Consultant Surgeon

NHS Shetland Board; Lerwick; On-site; GBP 115,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

8% On-Call supplement

Distant Island Allowance £2,578 p.a.

Relocation assistance up to £8,000

Job summary

NHS Shetland invites applications for a Consultant General Surgeon to join a small, highly integrated team serving 23,000 people across 15 islands. The post offers breadth across general, trauma and elective surgery in a remote rural setting, with collaborative links to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and regional networks.

You will contribute to clinical governance, service planning and quality improvement, participate in the on-call rota (prospective 1:4), and enjoy opportunities for training and

Qualifications

• Provide assessment and management of acute surgical presentations.
• Maintain responsibility for inpatient care.
• Contribute to a broad elective general surgical practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead surgical services within NHS Shetland and regional clinical networks.
• Contribute to clinical governance, service planning, quality improvement and multidisciplinary working.
• Participate in the on-call rota (prospective 1:4) and service leadership.
• Collaborate with Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and specialist services.

Job description

Salary in range £115,331 - £153,247 per annum (pro rata)

Plus: 8% On-Call supplement,

Distant Island Allowance £2,578 per annum (pro rata)

and relocation assistance of up to £8,0001

NHS Shetland is the most northerly health service in Scotland and offers a unique opportunity to develop a broad and rewarding surgical career. We are a small organisation of around 700 staff providing healthcare to approximately 23,000 people across 15 islands. What we lack in size, we more than make up for through a highly integrated, person-centred and multidisciplinary approach to care.

An opportunity has arisen to join a diverse team of General Surgeons. This post is ideally suited to a surgeon who would enjoy the breadth and challenge of rural generalist practice and wishes to develop a wide-ranging skill set rather than focus solely on subspecialist work. Working within a small consultant team, you will provide high-quality surgical care across a broad spectrum of conditions, supported by close collaboration with consultant colleagues, the wider multidisciplinary team and specialist services in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, our tertiary referral centre.

The successful candidate will play a key role in the delivery, development and leadership of surgical services in Shetland. In addition to providing expert clinical care, the postholder will contribute to clinical governance, service planning, quality improvement and multidisciplinary working, helping to shape the future direction of surgical services within NHS Shetland and across regional clinical networks.

The postholder will provide assessment and management of acute surgical presentations, maintain responsibility for inpatient care, and contribute to a broad elective general surgical practice. While individual consultants have areas of particular expertise and interest, all members of the team contribute to the delivery of a comprehensive rural surgical service. The post carries a prospective 1:4 on-call commitment and includes participation in a shared approach to service delivery and service leadership.

We are open to a range of appointment models, including substantive, locum, full-time, less-than-full-time and rotational arrangements. For suitable candidates approaching CCT or seeking to broaden their scope of practice, additional training opportunities may be available through funded placements in tertiary centres or through the Public Services Delivery (PSD) Scotland Rural Surgical Fellowship programme. Two of our current consultant surgeons followed this route, undertaking post-CCT training in trauma and orthopaedics and urology prior to taking up their substantive appointments.

Living and working in Shetland offers unique professional and personal opportunities. The islands provide an exceptional quality of life, a strong sense of community and outstanding natural surroundings, while presenting the stimulating challenges of delivering healthcare in a remote and rural environment. To find out more about living and working in Shetland go to www.shetland.org and/or https://www.shetland.org/life

For informal discussion about the post, candidates are encouraged to contact Stuart Fergusson, Consultant Surgeon at [e-mail].

Closing Date: 29/11/26

Interview Date: 15/12/26

Preferred candidates will be required to join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update prior to a formal offer of employment being made.

In promoting equal opportunities, we welcome applications from all sections of the community.