Locum Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Care

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading children's healthcare provider is looking for a Locum Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Care in Liverpool. This challenging role involves delivering high quality palliative and end-of-life care for children aged 0-19, and supporting families through their bereavement. The ideal candidate will have relevant qualifications and experience in a similar role, along with strong teaching and communication skills. This position allows for personal and professional development within a specialized team.

Benefits

Support for professional development

Engagement in quality improvement activities

Qualifications

• Specialty-trained consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine or equivalent.
• Experience working in NHS and hospices.
• Demonstrated competencies equivalent to Highest Specialist Paediatric Training.

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of specialist palliative care as part of the SPCT.
• Provide education and training in children’s palliative care.
• Facilitate end-of-life decision-making for families.

Skills

Teaching skills and experience

Oral and written communication skills in English

Ability to supervise the clinical work of doctors

Experience in complex clinical situations

Mental capacity act training

Education

On the GMC’s Specialist Register for Paediatric Palliative Medicine

Primary medical degree

CCT or within 6 months of CCT

Higher Degree e.g. MSc, MD, PhD in Paediatrics

Teaching qualification

Job description

Locum Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Care

The closing date is 24 November 2025

PLEASE NOTE THIS POST IS ONLY UNTIL 31ST MARCH 2026

We are looking for a compassionate individual to fill this exciting and challenging position and work as a specialist consultant to deliver high quality palliative and end of life care to children and young people aged 0-19 years, and bereavement care to their families. The role will give the successful candidate the opportunity to work in a stand‑alone paediatric hospital alongside a variety of paediatric specialty services caring for children with identified palliative care needs, including: cardiology, cardiac surgery, neonatology, neurology, neuromuscular, trauma, oncology, respiratory, long‑term ventilation, and intensive care.

Patient care is provided in a variety of settings including the home, hospices or in a hospital. The consultant will need to work closely and foster good relationships with all members of the child's multi‑disciplinary team and with colleagues from health, social care, education and the charity sector.

The post holder will be a specialty‑trained consultant or have equivalent training as assessed by the RCPCH.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will support the delivery of specialist palliative care by working as part of the Specialist Palliative Care Team (SPCT), based at Alder Hey Children's Hospital. The SPCT supports children who have palliative care needs and their families, from referral through to the end of life, discharge or transition.

• Support for end‑of‑life decision‑making, including preferred place of death.
• Rapid discharge for end of life care, including fast track to hospice or home.
• Specialist medical support for hospices, acute trusts, community palliative care teams, and tertiary centres.
• Informing & educating colleagues and families on the death and dying process.
• Identifying complex grief and those at ‘high risk’ with sign‑posting/referral to appropriate local and/or specialist bereavement services.

Alder Hey serves as a teaching hospital to the University of Liverpool. The undergraduate curriculum is based on problem‑based learning. All consultants are expected to take part in undergraduate teaching. Support is available to enable new consultants to deliver Level Two training.

Provide education and training in children’s palliative care at all levels. It is expected that the post holder will teach nurses, post‑graduate training of doctors including SPIN and GRID, and teaching to paediatric departments in the region.

About us

As one of Europe’s biggest and busiest children’s hospitals, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust treats everything from common illnesses to highly complex and specialist conditions. In addition to our main hospital site, we offer paediatric services at a number of community sites and hold local clinics across Merseyside, Cumbria, Shropshire, Wales and the Isle of Man. We also provide specialist inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs in our recently relocated and newly opened state‑of‑the‑art facility.

Alder Hey has a thriving research portfolio and leads research into children’s medicines, infection, inflammation and oncology. We are becoming recognised as one of the world’s leaders in children’s healthcare and research. We contribute to public health, lead cutting‑edge research and teach the next generation of children’s specialists. Alongside this is our Innovation Hub, a dedicated space where clinicians and industries can come together to create new products and technologies.

We know that a children’s hospital is different and that our job is more than just treating an illness. To us, every child is an individual. As well as giving them the very best care, we set out to make them feel happy, safe and confident as they play, learn and grow. At Alder Hey we are here to look after a child and their family and that includes mums, dads, brothers and sisters.

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 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.

• 1.0 SPA for personal revalidation, appraisal/job planning/quality improvement/clinical governance/statutory & mandatory training/CPD.
• 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 and Trust meetings, and teaching (UG, departmental, Trust).
• Additional SPA(s) for defined roles in research, departmental leadership or wider governance, and audit, as agreed through the job planning process.
• 0.5 SPA for educational supervision of 2 trainees.

Category B on‑call supplement 1 in 4: 3% (as percentage of full‑time basic salary).

Person Specification

Education and Training

• On the GMC’s Specialist Register for Paediatric Palliative Medicine OR evidence of equivalent training provided by RCPCH CSAC.
• Primary medical degree
• CCT or within 6 months of CCT (or equivalent)
• Higher Degree e.g. MSc, MD, PhD in Paediatrics
• DCH, DCCH, MBA or other relevant diplomas
• Teaching qualification

Experience

• Demonstrates having achieved the competencies equivalent to the Highest Specialist Paediatric Training.
• Experience working in NHS.
• Experience working in a hospice and with other voluntary sector organisations.
• Wider experience, research, and training, in providing subspecialty service.

Knowledge & Skills

• Teaching skills and experience
• Ability to supervise the clinical work of doctors in training and other staff.
• Oral and written communication skills in English
• Experience in complex clinical situations e.g. ethical dilemmas, mediation and legal aspects of healthcare delivery
• Mental capacity act training.

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.

Address

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust Hospital