Specialty Doctor - Supportive Oncology
Job overview
Supportive Oncology is a newly developing field within cancer care that aims to mitigate the adverse effects of cancer and its treatments across the whole spectrum of the disease. The Christie Supportive Care Team are an award-winning service who are leading in development of supportive oncology services nationally.We have an exciting opportunity for an inspirational and supportive speciality doctor to join our unique service comprising consultants, clinical fellows, specialty doctors, clinical nurse specialists, clinical pharmacists, advanced physiotherapy practitioner, and dedicated administration staff.
The post is 1.0 WTE with no on call commitment.
We provide direct clinical care across inpatient, outpatient and ambulatory settings within Europe’s largest single-site cancer hospital. The team work closely together and this role is integral to the future development of the service. The successful applicant must be passionate about patient care and able to demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills with a commitment to developing themselves and helping develop our service.You will have access to regular supervision and generous continuing professional development fund.
As an organisation that has been awarded ‘Good’ status by the CQC; you will be working in a very supportive environment whilst having the opportunity to continue to look for opportunities to develop your clinical practice.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for your own caseload of patients but closely supported by the wider Supportive Care team. The work is 50% in-patient and 50% outpatient/ambulatory focussed. You will support the wider MDT, the Consultants and Team Lead.You will have regular supervision and have access to professional courses including supportive care training. Working with the clinical lead and the rest of the team, you will have the opportunity to contribute to service development, education, and supportive oncology promotion.
Working for our organisation
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services.We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.
We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Role Purpose
You will play a key role in preventing and managing the adverse effects of cancer and its treatment across a range of clinical settings, including inpatient wards, outpatient clinics, and the ambulatory care unit.
Your responsibilities will include:
Comprehensive patient assessments, addressing the physical, psychological, and social needs of individuals undergoing anti-cancer treatments.Providing specialist care from active treatment through to end-of-life care, ensuring holistic support at every stage.
Acute symptom management, including the assessment and treatment of pain, treatment-related toxicities, and other complications arising from cancer therapies.
Developing expertise in cancer survivorship, managing the complex needs of patients’ post-treatment to improve long-term quality of life. Currently, around 25% of the outpatient caseload consists of cancer survivors, highlighting the importance of tailored, ongoing support.
This role offers a broad clinical experience, equipping you with the skills to deliver high-quality supportive oncology care across all phases of the cancer pathway.
The role will be responsible for:
The post will involve supporting inpatient, ambulatory and outpatient services in the delivery of supportive treatments using specialist knowledge in acute oncology, symptom control and side effect management. You will also actively participate in daily ‘enhanced supportive care’ outpatient clinics managing pain and common symptoms and support needs throughout the spectrum of cancer care, including the late effects of treatments.
You will experience various aspects of supportive oncology, providing support for patients with different needs throughout the spectrum of cancer care.
The role will interface closely with our ‘front door’ acute services, with the expectation that the postholder will provide supportive oncology clinical care directly on our Acute Assessment and Ambulatory Care Units.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
The Trust supports the requirements for CPD as laid down by the GMC and royal colleges and is committed to providing time and financial support for these activities.
The Trust encourages all SAS doctors to engage with their wider peers and actively engage with their own development to fulfill their potential future career pathway. We encourage our workforce to utilise the Trust development/educational resources and close linkage to our SAS Tutor for support.
Job Planning
The job plan outlines the requirements of the post and may be altered by joint agreement with the Divisional Clinical Director and Service Manager and in response to service needs. Job Plans are also subject to an annual review as detailed in the Trust’s Job Planning Policy.It is expected that the initial Job Plan discussion will take place within the first six months of employment at the Trust.
The annual review will examine all aspects of the job plan (including any Educational components) and will also include an assessment of professional development with defined goals for the future.
Job Plan TimetableThe timetable below is indicative and will be confirmed on commencement in post.
9:00am-1:00pm
Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) / AACU / Hotline (inpatient reviews and Hotline support)
9:00am - 1:00pm
Supportive Care Team (handover and inpatient reviews)
9:00am – 1:00pm
Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) / AACU / Hotline
(inpatient reviews and Hotline support)
9:00am -10.30am
Supportive Care Team (handover and inpatient reviews)- 30-11.30am
- 30-1:00pm
Nonclinical session / admin time
9:00am-1:00pm
Enhanced Supportive Care Clinic
1:00pm-5:00pm
Enhanced Supportive Care Clinic- 00pm - 5:00pm
Enhanced Supportive Care Clinic
SPA- 00pm-5:00pm
- 00pm-3pm
- 5pm
Non-clinical session / admin time
Job Plan PA Summary
Total PAs
Direct Clinical Care (DCC)
9
Supporting Professional Activities (SPA)
1
Total
10 PAs
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Medical Degree
- Full GMC registration with a license to practice
- MRCP, MRCGP or equivalent
- Full college membership
- Additional qualifications in oncology, palliative medicine or GIM
Research / Publications
Desirable criteria- Evidence of any publications
Training
Essential criteria- Satisfactory progress in previous posts with evidence of competency at CT2/ST2 equivalent or higher
Experience
Essential criteria- Completed 4 years full time post graduate training (or equivalent gained on a part time/flexible basis)
- Previous palliative care, oncology or general practice experience at ST3 level and above or equivalent non-training or evidence of overseas experience
- Research or service evaluation experience including leadership of focused project and dissemination of results
Management / Audit
Desirable criteria- Evidence of engagement with management and/or audit processes
Teaching
Desirable criteria- Evidence of teaching and involvement in the education of medical students/junior doctors
Leadership
Desirable criteria- Developing Leadership Awareness
Motivation
Desirable criteria- Ambition to become an autonomous practitioner (development/CESR/Specialist)
The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.
We want to ensure that everyone who works at the Christie or uses our services is welcomed, valued and treated with dignity and respect. The Christie values diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all and fair representation across the organisation at all levels.In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.
We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.
As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy
All positions within the Christie are subject to the receipt of satisfactory written references, medical clearance and evidence of your Right to Work in the UK. Some roles will require a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. Please note if you are successfully appointed to a post with this Trust, you will be required to pay for your own DBS Disclosure.
By applying for this post you are agreeing to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, I regret that on this occasion your application will have been unsuccessful.
The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and will form part of the recruitment process. In the event that you are successful following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.
Overseas candidates wishing to apply for this position and who would require immigration sponsorship, may wish to self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the post on the UKVI website.
You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.