Consultant in Palliative Medicine

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 114,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for a Consultant in Palliative Medicine based at Denmark Hill. The post sits within the Specialist Palliative Care Service and links with King's Health Partners for research opportunities with Cicely Saunders Institute.

Candidates must be fully GMC registered and on the Specialist Register (or within months of attaining CCT). The role includes teaching, training, and developing services, with a commitment to 7-day consultant-led

Qualifications

• MRCP, MRCGP or equivalent qualification required.
• Full GMC registration and eligibility for Specialist Register (CCT or equivalent).
• Experience in palliative care and training of others desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior palliative care medical leadership to support decision making for complex cases.
• Lead, deliver and represent excellent palliative care through innovation, collaboration and education.
• Support 24/7 specialist palliative care advice across the Trust; on-call rota 1:16 (Category B).

Skills

Leadership

Teaching

Communication

Education

MRCP/MRCGP or equivalent

Higher degree or diploma (MD)

Job description

Go back King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Consultant in Palliative Medicine

The closing date is 30 September 2026

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to work as a Consultant in Palliative Medicine within the King's College Hospital Specialist Palliative Care Service. This is a replacement post to join the team based at Denmark Hill. The palliative care team offers an advisory service to patients with palliative care needs and promotes excellence in end-of-life care across the Trust. We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic individual to join our team, supporting this busy, dynamic, multi-professional team and building on partnerships across the locality. It is envisaged that the appointe will contribute to the delivery and development of specific aspects of the service, depending on their interests and experience, and support general team activities. They will also contribute to teaching and training. The post will sit within a collaborative network across our Clinical Academic Group within King's Health Partners. A wealth of opportunities exist to be involved in research via established links with the Cicely Saunders Institute.

Main duties of the job

Main duties of the job

• To provide senior palliative care medical leadership to support skilled decision making and support to patients, palliative care and Trust colleagues, particularly in cases of complexity.
• To lead, deliver and represent excellent palliative care through innovation, collaboration and education.
• To support 24/7 specialist palliative care advice across KHP. The On-Call commitment is for a 1:16 rota, which is classed as Category B. On-call telephone advice is provided to health professionals across King's, St Thomas', Guys and Lewisham Hospitals and Guys and St Thomas' community palliative care teams.

About us

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. In June 2026, we launched our new strategy for 2026-31. Our vision is to transform healthcare, and we have agreed six strategic ambitions to help us improve care for patients, and the working lives of our staff.

Our six strategic ambitions are deliveringhigh-quality patient care; creating a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability.

We have also agreed four new organisational values - Caring, Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative - and these underpin everything we do, and how our teams interact with the patients under our care.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Job responsibilities

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our dedicated workforce and to join one of the largest and most successful Foundation Trusts in the UK, with an international reputation for innovation and a desire to make a difference.

You must be fully registered with the GMC and hold a Licence to Practice and be on the Specialist Register, or within three months of attaining your CCT or equivalent, to be eligible for interview. Informal visits are welcome.

The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable adults and/or children (0-18 years), therefore, 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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.

1.Together with other colleagues, to provide a high-quality care service to patients. This includes all aspects of treatment and relevant management duties for the proper functioning of the Care Group.

22.Shared responsibility with other colleagues for providing 24 hours, 7 days a week cover for the Unit on a rota basis. Responsible also for covering colleagues periods of annual leave and short-term sickness as detailed in your contract.

33.Provide clinical supervision of junior medical/dental practitionersas a shared responsibility with other consultant colleagues.

44.Responsible for carrying out teaching, examination, and accreditation duties as required and contributing to CPD and clinical governance initiatives.

55.Responsible for outpatient clinic commitments in peripheral hospitals as agreed with the Care Groups management team, where part of the service structure.

66.Contribute to the Care Groups research interests in accordance with the Trusts R&D framework.

77.Contribute to the audit programmes, Morbidity and Mortality, Clinical Governance programmes and Learning from Deaths.

88.Take an active role in the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of the Care Groups Business Plan. This may include assisting with discussions regarding service plans and developments with internal and external agencies.

99.Conduct all activities within the contracted level of service and operating plan for service(s).

110.Exercise professional leadership for all staff working in the specialty. This will include fostering and developing projects focused towards these ends and ensuring that the momentum of post-qualification professional education and other appropriate training is maintained.

111.Work in conjunction with clinical and other professional colleagues to ensure that the productivity of staff within the specialty is maintained and their job satisfaction is enhanced. This may include involvement in the appraisal process for peers and/or junior colleagues

112.Undertake Care Group management duties as agreed with the Care Group/Departmental Manager/Clinical Director.

113.Be aware of, and comply with, all Trust infection prevention and control policies, to include hand hygiene, personal hygiene, environmental and food hygiene.

114.Prepare for and undertake the protective interventions that you are responsible for in a manner that is consistent with evidence-based practice and maintains patient safety.

115.Kings is committed to providing consultant-led 7-day services, and in the event of future developments, the post holder would be expected to contribute equally with other Consultant colleagues.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• MRCP, MRCGP or equivalent
• Other higher degree or diploma (e.g., MD)

Registration

• Full Registration with GMC
• Name on GMC Specialist Register on date of taking up appointment
• On the day of interview applicants must be within 6 months of CCT, in final stages of their portfolio pathway application, or be fully registered on the GMC Specialist Register. Any applications not meeting these criteria will not be considered.

Training and Experience

• Wide experience in all aspects of palliative care, culminating in award of CCT or equivalent
• Specialist training in Palliative Care.
• Previous experience working in an acute Trust

Administration

• Experience in day-to-day organisation of Palliative Care services in a busy Teaching Hospital
• Familiarity with information technology and general computer skills
• Familiar with current structure of UK National Health Service and conversant with recent initiatives and changes
• Familiar with current structure of Health Service and conversant with recent initiatives and changes

Management and Leadership

• Able to demonstrate leadership capability within multi-disciplinary teams
• Management course and/or qualification

Audit and Quality Improvement

• Thorough understanding of principles of medical audit.
• Must have undertaken and completed audit projects.
• Audit Publications

Research and Publications

• Experience of conducting or supporting clinical research.
• Keeps upto date with relevant palliative care and related research developments in the field.
• Relevant research experience in one or more aspects of palliative care.
• Publication of relevant review articles or case reports.

Teaching

• Experience of undergraduate and post-graduate teaching and exam preparation.
• Teaching skills course/qualification

Personal Skills and Attributes

• Effective communicator, able to work in a close-knit team and co-operate with all medical and paramedical staff
• Flexible, able to cover colleagues' absence
• Professional attitude towards work, reliability, good record of attendance and tidy personal appearance
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of Kings Values

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.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£113,565 to £150,569 a yearper annum excl London Zone Allowance