Locum Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist

NHS; Oxford; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS teaching trust in Oxford is seeking a Locum Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist to join their multidisciplinary team for a 12-month period. The role involves providing comprehensive rheumatology services and supporting children and adolescents with chronic pain. Ideal candidates will have significant medical qualifications, including MBChB, full GMC registration, and experience in paediatric rheumatology. This position offers a chance to engage in research and collaborate with professionals from varied backgrounds.

Benefits

Opportunity for research development

Supportive departmental environment

Qualifications

• Experience working in adolescent transition and young adult services.
• Experience managing patients with chronic pain.
• Experience with independent intra-articular steroid injections.

Responsibilities

• Support the clinical team in providing rheumatology services to children and adolescents.
• Provide care for acutely unwell children and young people.
• Support and develop clinical collaboration with other paediatric services.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Clinical management

Interpersonal skills

Education

MBChB or equivalent

MRCPCH or equivalent

Full GMC registration

Higher medical degree (MSc, PhD, MD)

Job description

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Locum Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist

The closing date is 15 February 2026

This post is a replacement post following the retirement of an existing post holder. The post is being advertised as a locum post for a period of 12 months, pending a substantive post. The post-holder will join a well-established multidisciplinary team, providing a comprehensive paediatric rheumatology and chronic pain service for the Thames Valley and surrounding region. The appointee will have the opportunity to work closely with consultants and allied professionals from the Children's Hospital Oxford, as well as a number of other DGH's throughout the region. There are close links with the adult rheumatology service. The appointee will also be part of the regional Chronic Pain service providing a comprehensive out-patient and intensive day case service to young people and families from across the region and beyond.

We are looking for innovative and enthusiastic Consultants with appropriate clinical and leadership abilities. The post holder will be supported by a busy & friendly department & will be encouraged to take part in research & academic development. Close links to the University of Oxford provide an excellent opportunity to develop research interests in a variety of areas.

Main duties of the job

To support the clinical team in providing a high quality secondary & tertiary rheumatology service to the children & adolescents of Oxfordshire, Thames Valley & neighbouring counties.

To provide care for acutely unwell children & young people in the paediatric & intensive care setting where diagnosis is uncertain or requires multispecialty input, including complex multisystem inflammatory illnesses, hyperinflammation, HLH/MAS etc.

To support a comprehensive paediatric chronic pain service & to link closely with the programme director for rehabilitation service, Dr Konrad Jacobs, Consultant Clinical Psychologist. Explore opportunities for further service development & collaboration with Long COVID & chronic fatigue services.

To support & continue to develop clinical collaboration with other paediatric services in Oxford.

To provide clinical care, education & support for further development of outreach services & a clinical network for paediatric rheumatology across Oxfordshire & neighbouring areas.

To contribute to paediatric training in rheumatology & to contribute to the provision of rheumatology teaching for other postgraduate trainees. Establish & develop sub-specialty training in paediatric rheumatology.

To comply with the recommendations of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health over the provision of acute and specialty services for children.

About us

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.

We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.

These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family.

In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles.

Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment.

If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for detailed description of main responsibilities.

Person Specification

Professional Qualifications

• MBChB or equivalent
• MRCPCH or equivalent
• Full GMC registration
• On the GMC's Specialist Register OR within six months of CCT at time of scheduled interview
• Portfolio Pathway (formerly CESR) applicants must be on the Specialist Register at the point of application
• Higher medical degree e.g. MSc, PhD or MD or evidence of working towards a higher academic degree

Professional Training

• Certificate of completion of training (CCT) or equivalent in paediatrics
• Completion of competencies for sub-specialty training in paediatric rheumatology or equivalent
• APLS, BLS or equivalent in date
• Trained to level 3 or equivalent safeguarding
• Tertiary or supra-tertiary level training in paediatric chronic pain
• Tertiary level training in adolescent and transitional care

Work Experience

• Comprehensive training in Paediatrics and all aspects of paediatric rheumatology in a tertiary paediatric rheumatology centre
• Experience working in adolescent transition and young adult services
• Experience and training in managing patients with Chronic Pain
• Experience with independent intra articular steroid injections, both under local and general anaesthetic
• Prescribing of complex medication
• Experience of managing complex patients requiring multi-specialty input and intensive care
• Experience as a Locum or substantive paediatric rheumatology consultant
• Experience of working in additional tertiary paediatric rheumatology centres
• Experience of working within an established clinical network
• Experience in leading and developing services for young people including transition and young adult clinics
• Work experience in one of the major paediatric pain centres
• Experience of joint assessment and injection with ultrasound

Level of responsibility

• Evidence of ability to make decisions at consultant level and to manage complex clinical problems.
• Evidence of leadership in clinical and management setting.
• Leadership experience in regional or national project.

Organisation and managment skills

• Effective administrative and time management skills. Experience in clinical management.
• Evidence of additional management responsibilites

Professional - extra skills or achievements

• Evidence of significant contribution to successful teamwork and service improvement.

Communication and interpersonal skills

• Good spoken and written English. Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills. Able to communicate well with children, parents and teams.

Teaching and training skills

• Experience of formal and informal contributions to teaching and training.
• Teaching or Education qualification

Clinical governance experience

• Evidence of effective and sustained contribution to clinical governance, clinical risk management and clinical audit activities

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.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust