Job summary

The current post is to support the service with the rising workload within the service line (currently 365 PA's over job plans and likely to grow with increased general surgery and bariatric workload) and succession planning.

The post-holder will work within the Service Line alongside the six existing Upper Gastrointestinal surgery Surgeons (6 resectional surgeons and 1 bariatric surgeon), and will have expertise in bariatric surgery, benign Upper GI surgery, oesophago-gastric cancer surgery and emergency general surgery.

Main duties of the job

The unit works an annualised job plan whereby all direct clinical care (DCC) commitments in theatre, endoscopy and clinics are allocated on a rolling basis by mutual agreement. The job plan includes a fixed commitment to attend MDT meetings.

All other commitments are worked flexibly to fulfil individual job plans. Access to theatres, clinics, and endoscopy to allow fulfilment of agreed job plans is guaranteed. The post is advertised for a 10 PA contract, but it is understood that individuals may wish to negotiate for additional sessions after appointment. A job planning review meeting will take place between 6-12 months following appointment to also assess whether further SPAs are required.

The Trust has the required arrangements in place to ensure that all surgeons have an annual appraisal with a trained appraiser and supports surgeons going through the revalidation process. New consultant colleagues are also invited to join the Trust's mentoring scheme or continue with the arrangements that have been agreed upon.

The UGI unit has clinical sessions available every weekday: 5 all day theatre lists, 3-4 outpatient clinics and 3 endoscopy lists, as well as emergency general surgery on-call, and oesophago-gastric surgery cover. These sessions will continue to be available on a rotating basis to the new appointee. The job plan below is an example of a standard working week.

About us

The surgeons in Plymouth provide a 1:7 on-call rota to cover OG patients (may occur in conjunction with general surgery on-call), and the post-holder would continue to participate in this rota.

Bariatric surgery has been performed in Plymouth since the 1990s, and UHP was re-commissioned to provide bariatric surgery in 2010 as one of 5 providers within the Southwest. UHP is currently performing laparoscopic gastric bypass, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, and revisional bariatric surgery and is commissioned to perform 100 procedures per year. There are currently 3 surgeons performing bariatric surgery (Lee Humphreys - Bariatric Surgery lead, Arun Ariyarathenam, and David Chan) who work closely with a dedicated Weight Management Programme and assess all patients prior to referral for surgery as per NICE guidelines.

The post-holder will be expected to continue to consolidate and develop bariatric surgery in Plymouth in conjunction with the existing team.

UHP offers a full range of benign UGI surgery such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy (included bile duct exploration), anti-reflux procedures (including complex revisional work), hiatal hernia procedures, and surgery for achalasia. The post-holder will continue to share this workload with existing UGI surgeons, and any area of expertise or interest would be encouraged. The unit also performs general surgery (groin and abdominal wall hernias), and the post holder will continue to share in this workload.