Consultant in paediatric and perinatal pathology

NHS; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 109,000 - 146,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in Liverpool is seeking a Consultant in Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology. The successful candidate will participate in surgical and placental pathology work, supervise registrars, and engage in teaching and departmental management. Candidates must have GMC registration, FRCPath, and experience in the field. The role offers a competitive salary of £109,725 to £145,478 per annum with opportunities for continuing professional development.

Qualifications

• Primary medical degree required.
• Evidence of participation in CPD.
• Experience in departmental management desirable.

Responsibilities

• Cut up and report routine and urgent surgical specimens.
• Supervise reporting by specialty registrars.
• Participate in departmental meetings related to strategic planning.

Skills

Extensive experience in paediatric and perinatal pathology

Participation in professional development

Teamwork

Education

Full GMC registration and licence to practice

FRCPath and specialist registration in Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology

CCT or within 6 months of CCT (or equivalent)

Job description

Job summary

ROLE SUMMARY

The successful candidate will take a full part in the routine work of the department sharing the surgical pathology, placental pathology and necropsy workload equally with the other consultants. The reporting of tumour specimens will be in accordance with the guidelines of the CCLG and RCPath. All consultants will be expected to attend and contribute to clinicopathological conferences with colleagues from oncology, gastroenterology, nephrology, clinical genetics, Obstetrics/Neonatology and paediatric surgery. At present there are 11 multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings per month at the Alder Hey site, the majority of which are currently delivered virtually. In addition all consultants contribute to virtual clinicopathological conferences at hospitals which form part of the Regional Fetal and Perinatal Histopathology network, on average further 1-2 meetings per month.

The appointee will be expected to maintain their expertise in diagnostic surgical pathology through participation in appropriate and recognised programmes of Continuing Professional Development for which appropriately funded study leave will be available. Additionally, participation in the Paediatric Pathology EQA scheme conducted under the auspices of the British and Irish Paediatric Pathology Association will be expected.

Main duties of the job

Clinical

• Cut up and report routine and urgent surgical specimens.
• Cut up and report placentas.
• Report non-neoplastic broncho‑alveolar lavage cytology.
• Perform fetal, neonatal and child hospital post‑mortem examinations.
• Participate in MDT meetings.
• Supervise reporting by specialty registrars.

Teaching & Academic role

• Participate in the teaching and training of undergraduates and postgraduates.
• Develop research interests in their area of interest and expertise.

Managerial responsibilities

• Supervise junior staff.
• Participate in departmental meetings related to strategic planning.
• Take an active role in service review and development.

CPD, Audit & Clinical Governance

• Participate in CPD activity for which financial support is available.
• Initiate and undertake appropriate audits as required within the department.
• Take part in the clinical governance programme.

About us

Sponsorship - 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.

Date posted

04 November 2025

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£109,725 to £145,478 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

411-MED-25-7564485

Job locations

Alder Hey Children's Hospital
Eaton Road
Liverpool
L12 2AP

Job description Job responsibilities

Proposed job plan

This post attracts 10 programmed activities per week. There may be the opportunity to discuss and review this with the clinical director.

The job plan for the first three months will be based on a provisional/indicative timetable. A formal job plan will be agreed between the appointee and the Clinical Director within three months of the commencement date of the appointee.

The surgical pathology work involves surgical cut‑up and reporting, report checking and signing, and the presentation of cases at the multiple Multi‑disciplinary Team meetings. Broncho alveolar lavage cytology samples are also reported. The necropsy work involves the performance of autopsies, their reporting, PM microscopy and its reporting, preparation, checking and signing out of final reports and attendance and presentation of cases at the multiple regional mortality meetings and the Alder Hey PICU and Cardiac departmental mortality meetings, where appropriate. The supervision of the Specialty Registrars is also included. The post requires participation in an on‑call system for out of hours (1 in 6, category B) for histopathology advice and rare attendances at the hospital to deal with fresh tumours or urgent post‑mortem examinations.

The rota has days for post mortem/ placenta reporting, surgical reporting or off‑rota, into which a greater number of supporting professional activity SPAs are allocated. The five consultants will undertake duties on five week rotation; an example is included below. Two consultants will be on PM rota together to enable rapid turnaround times. There is internal cover for annual and study leave, and the rota is swapped around accordingly. The workload complexity scores are calculated annually to ensure compliance with RCPath guidelines.

The supporting professional activities (SPAs) allocation within the provisional job plan is an illustrative guide only and will be finalised following individual agreement with successful candidate.

The basic template for new consultants is 1.5 SPA. Any additional SPA time in the Job Plan is linked to defined roles with clear objectives.

SPA for

o Personal revalidation, appraisal/job planning/quality improvement /clinical governance/statutory & mandatory training/CPD.

o Engagement in Quality Improvement, including :

Attending Quality Improvement meetings

Contributing data; and

Implementing agreed Quality Improvement recommendations in own practice.

0.5 SPA for departmental & Trust meetings and teaching (UG, departmental, Trust).

Indicative 0.25 SPA for a formal Postgraduate Medical Educational Supervisor role.

Additional SPA(s) for defined roles in research, departmental leadership or wider governance, and audit, as agreed through the job planning process.

There is flexibility to time‑shift Coronial or forensic work, court attendances or other external duties with professional organisations, provided all NHS duties are maintained, with target turnaround times met, and registrar supervision carried out.

DCC work is divided between post‑mortem and surgical/placental pathology work as shown above. In practice, consultants will spread their post mortem and placental histopathology reporting and SPA duties as best suits the daily demands on their time. Autopsy workload is variable, and therefore on some PM rota days there may be no autopsies, allowing histology reporting or SPA activities to be carried out instead.

The head of department is usually a rotational post, each consultant holding the post for a 3 year period. However, this can be varied by discussion between colleagues. This post attracts an additional programmed activity.

Regular job planning meetings will be undertaken with the post holder to ensure that the appointee is remunerated for any additional activities undertaken and that the job plan accurately reflects the overall workload undertaken by the post holder.

Education and training (Essential)

• Full GMC registration and licence to practice -Primary medical degree
• FRCPath and specialist registration in Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology
• CCT or within 6 months of CCT (or equivalent)

Education and training (Desirable)

• Higher Degree e.g. MSc, MBA
• DCH, DRCOG or other relevant diplomas

Experience (Essential)

• Evidence of extensive experience in paediatric and perinatal pathology.
• Evidence of participation in CPD
• Evidence of participation in the paediatric and perinatal pathology EQA scheme if post‑CCT

Experience (Desirable)

• Experience of departmental management

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer name

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Alder Hey Children's Hospital
Eaton Road
Liverpool
L12 2AP

Employer's website

https://alderhey.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)