Consultant in Cardiology WSI Imaging

Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust; Smethwick; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust seeks 2 Consultants in Cardiology with a focus on imaging (Cardiac MRI). The appointees will cover MMUH on-call, outpatient clinics at City hospital Birmingham and/or Sandwell General Hospital.

Applicants should have CCT or be close to completion and be on the GMC Specialist Register in Cardiology, with the ability to perform imaging independently. The role includes clinic duties, ward rounds, flexible imaging cover, and collaborative development of

Qualifications

• CCT or equivalent and GMC Specialist Register in Cardiology or eligible within 6 months.
• Fully trained in general Cardiology and able to manage on-calls.
• Imaging modality expertise in Cardiac MRI (CMR).

Responsibilities

• Perform first-class Cardiac MRI (CMR) imaging for elective outpatients and inpatients.
• Cover on-call duties for Cardiology wards and general cardiology 1 in 10 with internal cover.
• Manage clinics (general Cardiology & specialty) and ward rounds.
• Provide flexible imaging cover and participate in administration duties.
• Collaborate to develop clinical pathways and reduce waiting times.

Skills

Cardiology imaging

On-call management

General Cardiology

Team leadership

Education

CCT or equivalent

GMC Specialist Register in Cardiology

Tools

Siemens Avanto 1.5T MRI

Job description

CONSULTANT IN CARDIOLOGY WSI IMAGING

We are seeking to recruit 2x innovative and progressive Consultants with an interest in Imaging (Cardiac MRI) to join our Cardiology team. The appointees will cover our new hospital Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) during the on call with outpatient clinics at City hospital Birmingham and/or Sandwell General Hospital. Applications are welcomed from candidates with CCT (or equivalent) with an interest in Cardiac MRI who are on the General Medical Council’s Specialist Register in Cardiology or who will be within six months of obtaining their CCT at the time of interview. In addition, applicants should demonstrate within their application that they are fully trained in general Cardiology, can manage Cardiology oncalls and can perform the imaging modality independently. This job is a substantive post.

Closing date

28th October 2026

Interview date

4th Dec 2026 afternoon

The appointee will perform first class imaging (CMR) for elective outpatient cases and urgent inpatients where required. The candidate will also perform on-calls for Cardiology wards and general cardiology 1 in 10 (with internal cover).

The appointee will cover clinics (general Cardiology & specialty), ward rounds and administration duties and will also provide flexible imaging cover. The post will be based primarily at MMUH for ward rounds, and oncalls. Based on the imaging modality, the sessions will be either in MMUH, Sandwell General Hospital or Birmingham City Hospital. The Trust has reconfigured its services in preparation for the implementation of the Right Care Right Here Programme and the post-holder therefore is required have outpatient work continuing on at least one of the other sites.

The appointee will take equal responsibility with existing Consultants for the proper functioning of the clinical service, working with clinical and managerial colleagues towards achieving and maintaining national maximum waiting times and developing clinical pathways.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWB) serves Birmingham and the Black Country – one of the country’s most culturally diverse areas. It’s a friendly and welcoming place – a place where you can belong, and a place where you can grow.

We care for our patients, we care about our population, and we care about our people.

Our values – Ambition, Respect and Compassion – are at the heart of who we are. They guide us every step of the way; how we work with each other, and how we look after our patients and their families; how we respect and value the rich diversity of our team and our community.

Our Trust has always aspired to be more than a hospital, more than a healthcare provider. Our purpose is to “Improve the Life Chances and Health Outcomes of our Population.” It is what inspires, drives, and unites us every day. It’s what makes us unique.

We want working at SWB to feel like more than just a job. We want our Trust to be a place where you can feel you belong. A place where you feel happy, safe, and rewarded. A place where you can develop your career in whatever way you choose. When we say we’re ‘with you all the way’ we want you to know that we mean it. Visit the SWB website to find out more about our ambitions and people plans.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Dr Chetan Varma Job title: Group Director for Med & Consultant Cardiologist Email address: [e-mail] Telephone number: 0121 507 5842

myocardial infarction was established in the early 2000s, with 24 hours, 7 day service running since January 2005.

Bradycardia pacing has been carried out on the Trust sites for over 30 years and biventricular pacing (CRT) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation since 2006. We now have a dedicated subcutaneous ICD service run by Dr Shah and Dr Maher. Angiograms and pacing are supported using the Change Healthcare@ system, images being visible on any PC within the Trust at any time by the cardiology team as well as Cath reports and BCIS returns.

Cardiac Imaging

There are well-developed cardiac imaging services (CMR, echocardiography, stress echo and CTCA) at both City and Sandwell Hospitals and an established Heart Failure Service with strong links over both Sandwell and City campuses. With the demonstration of the great benefits of the specialist nursing service in Sandwell in avoiding excess hospital appointments and readmissions, the local Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG have recently funded 9 new specialist nurse posts to develop an equally good service in West Birmingham. Research is carried out into a number of aspects of heart failure.

Cardiac diagnostics is a busy department with 12 sonographers (8 with BSE accreditation), performing more than 12,000 TTEs. The department also performs more than 600 stress echocardiograms and more than 100 TOEs per year. We offer a range of stress echocardiography services including dobutamine stress echo, treadmill exercise stress echo and supine bike exercise stress echo.

A comprehensive nuclear cardiology service is well established on the City site under the direction of Dr A Notghi and Dr M Pandit.

Coronary CT is performed at Sandwell with a Siemens Somatom Definition Flash 256 slice scanners, capable of acquiring a full CT coronary angiogram in a single heartbeat with minimal x-ray exposure. The Cardiac CT programme is expanding rapidly, currently we do 2000 scans a year, but this is predicted to increase in Midland Metropolitan Hospital and with further implementation of the latest NICE guidance for the management and investigation of stable chest pain.

Cardiac MRI is performed with a Siemens Avanto 1.5 Tesla MR scanner at the Sandwell site. The service is on an expansion curve and it is anticipated the current list of approximately 500 scans a year to increase further in the next 12-18 months. It is anticipated that stress perfusion CMR will become incorporated into the normal workflow at MMUH.

Participation in the other imaging services in addition to Cardiac MRI would be welcome from a suitably qualified applicant.

The single-site Acute Hospital (MMUH) benefits from co-located specialist services which supports the new Emergency Department with dedicated imaging facility and Assessment Units. It provides state-of-the-art treatment and care for patients from Sandwell and across the region and will become the civic heart of the area and a point of pride for the community.

The working week for a full-time consultant is comprised of 10 programmed activities (PAs) each of which has a nominal timetable value of 4 hours with 1. 5 PAs for SPAs. Programmed activities that take place outside the hours of 7am and 7pm Monday and Friday or at weekends or on public holidays will have a timetable value of three hours rather than four. For this post direct clinical care (work relating directly to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness) includes a minimum of 1 imaging CMR session per week, emergency work (including whilst on-call), outpatient activities (minimum of 2 clinics per week), multi-disciplinary meetings about direct patient care, and administration directly related to the above. Supporting professional activities (that underpin direct clinical care), include participation in training, medical education, continuous professional development, formal teaching, audit, clinical management and local clinical governance activities.

For more information on the job role and responsibilities, please refer to the Job Description attached.

For an informal discussion, please contact:

Dr. Chetan Varma, Consultant Cardiologist and Group Director for Medicine on 0121 507 5841, Email: [e-mail]

Dr Vinoda Sharma, Consultant Cardiologist and Specialty Lead on 0121 507 5841, Email: [e-mail]

Dr Yanish Purmah, Consultant Cardiologist

Email: [e-mail]