MERIT Doctor | North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

North West Ambulance Service; Manchester; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional ambulance service is looking for a MERIT Doctor to provide crucial medical advisory support during major, mass casualty incidents. Candidates must have full GMC registration, live in North West England, and possess Level 8 CCT. The role involves providing on-call medico-legal advice and serving as a Tactical Medical Advisor. This position offers a vital opportunity to contribute to emergencies with a dedicated team.

Qualifications

• Hold full professional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC).
• Must live in North West of England.
• Demonstrated ability to provide accurate medical advice swiftly and calmly under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Provide on-call medico-legal advice to the Tactical and Operational health command structure.
• Serve as Tactical Medical Advisor during major incidents.

Skills

Medical advisory

Ability to work under pressure

Communication skills

Education

Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) Level 8

Job description

Overview

North West England (all areas).

North West Ambulance Service is expanding its Medical Emergency Response Incident Teams (MERIT) across the region, offering an exciting opportunity for skilled doctors to join its medical advisory team. MERIT doctors come from backgrounds such as general practice, or as a consultant in an appropriate hospital specialty such as emergency medicine, anaesthesia, critical care, or surgical specialties. The role of the MERIT Doctor is to provide medico-legal advice to the Ambulance Service Tactical and Operational Command structure during Major, Mass Casualty and Critical Incidents.

Responsibilities

• Provide on-call medico-legal advice to the Tactical and Operational health command structure.
• Undertake the role of Tactical Medical Advisor, Operational Medical Advisor or Casualty Clearing Station Medical Lead during major, mass casualty or critical incidents.

Requirements

• Hold full professional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC).
• MERIT doctors must live in the North West of England (commuting from out of area for on-call duties is not possible).
• Possess a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) Level 8.
• Demonstrated ability to provide accurate medical advice swiftly and calmly under pressure.

MERIT doctors are formally trained and assessed in the performance of the Tactical Medical Advisor and Operational Medical Advisor criteria stated in the NARU National Ambulance Service Command and Control Guidance. As a result, they can advise the on-call operational and tactical commanders to provide direct command support to the regional coordination of major, mass casualty and complex incidents.

Training and Exercising Program

• Face-to-face mandatory training days plus online modules
• Tactical medical advisor training day
• Operational medical advisor training day
• Live exercises
• Command training days
• Operational training days with advanced paramedics
• Reflective practice records
• No-notice communication exercises

Interviews will be conducted via video call.

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides 24 hour, 365 days a year accident and emergency services to those in need of emergency medical treatment and transport. Our highly skilled staff provide life-saving care to patients in the community and take people to hospital or a place of care if needed. We also provide non-emergency patient transport services for those patients who require non-emergency transport to and from hospital and who are unable to travel unaided because of their medical condition or clinical need. Alongside the other emergency services, we also work to ensure the safety of the public and treatment of patients in the event of a major incident.

We also deliver the NHS 111 service in the North West. NHS 111 replaced NHS Direct in 2013. This service was introduced to make it easier for people to access local NHS healthcare services in England. It provides non-emergency medical help fast, and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Please ensure that you have read and understood the job description and person specification before applying.

This advert closes on Thursday 2 Oct 2025