* It is the responsibility of all employees to maintain a safe and healthy environment for patients, visitors and staff.
* It is the responsibility of the post-holder to ensure that all duties are carried out to the highest possible standard, and in accordance with current quality initiatives within the area of work
* All staff who have access to or transfer data are responsible for that data and must respect confidentiality and comply with the requirement of the Data Protection Act 1998, in line with the Trusts policies.
* The post-holder is responsible for data quality and complying with the policies, procedures and accountability arrangements throughout the Trust for maintaining accuracy and probity in the recording of the Trusts activities.
* Any other duties, which may be required from time to time.
Closing Date: 28/05/2026
Assessment Date: 03/07/2026 TBC
Interview Date: 17/07/2026
Qualifications
* Medical Degree
* MRCP
* MD or equivalent Higher Degree or evidence of relevant research
Registration
* Full GMC Registration (GMC Licence to Practice is mandatory before employment commences)
* Entry onto the GMC Specialist Register: ?CCT (or within 6 months of receipt of CCT at time of interview) ?CESR - portfolio pathway (must be on Specialist Register at time of applying)
Clinical Experience
* Excellent all round experience of DGH work
* Evidence of thorough and broad training and experience in Palliative care
* Able to take full and independent responsibility for clinical work and delivering service without direct supervision.
Clinical Effectiveness
* Understanding of clinical governance and ability to demonstrate ongoing CPD
* Experience of guideline appraisal
* Participation in relevant local audits
* Ability to interpret and apply clinical research
* Participation in relevant national audits
Teaching
* Knowledge and ability to teach all grades of trainees and medical students
* Has attended Teaching the Teachers or similar course
Personal Skills
* Ability to co-operate in a democratic team environment
* Flexible attitude, team player with good management skills
* Leadership Skills
Clinical Governance
* Able to demonstrate a broad understanding of the principles and elements of clinical governance.
Personal Circumstances
* Residence within 10 miles by road or up to thirty minutes travelling time of the hospital for purposes of on‑call emergencies.
* Fit to undertake the role with satisfactory Occupational Health clearance
* Satisfactory DBS clearance
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.
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
£109,725 to £145,478 a year per annum pro rata
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