Senior Clinical Fellow in Advanced Head and Neck Surgery

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent NHS Trust in Greater London is seeking a Senior Clinical Fellow in Advanced Head and Neck Surgery for a 12-month position. The Fellow will work under supervisory consultants and focus on advanced surgical techniques, clinical care, and research in head and neck oncology. This role demands expertise in general otolaryngology and head and neck surgery, with opportunities to contribute to teaching and patient care at a nationally recognized institution.

Qualifications

• FRCS Intercollegiate exam or equivalent training required.
• Full GMC Registration is mandatory.
• Candidates must have CCST in Otolaryngology or be within 3 months of obtaining it.

Responsibilities

• Participate in clinical and service activities for patient care.
• Engage in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training.
• Contribute to clinical research and audits.

Skills

Clinic and surgical expertise

Personal experience in head and neck and paediatric surgery

Proven teaching skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Team-based approach to care

Advanced course on laser, robotics or reconstruction

Education

FRCS Intercollegiate exam or equivalent

Full GMC Registration

CCST in Otolaryngology or Maxillofacial Surgery

Higher Degree MD or PhD

Publications in a Peer Review Journal

Job description

Senior Clinical Fellow in Advanced Head and Neck Surgery

The closing date is 28 January 2026

This post mirrors the Interface Head and Neck Fellowship and is recognised by the Royal College of Surgeons of England National Surgical Fellowship Scheme and is suitable for post-CCST SpR’s who are interested in obtaining further specialist experience before taking up a Consultant post. The post holder will have the opportunity to enrol in the IFHNOS Global On-Line Fellowship (GOLF) programme including 7 written examinations and a final oral examination. Upon successful completion, candidates may use the title of “IFHNS” after their name. Recognition that the fellowship programme meets the highest international standards of training.

The successful candidate will be working with Mr Jean-Pierre Jeannon, Mr Richard Oakley, Mr Asit Arora, Aleix Rovira and Mr Ricard Simo on the Head and Neck firm and with the Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology Team under the supervision of Mr Mus Alibhai and Mr Raf Niziol. There will be opportunity to gain extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer, salivary gland and thyroid disorders as well as ample opportunity to carry out clinical research in the relevant fields.

The post is a fixed‑term 12‑month position based at Guy's Hospital where the Head and Neck Surgery Cancer Unit is established, and weekly Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Oncology and Thyroid Meetings are held rotating every six months between the two core unit firms.

Main duties of the job

The Fellowship is supervised by Mr Asit Arora and Mr Raf Niziol, who are the Lead Educational Supervisors for the post. The Fellowship includes all aspects of Advanced Head and Neck Surgery with emphasis on Head and Neck Oncological Surgery. The Unit has a large tertiary referral base for complex Head and Neck Oncological Surgery including salvage surgery, robotic surgery, thyroid and salivary gland cancer. The Unit also provides a tertiary referral base for complex Thyroid Surgery including revision and mediastinal surgery, malignant skull base surgery, complex head and neck skin cancers and surgery for TMJ disorders and osteoradionecrosis. Core components of the Fellowship include: full weekly Head and Neck Oncology and Thyroid MDT meetings, ablative and reconstructive surgery, complex thyroid and salivary gland surgery, airway surgery, revision and salvage surgery, regular audit and clinical research.

About us

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK's best known hospitals – Guy's, St Thomas', Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.

We are among the UK's busiest, most successful foundation trusts, providing specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark.

We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King's Health Partners – we are one of England's eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world‑class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research's biomedical research centres, established with King's College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.

We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs.

Job responsibilities

• To participate in clinical and other service activities with the object of ensuring a high standard of patient care and to contribute to service developments.
• To take part in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training.
• To participate in research and audit activities within the Department and the Unit.
• To help to maintain the data collection of patients with Head and Neck Cancer and to develop the new Cancer Information System (CIS).

