Consultant in Rheumatology Welcome Bonus 20K

Go back East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Consultant in Rheumatology Welcome Bonus 20K

The closing date is 09 July 2026

We are inviting applications for a full time Consultant in Rheumatology at Ipswich Hospital, but part time applications can also be considered. Applicants will have completed CCT or equivalent (Portfolio Pathway) and must be on the Specialist Register. We would consider potential candidates to work in a locum capacity initially e.g. if new to the area.

Our Enhanced Welcome package includes an additional £20,000 and relocation costs to thank you for choosing to work at our trust and your new journey with ESNEFT.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will:

• Work with colleagues to provide a consultant-led service with the highest standard of care
• Work with the multi-professional team to develop care pathways and clinical guidelines
• Develop and maintain good working practices within outpatients, wards, Emergency Department.
• Collaborate and promote close working links with colleagues in tertiary centres, community services and primary care
• Offer support and leadership to junior medical colleagues, nursing colleagues and other members of the multi-disciplinary team

All consultants in the department have a continuing and individual responsibility for the care of patients in their charge and a general responsibility to provide, in conjunction with their colleagues, an effective Service to meet the needs of the local population, within the resources available.

About us

At ESNEFT we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes. We are one of the largest NHS organisation in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities. Flexible working options will be considered for all roles in line with service needs. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause delays for our staff and patients.

We have invested in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This will transform life at ESNEFT for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here -

Job responsibilities

The key duties and responsibilities are:

• General responsibilities including participation in Consultant rota forward referrals, advice and guidance and referral triage during the week within working hours (9am- 5 pm). There is no out of hours Rheumatology On-call Service and no weekend cover.
• Specialist Clinics if desired by applicant
• Supportive care of inpatients under other medical teams
• Clinical and other administration as required by agreement
• Teaching and training of junior staff and undergraduates
• Participation in Clinical Governance/Audit/Quality Improvement
• Participation in relevant MDT meetings

Person Specification

• Specialist accreditation or within 6 months of attaining CCT
• Full GMC Registration with License to practice
• Clinical training and experience equivalent to that required for gaining UK CCST in Rheumatology
• Ability to offer expert clinical opinion on a wide range of Rheumatology problems
• Ability to take full and independent responsibility for the clinical care of patients
• Ability to perform core and specialized Rheumatology procedures
• Ability to work in a team
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients, relatives, GPs, nurses and other agencies
• Educational/Clinical Supervisor (the necessary training will be provided for applicants that have not undertaken these roles previously)
• Research experience
• Recognised fellowship training
• Management training and experience
• Live within a 10-mile radius of the relevant hospital site

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.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust