Consultant Gastroenterologist

The Christie International; Manchester; On-site; GBP 114,000 - 151,000; Part time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester seeks a Consultant Gastroenterologist with a specialist interest in Clinical Nutrition to establish a Nutrition Support Team within a leading cancer centre. This part-time post focuses on nutrition support with no on‑call commitments, offering leadership in NST and collaborative care with dietitians, nurses, pharmacists and oncologists.

You will lead NST rounds and MDT discussions, drive education and research, and contribute to service development

Qualifications

• MRCP and GMC license to practice.
• Specialist gastroenterology training with nutrition expertise.
• Experience in clinical nutrition and artificial nutrition support.
• Leadership in multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience in cancer care and nutrition/intestinal failure.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist gastroenterology and nutrition input for complex nutrition support.
• Lead Nutrition Support Team rounds and MDT meetings.
• Develop and enhance Nutrition Support Service in line with guidelines.
• Educate and train medical and dietetic staff.
• Contribute to governance, audit and research within NST.

Skills

Clinical nutrition

Gastroenterology

Leadership

Education

MRCP

GMC registration with license to practice

CCT or CESR

MD/PhD in gastroenterology

Oncology qualifications

Job description

Main area Gastro-enterology Grade Consultant Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 5 sessions per week (No on calls) Job ref 413-MD-V2025-24575-DM-A

Site Endocrinology Medical - E00252 Town Manchester Salary £113,565 - £150,569 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 30/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Consultant Gastroenterologist with a specialist interest in Clinical Nutrition to establish our Nutrition Support Team (NST) within a leading tertiary cancer centre. This substantive part‑time post (5 PAs) offers a unique opportunity to focus exclusively on nutrition support, with no general gastroenterology, endoscopy, or on‑call commitments.
Based within the Nutrition and Dietetics Department, the successful applicant will work in close partnership with the Head of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Complex Artificial Nutrition Support Dietitian to provide clinical leadership for patients with complex nutritional needs, including cancer‑related intestinal failure, malnutrition, enteral feeding, and parenteral nutrition.
Working within a highly skilled multidisciplinary team, you will collaborate closely with dietitians, specialist nurses, pharmacists, oncologists, palliative care teams, and surgeons to deliver high‑quality, patient‑centred care. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape and develop a specialist nutrition support service within a world‑renowned cancer centre while contributing to education, research, service development, and quality improvement. The role offers a predictable job plan and excellent work‑life balance, making it ideal for consultants seeking a specialist leadership role in clinical nutrition

Main duties of the job

The postholder will provide specialist gastroenterology expertise to the Nutrition Support Team, supporting patients with complex nutritional needs requiring parenteral nutrition, and complex enteral feeding and including those with cancer‑related intestinal failure and advanced gastrointestinal complications.
Working alongside the Head of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Complex Artificial Nutrition Support Dietitian, the successful candidate will lead Nutrition Support Team ward rounds, outpatient clinics, and multidisciplinary discussions, ensuring safe, effective, and evidence‑based nutritional care. They will provide expert advice to clinical teams across the Trust, support decision‑making regarding home parenteral nutrition, and contribute to complex discussions around artificial nutrition, including palliative and end‑of‑life care.
The role includes developing and enhancing the Nutrition Support Service, promoting best practice in line with national guidance, leading audit and quality improvement initiatives, supporting research activity, and delivering education and training to medical, nursing, pharmacy, and dietetic colleagues.
We are looking for a collaborative consultant with expertise in clinical nutrition, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to multidisciplinary working and patient‑centred care

Working for our organisation

The postholder will contribute to the delivery of high‑quality consultant‑led care across 7 days. This includes participation in planned weekend and weekday clinical activity to support safe, timely decision‑making and continuity of care for patients.

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

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The appointee will be based at The Christie and will provide senior input to wards and an outpatient clinic.

Clinical

• Provide specialist gastroenterology and nutrition input for inpatients and outpatients requiring complex nutrition support, including cancer‑related intestinal failure, complex enteral feeding, and parenteral nutrition.
• Provide specialist input into the assessment and management of patients requiring artificial nutrition support, including parenteral nutrition (PN) and complex enteral feeding.
• Undertaking outpatient clinics (OPC) for patients on home parenteral nutrition, ensuring continuity of care and prevention of avoidable admissions.
• Lead two ward rounds (WR) and multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings within the Nutrition Support Team.
• Support shared care models with regional centres (e.g. Salford) to optimise patient pathways.
• Manage complex PN nutrition‑related complications, including line sepsis, liver disease, fluid/electrolyte imbalance, and gastrointestinal failure.
• Actively contribute to multidisciplinary team meetings, collaborating with dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, oncology, palliative care, and other relevant specialties to ensure coordinated patient care.
• Maintain effective communication and coordination with the patient's parent Team, ensuring shared decision‑making and seamless care planning for complex artificial nutrition support.
• Support oncology and other clinical teams in ethical, patient‑centered, and evidence‑based decision‑making for complex artificial nutrition support cases, including end‑of‑life care considerations.
• Provide consultant‑level advice to other clinical teams within the Trust.
• Ensure safe initiation and monitoring of parenteral and complex enteral nutrition.
• To support decision making in appropriateness for home PN and providing support and advice to medical teams for palliative and EOL patients.