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The post-holder will, under the relevant consultant, be responsible for the provision of specialist Otorhinolaryngology, Oral and Maxillofacial and Head and Neck services to the Guys & St Thomas Hospital Trust. This will include:

a) Diagnosis and treatment in the specialist clinics attended and to ensure high standard of patient care

b) Participating in the Head and Neck ward round rota

c) Diagnosis and treatment of patients occupying accommodation made available under Sections 58, 65 and 66 of the National Health Service Act 1977 in so far as such patients have not made private arrangements for such treatment under section 65(2) of the Act.

d) Ensure adequate data collection through the new CIS.

e) Conduct clinical research and audit.

f) Conduct undergraduate and post‑graduate teaching and training.

g) Contribute to service improvement and development.

Support Staff and Facilities

There are six SpRs, two CT doctors on surgical rotation and one Trust Doctor. In addition there are two FY1 Doctors. The number and distribution of these posts is kept under review and there will be change with the implementation of the European Working Time Directive.

In addition, there are two allied healthcare diagnosticians, two nurse practitioners, who run the preadmission clinic and one paediatric nurse specialist.

Clinical:

The postholder will, together with colleagues, be responsible for the provision of services to the Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust to include:

(a) Diagnosis and treatment of patients of the trust in such hospitals, health centres or clinics or other premises as required.

(b) Continuing clinical responsibility for the patients in your charge, allowing for all proper delegation to, and training of, your staff.

Training of junior staff:

The postholder will take responsibility for the training and direction of junior staff allocated to him/her under aegis of the training plan that that postholder has agreed with their supervising consultant.

Teaching:

The post-holder will be expected to contribute as appropriate in the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students. It will also be expected to teach and support the MRCS course and all the other courses held in the Unit and Department.

Clinical Governance:

All medical and dental staff are expected to take part in clinical governance activity, including clinical audit, clinical guideline and protocol development and clinical risk management. They will be expected to produce evidence of their contribution in these areas and their audit of their own clinical work as part of their appraisal.

Mutual Obligation to Monitor Hours:

There is a contractual obligation on employers to monitor working hours through robust local monitoring arrangements supported by national guidance, and on individual doctors to co‑operate with those monitoring arrangements.

European Working Time Directive (EWTD):

All posts and working patterns are under constant review in line with EWTD guidelines.

The post-holder will be required to undertake appraisal as per GMC and Trust Guidance and an Educational Contract will be established at the beginning of the post. Personal Development will be encouraged in compliance with GMC and Royal of Colleges guidelines. As the post is recognised as a Post‑CCT Educational Post by the Royal College of Surgeons, the post-holder will be required to register with ISCP to monitor their progress.

Managerial and General:

The Trust is divided into clinical divisions each led by a Divisional Director responsible for clinical service on a Trust‑wide basis. The groupings have been designed with careful attention to related speciality areas, clinical, academic and business configuration. The Divisional Director is a member of the Trust Management Executive and responsible for the Clinical Directorate at Executive level. The individual specialities are led by Clinical Leads who report to the Service Delivery Unit Heads who in turn report to the Divisional Director and the Divisional General Manager. The current Clinical Lead for Otolaryngology is Mr Pavol Surda and for Head and Neck is Mr Asit Arora.

This vacancy may be closed early if sufficient applications for the role are received. Please be sure to register your interest and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• FRCS Intercollegiate exam or equivalent Otolaryngology training
• Full GMC Registration
• CCST in Otolaryngology or Maxillofacial Surgery or within 3 months of obtaining CCST
• Higher Degree MD or PhD
• Publications in at least one Peer Review Journal in Head and Neck Surgery

Previous Experience

• Early experience of medical audit
• Evidence of clinical teaching
• Published medical audit in the field of head & neck surgery

Skills/Knowledge/Ability

• A high level of clinic and surgical expertise in the full range of general otolaryngology or oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral and maxillofacial surgery
• Personal experience in head and neck and paediatric surgery
• Evidence of continuing personal education
• Proven teaching skills and a commitment to the training of junior doctors
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to relate with colleagues – clinical and non‑clinical, patients and relatives
• Team based approach to care and service management
• Interface Fellowship, evidence of an advanced course on laser, robotics or reconstruction

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.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

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