Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Specialty Doctor to join our dynamic and supportive Palliative Care Team.
This is a permanent post offering up to 6 PAs, with flexibility in how sessions are worked -- typically across three days per week. There is no on‑call requirement, making this an ideal role for clinicians seeking a balanced and sustainable working pattern.
You will join a well‑established multidisciplinary team delivering high‑quality palliative and end‑of‑life care across Somerset, working collaboratively to support patients and their families.
Why Join Us?
This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your skills and experience in palliative medicine within a supportive and forward‑thinking environment. You will contribute to service delivery while also engaging in service development, audit, and quality improvement activities.
Teaching and Development
Education is central to the role. You will actively contribute to teaching:
Medical students from Bristol and Peninsula Medical Schools
Postgraduate doctors in training
Nursing and allied health professionals
This is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference while benefiting from flexibility, support, and professional development.
Specialist patient care – Work collaboratively with Consultants and the wider multidisciplinary team to review and manage patients with specialist palliative and end‑of‑life care needs within Musgrove Park Hospital (MPH).
Interprofessional communication – Communicate effectively with colleagues in referring specialties, ensuring timely information sharing and coordinated patient care.
Holistic care approach – Promote and model a holistic approach to patient and family care, addressing physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.
Outpatient support – Participate in outpatient clinics as required to support early intervention and continuity of care for patients with palliative needs.
Service development – Contribute proactively to service development, quality improvement initiatives, and ongoing evaluation of clinical pathways.
Education and supervision – Deliver teaching and supervision to medical students, postgraduate doctors in training, nursing staff, and allied health professionals as part of the team's educational programme.
End of life care planning – Support the implementation and ongoing development of Somerset's individualised end‑of‑life care planning processes.
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:
Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS‑specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away – and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all – the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.
We seek a colleague to play a key role in the delivery of a visionary single palliative medicine service. The service serves a catchment population of approximately 430,000 which reflects the current St Margaret's Hospice footprint. There is an expectation of partnership working with other hospices, including Dorothy House and Weston Hospice care in serving those respective populations. Patients are empowered earlier in their journey and are cared for in the place of their choice, where possible.
This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic Specialty Doctor to join Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and play an integral role in the delivery and ongoing development of high‑quality palliative care services.
The post holder will be actively involved in service development, contributing through both direct participation and supervised audit activity. This will include evaluating current practices, identifying areas for improvement, and supporting the implementation of changes that enhance patient care and service efficiency. Alongside audit work, the successful candidate will participate in quality improvement initiatives, using established methodologies to drive innovation and continuous service enhancement within a supportive multidisciplinary environment.
Education is a key component of this role, and the post holder will be expected to make a meaningful contribution to the established teaching programme. This includes supporting the education and development of medical students from Bristol and Peninsula Medical Schools, as well as postgraduate doctors in training. In addition, the role involves contributing to the learning and development of nursing staff and allied health professionals, helping to foster a culture of shared learning and professional growth across the service.
The role provides an excellent opportunity to develop clinical, educational, and leadership skills within a collaborative and forward‑thinking team, while making a meaningful difference to patient care.
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.