Consultant Cellular Pathologist – interest in Gastrointestinal
Closing date: 08 May 2026.
We are delighted to offer an opportunity for a highly motivated, ambitious individual to join one of the largest and most innovative Cellular Pathology Departments in the UK. The department is housed in excellent facilities at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, is a cancer-referral centre and hosts Novopath (previously an MRC Molecular Pathology Node laboratory).
The post presents an opportunity to join a progressive team which continuously adopts and develops new diagnostic techniques, and will allow opportunities for involvement in teaching, training and research. We operate a well-established system of specialist reporting and the successful applicant will join a team of consultants and advanced practitioners. You will take a major role in the Gastrointestinal services.
In addition to the challenges of the role, we can offer you a commitment to teaching, education, research and audit.
Candidates for the post must be registered medical practitioners and on, or eligible to join, the Specialist Register within six months of the date of the Appointments Committee.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will be expected to specialise in Gastrointestinal Pathology as a major component with minor contribution to another specialty team, the latter depending on the interest of the applicant as well as the needs of the Department.
The successful candidate will be expected to participate in consensus meetings and MDT meetings.
Contact: Dr Antony Darne or Dr Peh Sun Loo, Joint Heads of Department, 0191 2829440 or via email at antony.darne@nhs.net or peh-sun.loo@nhs.net.
About us
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion.
Our staff oversee around 1.84 million patient contacts each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve.
Job responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
Consultants in the department currently spend approximately 85% of their time involved directly in clinical service provision and 15% undertaking supporting professional activities (audit, QA, CPD, management, research, teaching etc). Each consultant contributes 43 weeks to the rota with remaining weeks allocated to annual leave, study leave etc.
The advertised post is a replacement 10 PA post, NHS-based, although there may be an opportunity for a candidate with an appropriate academic profile to participate in research activities at the Newcastle University. This would be negotiated with the university at the time of appointment. Where appropriate an application will be made for the appointee to be granted the title of Associate Clinical Lecturer in Cellular Pathology. The department undertakes a significant amount of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and you will be expected to participate in these teaching programmes.
Gastrointestinal Pathology
The gastrointestinal (GI) pathology team has input from nine consultants and a consultant Biomedical Scientist, each with a varying contribution to the service, depending on their other specialist commitments. Individual consultants take a lead in upper GI pathology, colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and paediatric GI pathology. The workload of the GI pathology team is currently in the region of 12,000 specimens per year, including endoscopic biopsies, resections and bowel cancer screening/Bowel Scope specimens.
Within the department you will have a high quality microscope, a personal computer with digital dictation and the option of voice recognition. You will also have access to the Departmental secretaries. The department has good facilities for digital photography of macroscopic and microscopic specimens.
You will be expected to participate in audit and in relevant EQA schemes. You will also be expected to take part in continuing professional development and annual appraisal. Time and funds will be made available by the Trust for attendance of professional and educational meetings etc. and appraisal familiarisation courses are provided in-house.
You will share responsibilities with existing consultant staff for the training and supervision of trainee medical staff and will devote time to these activities on a regular basis. You will be required to undertake administrative duties contributing to the running of the Cellular Pathology Department in cooperation with the Head of Department.
Participation in the autopsy service is not a requirement of this post. Currently, approximately a fifth of the consultant staff undertake Coroners autopsies.
You will have full and specialist registration (and a licence to practise) with the General Medical Council (GMC) or the General Dental Council (GDC) (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview). You will also be expected to hold the FRCPath or an equivalent qualification.
Flexibility
As part of the Trust’s core value of placing patients at the heart of everything we do, we expect a consultant post holder to agree to work a flexible pattern, including evening and weekend work, if required.
Person Specification
Education, Qualifications and Specialist Skills
* Primary Medical Qualification
* Full GMC Registration
* Entry onto the GMC Specialist Register (within 6 months from the date of the AAC)
* Holder of Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or within six months of award of CCT or equivalent by date of interview
* FRCPath or equivalent
* Higher Degree (MD or PhD)
* Specialist training in Gastrointestinal Pathology
Clinical Experience
* Broad general experience in all diagnostic pathology
* Evidence of experience in Gastrointestinal Pathology
* Ability to offer an expert clinical opinion within the speciality
* Ability to take independent responsibility for the clinical care of patients referred to a tertiary centre
* Experience in Gastrointestinal Pathology reporting in a specialist histopathology service
Management and Administration Experience
* Involvement with management and project leadership within the specialty
* An understanding of Clinical Governance
* Proven management and administrative experience and understanding of management goals
* Evidence of leadership / project management
* Evidence of having implemented change
* Experience in developing and implementing new technologies
Teaching
* Experience of supervising junior medical staff
* Experience of participation in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
* Attendance at courses to develop teaching skills
* Postgraduate qualification in medical education
Research
* Evidence of involvement in and understanding of research methodology and publication of findings
Audit
* Evidence of participation in audit
* Evidence of having changed practice as a result of audit
Personal Attributes
* Alignment with the Trust's values
* Flexible approach to service delivery and committed approach to development
* Committed to share in professional, managerial and teaching responsibilities necessary to fulfil the obligations of the Directorate to the Trust and its workforce
* A commitment to personal / unit CPD
* Ability and willingness to work a more flexible pattern of working in the future if required, including evening and weekend work
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.
© Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
#J-18808-Ljbffr