Consultant in Microbiology

NHS; Wakefield; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Join the NHS as a microbiologist in Wakefield, providing clinical advice and contributing to a 24-hour Clinical Infection Service. This role offers the opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team, engage in service development, and potentially adopt a clinical academic role. Candidates should hold a medical degree and relevant fellowship, with a focus on leadership and innovation in infection care.

Qualifications

• Extensive microbiology department experience.
• Contributions to service development.
• Full GMC registration with a license to practice.

Responsibilities

• Provision of clinical advice and interpretation of laboratory results.
• Supervision of laboratory team and infection control advice.
• Participation in multidisciplinary meetings and service development.

Skills

Leadership

Time Management

Multidisciplinary Team Working

Education

Medical Degree (e.g., MBBS)

Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists

Teaching Qualifications/Awards

Job description

These posts provide a unique opportunity to join our innovative and expanding infection department. We welcome applicants with either CCT in Microbiology or joint CCT in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology. This is a replacement post offered at 10 PAs full time, though part-time applicants with pro-rata on-call will be considered.

The post holder will be responsible for contributing to our 24-hour Clinical Infection Service alongside a strong multidisciplinary team, including a consultant Antimicrobial Pharmacist and Antimicrobial Pharmacy team.

Infection services in the trust encompass a wide range of complex and interesting cases, including The Mid Yorkshire Regional Adult Burns Centre, Regional Children's Burns Unit, and Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Centre.

Our Trust recently attained Teaching status. As part of our journey to University Hospital status, the Trust aims to increase clinical academic positions. We welcome applicants aspiring to adopt a clinical academic role in the future.

Main duties of the job

• Provision of clinical advice from within the Trust, primary care, and other healthcare colleagues in our region
• Authorization and interpretation of laboratory results
• Supervision and liaison with the laboratory team
• Working effectively with junior infection specialist colleagues, the pharmacy team, and regional infection specialists
• Providing infection prevention and control advice, with opportunities to take up Trust infection control roles such as DIPC
• Liaising with the UKHSA team for notifiable diseases/organisms and participating in mandatory surveillance
• Participating in multidisciplinary meetings including haematology, orthopaedics, infection control, regional burns centre, and intensive care
• Developing services including outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT), undergraduate teaching, and research
• On-call duties shared on a 1 in 4 basis

About us

We are an acute trust caring for over half a million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work across patients' homes, the community, and three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). We prioritize our people and values to deliver the best care. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, always seeking improvement.

We support work-life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment. Our staff networks provide safe spaces to share ideas and concerns, promoting awareness of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, especially members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities or neurodivergence, as they are underrepresented.

If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.

Application guidance: We recognize that applicants may use AI tools to assist with applications. While helpful, these tools cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. Personalize your application accordingly. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as our screening process is thorough. If you have used AI, please disclose this on your application form.

Job responsibilities

This replacement post is offered on a full-time (10 PA) basis, though less than full-time applications will be considered.

Duties will primarily be based at Pinderfields hospital in Wakefield, but all medical staff are involved in patient care across all three hospital sites.

Besides routine infection care, there are opportunities to be involved in various areas of service delivery within the Trust, by arrangement with the clinical lead, including:

• Leadership of specific clinical areas (to be discussed), such as:
• o Haematology
• o Orthopaedics
• o Burns
• o Infection control
• o Water safety, theatre ventilation, and food safety leads
• o Antimicrobial stewardship (with our AMS pharmacy team)
• o Community IV antibiotic provision
• o Research

With service evolution, future opportunities may include involvement in TB and NTM infection care. There are also prospects to develop services in HIV and infectious diseases. Initially, the role will focus on microbiology-related care (e.g., OPAT, bone and joint infections), with discussions on ongoing arrangements after appointment.

This role could also be combined with a Clinical Academic position if the opportunity arises.

Leadership, innovation, and clinical engagement include:

• Implementing effective service improvement strategies and developing strategic partnerships
• Supporting creativity and professional development within the team
• Ensuring effective leadership and strategy coherence
• Supporting the Microbiology Laboratory and Pathology Quality team to maintain UKAS accreditation

Person Specification

Leadership and Management Skills

• Contributing to the Trust's development and services
• Good time management
• Personal contributions to service development
• Advising on efficient service operation
• Impact on quality improvement

Qualifications

• Medical Degree (e.g., MBBS) from a recognized medical school
• Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists in infection specialty (or equivalent)
• Academic prizes
• Teaching qualifications/awards

Experience

• Extensive microbiology department experience
• Contributions to service development
• Multidisciplinary team working

GMC Registration

• Full GMC number
• Full and Specialist registration with a license to practice (or eligibility within six months of interview)
• UK-trained applicants must hold a CCT in microbiology or be within six months of award
• Non-UK trained applicants must demonstrate equivalence to UK CCT

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. A Disclosure check will be required to screen for previous convictions.