Leadership & Service Development

• Contribute to the strategic development of the Nutrition Support Service in line with national guidance (e.g. BAPEN, NICE).
• Be an active member of the trust Nutrition Steering Committee.
• Promote and monitor standards of complex nutritional care for cancer and intestinal failure patients.
• Strengthen governance, audit, and quality improvement processes within the NST service.
• Provide leadership in decision‑making around artificial nutrition in patients with advanced cancer, ensuring decisions are evidence‑based, ethical, and aligned with patients’ values.
• Contribute to goals‑of‑care discussions, advance care planning, and end‑of‑life care decisions.
• Act as a source of specialist advice on ethical dilemmas related to artificial nutrition, capacity, and best‑interest decision‑making in collaboration with legal and ethics committees if required.
• Participate in the strategic planning of nutrition support services, including potential expansion into broader gastroenterology/later effects work.
• Engage with regional and national networks to promote best practice.

Education & Training

• Provide teaching on ethical principles in artificial nutrition support and complex decision‑making.
• Contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes.
• Undertake CPD and maintain GMC revalidation.

Research & Audit

• Contribute to the development, implementation, and review of policies, guidelines, and audit programs to ensure compliance with best practice standards.
• Engage with research activity in clinical nutrition and gastroenterology and support the development of research capacity and innovation within the team.
• Present and publish findings at local, national, and international level.
• Participate in or initiate research projects, and contribute to audit, service evaluation, and clinical research in nutrition and cancer.
• Develop and participate in clinical trials and translational research related to artificial nutrition, cancer cachexia, and survivorship.

Governance & Professional Standards

• Participate in annual appraisal, job planning, and revalidation.
• Comply with Trust and GMC standards on clinical governance, risk management, safeguarding, and data protection.
• Maintain continuing professional development in line with Royal College of Physicians guidance.
• Uphold equality, diversity, and inclusion principles in clinical and educational practice.

Office Equipment & Secretarial Support

• The role will have a consultant office within our Supportive Oncology Directorate, shared with a colleague from Endocrinology.
• The role will also have access to secretary based within Dietetics and Nutrition.
• Any role specific clinical equipment required for the Gastroenterologist will be purchased as required.
• The consultant will be issued Trust laptop.

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.

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 prospectively agreed subject to an annual individual job plan review (May – September). It is expected that the initial Job Plan discussion will take place within the first six months of employment at the Trust and then be aligned to the Trusts annual Job Planning review cycle.

The annual review will examine all aspects of the job plan (including any educational and supervision components) and will also include an assessment of professional development with defined goals for the future. For more information refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this Job Description and also the Trust’s Job Planning Policy

The consultant job plan will include a combination of Direct Clinical Care (DCC) and Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) delivered across the 7‑day week.

Weekend working will consist of programmed clinical activities that are job‑planned, scheduled in advance, and reviewed annually through the job planning process.

The pattern and timing of weekday and weekend programmed activities will be agreed on appointment and subsequently reviewed through the annual job planning cycle, taking account of service needs and consultant preferences.

Essential Training/Mandatory Training

To ensure you maintain safe practice and understand Trust requirements, you must ensure your essential/mandatory training modules are maintained at all times using allocated core SPA time to complete them.

On call Commitments

This role does not require participation in the on‑call rota.

• The OPC includes review and coordination with regional centres (e.g. Salford) to manage home PN patients and prevent avoidable admissions.
• SPA time includes preparation for MDT, clinical governance, ethical case review, and research/education activities.
• The remaining PA time can be flexible to accommodate urgent clinical needs, additional late effects work, or service development.

Person specification

Qualifications

• MRCP
• GMC registration with a license to practice.
• Entry on the General Medical Council (GMC) specialist register via one of the following: Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) (the proposed CCT date must be within 6 months of interview). Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR).
• Higher degree (MD/PHD) in gastroenterology, nutrition or related field
• Qualifications in oncology

Research / Publications

• Participation in relevant research in the field of nutrition/ oncology
• Publication in Peer reviewed journals, active research in nutrition / gastroenterology

Training

• Broad Training in nutrition including enteral and parenteral nutrition and gastroenterology
• Training in oncology patients

Experience

• Experience in clinical nutrition, enteral and parenteral nutrition; MDT experience in tertiary / specialist setting
• Knowledge and experience of ethical decision‑making in artificial nutrition and end‑of‑life care.
• Experience of working in acute setting Clinical leadership
• Evidence of audit, quality improvement and governance participation
• Evidence of teaching and clinical supervision
• Experience in Cancer related nutrition or intestinal failure
• Team management

Personal skills

• commitment to patient centred care
• Evidence of clinical leadership skills
• Ability to work under pressure, self motivated, able to motivate a team, enthusiastic and professional demeanor
• Leadership in national societies, member of BAPEN
• Within 60 minutes travel time to the hospital

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.

Sponsorship Information - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

Pre-Employment Checks - To confirm your suitability for the role, we will carry out pre‑employment checks in line with NHS Employment Check Standards. These include:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role, payment of this will be the applicant's responsibility)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust will be required to provide their HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years employment. This information will used to validate employment history and references.

If you require sponsorship, we will assess your eligibility based on current government guidance. If the role is not eligible and you cannot demonstrate your right to work, your conditional offer may be withdrawn.

No Smoking Policy - You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.

Additional Information - 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.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all our activities. We have a zero‑tolerance approach to modern slavery in any of its forms, including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. We are fully committed to acting ethically and with transparency in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our organisation or supply chains.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.