Anaesthetic Fellow QI & Assurance in Perioperative services

Job summary

o 6 month post, extendable to 12 months subject to satisfactory reviewo Open to all post-FRCA (or equivalent) or post CCT trainees who wish to experience leadership and management at a departmental, hospital and wider level, in addition to varied clinical experience including Head and Neck, Regional, burns and paediatric anaesthesiao The role will involve a roughly 50:50 mix of clinical to non-clinical time, which is flexible according to the on-call rota, course attendance and relevant case mix. On-call is expected to be 1:8 or 1:9Leadership & Management Opportunities include:o King's Fund Emerging Clinical Leaders Course (fully funded)o QVH's own leadership course, LEEP (fully funded)o Shadow senior management, attend board meetingso Take leading role in a number of projects, including ACSA, service redesign, and business planso Perform relevant audit, help run regular governance sessionsThe majority of the clinical workload arises from the Maxillofacial and Plastic surgery departments, with patients of all ages being treated. Candidates must be experienced anaesthetists and previous experience in anaesthesia for plastics and maxillofacial surgery is desirable. This is an excellent opportunity to train across the many fields including paediatrics, difficult airways, burns and regional anaesthesia, with a particular focus on the perioperative journey of Head and Neck patients.

Main duties of the job

The Queen Victoria Hospital are delighted to offer a Leadership, Management and Head and Neck Anaesthesia Fellowship starting in February 2027. This post is a whole time fixed term appointment for 6 months extendable to 12 months subject to satisfactory review, and would be suitable for a post-FRCA resident during stage 3 (ST5 and above) wishing to take an OOPE, or as a post-CCT role for an individual wishing to gain further managerial and clinical experience prior to a consultant appointment.

The role will look to combine the clinical elements of our Head and Neck SIA module, alongside an opportunity to go on leadership courses, shadow senior figures within the organisation including the clinical director and chief medical officer, and take ownership of projects within the anaesthetic department and the wider hospital. Although we aim for the post holder to work 1-2 days per week on clinical and the same for non-clinical (aiming for a roughly 50:50 split), this is flexible to accommodate the needs of the on-call rota, relevant courses and meetings, and to benefit the post holder in terms of clinical experience.

The post-holder will look to attend a number of management/leadership courses, including the Kings Fund 'Emerging Clinical Leaders Course', which will be fully funded, the trusts' own LEEP course, and attendance on other relevant courses will be encouraged.

We will also facilitate the post-holder to shadow senior leadership figures within the organisation, including the clinical director for peri-operative services and the chief medical officer. The post-holder will also look to attend board meetings, including at a group-wide level as our hospital is in the process of joining a wider conglomerate of hospitals within the region.

There will also be a number of projects that the post-holder can take ownership of. Within the department, this may include ACSA, which is expected to be completed within the time frame of the fellowship, as well as business cases for equipment and new services. Within the wider hospital, this may be for service improvement projects, or changing service delivery - it is to be expected that the pre-operative assessment and scheduling process is going to be updated for example, and the post-holder would be expected to have a major role within this.

There are also a number of research and audit projects ongoing, and over the year it is expected that the post-holder will participate with these, with the intention of presenting at conferences and relevant meetings. There is also an opportunity to help run the departmental governance sessions, and present the results of relevant papers and projects within these.

QVH is one of leading centres for Head and Neck Surgery within the South-East, and you will gain experience in the whole peri-operative scope of this type of surgery. Not only will this be in terms of managing complex airways including the use of video- & fibre-optic scopes, shared airway surgery and use of TIVA, but also attendance in specialised head and neck surgery pre-assessment clinics and management of these patients post-operatively on ICU. Beyond Head and Neck Anaesthesia, QVH is one of the country's leading proponents of awake hand surgery and amputee nerve surgery, so you will gain considerable experience in regional anaesthesia, as well burns surgery and a high number of paediatric cases above the age of 1 year old. A well-established tutorial programme including a cadaveric regional anaesthesia course is provided alongside clinical teaching. Protected teaching time is provided for this. In additional, trainees attend departmental business and governance meetings, multidisciplinary morbidity and mortality meetings and head and neck MDT meetings. You will be allocated an educational supervisor for the duration of the fellowship.

About us

QVH is a leading specialist centre for reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation, helping people who have been damaged or disfigured through accidents or disease. QVH has a proud heritage and is known throughout the world for pioneering new and innovative techniques and treatments.

QVH is the regional plastic surgical unit providing a full range of procedures including breast reconstruction, lower limb trauma including free flap reconstruction, adult and paediatric hand surgery, complex amputation surgery, facial palsy service, and skin cancer surgery. The burns unit is a key member of the South East Burns Network providing all levels of adult care and day case paediatric care.

As one of the country's first NHS foundation trusts we are accountable to local people through our 7,400 public members across Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex and South London. Patients rate us as one of the top hospitals in the country for quality of care, QVH has an annual turnover of around £100m, and employs circa 1000 staff.

If you are passionate about healthcare; giving the best possible services to patients; and if you believe you have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience, and are excited by the opportunities QVH presents, we would like to hear from you.

Further details are available on the Queen Victoria Hospital website: http://qvh.nhs.uk.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will join the full shift rota with the StR(H) trainees which includes prospective cover for colleagues study/annual leave. Rota patterns can be subject to change according to the exigencies of the service and should they do so we will consult with you. The rota provides a balanced mix of training lists and on call commitments, plus 2 hours of SpA (supporting professional activity) time per week. The fellow post also includes up to one day per week for project time. The on call duties include providing anaesthesia for emergency work, and resident cover for the Critical Care Unit. The Critical Care Unit is a 5 bedded unit that predominantly provides level 2 and 3 care for post-operative major head and neck patients, and burns patients.

Person specification

Experience

Essential

• Post FRCA trainee or post CCT trainee
• Evidence of achievement of broad based anaesthetic training