Job overview
This prestigious Fellowship in Thyroid/Parathyroid Surgery is available as a fixed term appointment for 12 months from October 2026. The post is a full time based at Lister Hospital in Stevenage and is designed to provide a platform for a post CCT surgeon to make the next step towards working as a Consultant.
This is an excellent opportunity within the ENT unit at the Trust for the appointee to further their interest and surgical knowledge in this area. The ENT department performs the largest number of thyroid/parathyroid cases in Hertfordshire/ Bedfordshire and is a national lead in continues intra-operative nerve monitoring. It has very close links with the large endocrinology department and sub- regional renal unit at the hospital. It is expected that the successful candidate will gain competency in all of Head and Neck surgery, particularly thyroid and parathyroid surgery.
The hospital has an active robotic program, with the ENT department performing regular TORS surgery as well as Robotic Assisted Thyroidectomy. We expect the fellow to be assisting in the head and neck robotic program.
Main duties of the job
The Fellow will participate in thyroid/parathyroid MDT’s and specialist Thyroid and neck lump clinics. The successful applicant will also be actively involved in research and audit and will be responsible for running the MDT meeting. They will be expected to participate in the department’s research program and would be supported in initiating original research. The fellow should aim to publish two peer reviewed publications over the year. The fellow will be supported in these activities with dedicated sessions for research and access to the research nurse. The department is an active participant in national NIHR studies (HoT and NIFTY) and we expect the fellow to be associate PI on these studies.
The post holder will be encouraged to participate in audits, presentations, and teachings. Although, this post is not recognised for training the appointee will be encouraged in their training and development within the role.
Working for our organisation
At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
* The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
* New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
* Hertford County, Hertford
* Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
In the paragraphs above you have read an overview about the role we would like to offer and general information about main duties of the post holder. Please see attached – job description which describes in full details the duties, responsibilities and reporting relationships of the advertising role.
Person specification
Qualifications / Training
Essential criteria
* Hold a current licence to practice from the General Medical Council
* MRCS or equivalent
* FRCS (ORL-HNS)
* Advanced Life Support Certificate or equivalent
* Additional qualification such as BSc, MD
Desirable criteria
* Additional qualification such as BSc, MD
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
* Experience at a Senior trainee level (either post CCT or in final year of training)
* Recognition of and ability to undertake the initial management of an acutely ill patient
* Ability to apply sound clinical knowledge and judgement to problems
* Able to deal with general Head and Neck & ENT emergencies
* Demonstrate aptitude for practical skills e.g. hand-eye coordination, dexterity, visuospatial awareness
* Demonstrable interest in and comprehension of ENT
Desirable criteria
* Documented sub-speciality interest and commitment to parathyroid surgery
* NHS experience
Skills
Essential criteria
* Able to evidence engagement with clinical governance and the identification of errors and the learning from errors
* Able to show situational awareness and application of good decision making
* Can evidence leading on patient safety issues and achieving a change in practice
* Experience of supervising undergraduates, doctors in training and other colleagues
Desirable criteria
* Ability to teach clinical skills
* Experience in organising educational activities
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* Experience of audit
Fitness to Practice
Essential criteria
* Up to date and fit to practice safely and aware of own training needs
* Evidence of engagement with appraisal and revalidation
Our values
We want our staff to believe in, demonstrate and live our values in everything we do.
Include
We value the diversity and experience of our community colleagues and partners, creating relationships and climates that provide an opportunity to share, collaborate and grow together.
Respect
We create a safe environment where we are curious of the lived experience of others, seek out best practice and are open to listening and hearing new ideas.
Improve
We are committed to consistently delivering excellent services and continuously looking to improve through a creative workforce that feels empowered to act in service of our shared purpose.
Committed to our Community
East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion for all job applicants, staff, patients and the wider community. We want to create a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We are on a journey to become a more inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of their background. In particular we encourage applications from candidates with disabilities, and candidates from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who are currently under-represented in various parts of our workforce .
We understand the importance of balancing work and home life. We are committed to support flexible working for our staff wherever possible and all our employees are given the opportunity to discuss potential for flexible working.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and achieved our status in 2019.
We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact us by emailing resourcing.enh-tr@nhs.net
We are also proud to support our UK armed forces by supporting Reservists, Cadet Instructors, Veterans and military spouses/partners into employment and offering supportive policies that value their contribution to the community and to our Trust.
We are committed to being a carer-friendly environment, addressing the complex needs of families with caring responsibilities. In partnership with Carers in Hertfordshire, all our working carers have access to support from recruitment. We are also a member of Carers UK, providing resources to make balancing work and caring easier. Our approach is inclusive, recognizing diverse challenges and creating a supportive environment where carers feel valued.