Consultant Neonatologist

Medway NHS Foundation Trust; Brompton; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit at Medway NHS Foundation Trust delivers comprehensive neonatal care with 12 intensive care cots and 8 high dependency cots. The consultant will lead education, MDT coordination, and strategic development within a busy tertiary centre in Kent.

Responsibilities include teaching junior staff, participating in research, and leading quality improvement initiatives, while balancing clinical duties with professional development and leadership responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Senior clinician with expertise in neonatal medicine and senior clinical duties.
• Experience in medical education and supervising junior doctors is essential.
• Active participation in quality improvement and clinical audit.
• Engagement in research and academic activity within the neonatal unit.

Responsibilities

• Oversee outpatient clinics and MDT meetings to coordinate care.
• Lead Teaching Responsibilities for junior staff, students, and nursing teams.
• Drive Quality Improvement and Clinical Audit projects to improve patient outcomes.
• Lead research activities and contribute to academic output of the unit.

Skills

Neonatal care

Teaching

Quality improvement

Leadership

Job description

The nine-week cycle incorporates four attending ("hot") weeks

• HDU (Week 1),


• Weekend on-site (Week 3),


• ITU (Week 5)


• Transitional Care/Postnatal Wards (Week 9) - each designed to provide focused and comprehensive neonatal care.

Non-attending weeks are structured to balance clinical duties with professional development activities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Outpatient clinics:


• Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Meetings:


• Supporting Professional Activities (SPA):

Teaching Responsibilities

The consultant will play a pivotal role in education, fostering the development of junior doctors, medical students, and nursing staff.

Quality Improvement and Clinical Audit

The unit prides itself on a robust quality improvement (QI) program that has driven significant advancements in care delivery

Research

The unit has an active academic and research portfolio. In 2025 it delivered 14 NIHR portfolio studies

Managerial and Leadership Responsibilities

The consultant will hold a senior leadership role within the department, contributing to strategic planning and service development

The Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit opened to intensive care in 1984 with two regionally funded neonatal intensive care cots. Since 1999, the unit relocated to the new wing of the Medway Maritime Hospital where it is based currently. We are an award winning team and are considered to be one of the busiest tertiary neonatal intensive care units in KSS as we are afully recognised tertiary referral centre. The unit is the lead intensive care provider for the Kent Network. We have primary responsibility to providing intensive care for babies born in West Kent. We host the Kent arm of the KSS Neonatal Transport Service. We have well developed purpose-built facilities for 12 intensive care cots, 8 high dependency cots and 12 special care baby cots. In addition, we provide neonatal transitional care services on the post-natal ward. These comprise of 8 neonatal transitional care cots (NTC) and 6 midwifery additional care (MAC) cots. The latter was a reconfigured addition to the current neonatal bed base in 2019 due to an increasing demand for this service and has won the Medway NHS Foundation Trust "Best Innovation Award" in 2020. The unit is located next to the labour ward and on the same floor as the post-natal wards, allowing for good communication at all times with the maternity department. The neonatal unit has a comprehensive set of protocols and guidelines, developed collaboratively by trained staff, postgraduate doctors, and nurses.