Consultant Paediatrician - General and Community

NHS Scotland; Hospital; On-site; EUR 134,000 - 179,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Scotland seeks a Consultant Paediatrician for a blended hospital and community post in Inverness, full-time (1.0 WTE). The role combines hospital medical paediatrics with community child health in a large rural area.

The on-call rota is non-resident at about 1:10 with a 5% availability supplement, with opportunities to develop a special interest and contribute to teaching, audits and governance.

Responsibilities

• Provide hospital medical paediatrics in Raigmore Hospital and community paediatrics at Morven House, Inverness.
• Participate in on-call rota for general paediatric emergencies (non-resident) ~1:10 with 5% supplement.
• Contribute to teaching, audits, governance and potential development of a special interest.

Job description

Consultant Paediatrician (General and Community)

Raigmore Hospital and Morven House, Inverness

£115,331–£153,247 per annum

Full-time — 10 PAs per week (1.0 WTE)

At a Glance

• Base: Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, with hospital paediatrics in the main hospital and community paediatrics at Morven House on the Raigmore site.
• Working pattern: Full-time, 10 PAs per week (1.0 WTE), split broadly evenly between hospital (medical) paediatrics (approximately 5.2 PAs, including the on‑call commitment) and community paediatrics (approximately 4.8 PAs). SPA follows the NHS Highland hybrid job‑planning model, approximately 2 SPA within the 10 PAs, covering CPD across both the hospital and community programmes, audit and governance, appraisal, job planning and departmental meetings. Outside the five hot weeks the timetable is designed to leave one weekday (currently Friday) free of fixed commitments, supporting a compressed four‑day working week if the postholder wishes. The job plan is indicative and will be confirmed at formal job planning on appointment.
• Clinical focus: A blended hospital and community general paediatric post, with the opportunity to develop a special interest.
• On‑call: Non‑resident consultant rota for general paediatric emergencies at approximately 1:10, attracting a 5% availability supplement payable in addition to basic salary. The associated on‑call work is included within the 10 PA job plan, and the post carries no neonatal on‑call commitment.

We are seeking a Consultant Paediatrician to join our team in a blended hospital and community role on a full‑time (1.0 WTE) basis.

This is a varied whole‑time post that combines hospital (medical) paediatrics with community child health. The hospital component includes five general paediatric hot weeks a year on the Highland Children’s Ward as consultant of the week, general paediatric outpatient clinics at Raigmore, and a quarterly visit to Caithness with clinics at Thurso and Wick. The community component includes locality clinics in Inverness, a travelling locality clinic outside Inverness with the travel job‑planned, and a roughly monthly clinic at the Belford Hospital in Fort William, together with child protection medical assessments and case conferences, medical assessments for looked‑after and adopted children, and a share of the weekday child protection rota. Outside the five hot weeks the timetable is arranged across four weekdays, leaving one day (currently Friday) clear of fixed sessions, so a compressed four‑day week is possible for those who would prefer it; this would be settled at formal job planning.

The post carries the opportunity to develop a special interest. We have deliberately left this open: rather than specifying an area, we would encourage you to contact us to discuss what would suit both your interests and the needs of the department. We can support development in a hospital subspecialty or a community‑facing area, depending on the successful candidate.

This post would suit a general paediatrician who enjoys breadth of practice and is motivated by delivering high‑quality care across both hospital and community settings in a large rural region. Clinical supervision of a paediatric trainee and undergraduate teaching form part of the post. Out‑of‑hours duties are on a non‑resident consultant rota for general paediatric emergencies, approximately 1:10, with no neonatal on‑call commitment.

The department has a well‑established team of hospital and community consultant paediatricians, supported by SAS grade doctors and advanced nurse practitioners. It is an active training department, hosting medical students alongside GP, Broad Based Training and paediatric specialty trainees.

Inverness offers an outstanding quality of life at the gateway to the Highlands. The Cairngorms National Park lies around 30 minutes to the south, with almost 40 Munros within about an hour’s drive. Hill walking, mountain biking, climbing, skiing at CairnGorm and field sports are all close at hand, with water sports on Loch Ness and the Moray Firth. There are also more than 30 golf courses nearby, including Cabot Highlands and Royal Dornoch.

The city has a thriving traditional music scene, sports clubs for children and families, and the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival nearby. Inverness is compact and safe, with good state schools, affordable housing and short commutes. Eden Court provides a major theatre and cinema venue, Inverness Airport has direct flights to a range of UK and European destinations, and the Caledonian Sleeper offers overnight rail travel to London Euston.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

NHS Highland is geographically the largest of the 14 regional boards of NHS Scotland, covering an area of 12,500 square miles, across Highland and Argyll & Bute.

We employ over 10,700 people, making us one of the biggest employers in the area. As an organisation, we make a very significant contribution to the local economy.

Our staff are also important members of our communities. Our greatest asset is our workforce, and the way we go about our work comes from the values and behaviours we demonstrate on a daily basis. As a board we strive to ensure the environment is conducive to nurturing a positive culture, supported and delivered through our NHS and social care values.

Care and compassion

Dignity and respect

Openness, honesty and responsibility

Quality and teamwork