Consultant Paediatrician

Join Us in Shaping the Future of Paediatrics in Somerset

Somerset Paediatrics, part of the integrated Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, is looking for a group of passionate colleagues to be part of an ambitious transformation of our county-wide children's services. We are developing a thriving acute & outpatient paediatric service alongside our level 1 neonatal care unit and in collaboration with our combined community & mental health services. We are proud to be rated CAMHS CQC Outstanding.

Are you a dynamic and forward-thinking paediatrician ready to help shape a service from the ground up?

We are looking for clinicians with a passion for service development, improvement, and innovation to work in partnership with our Somerset Paediatric team.

This is more than a job, it's an invitation for you to co-create the future of paediatrics in Somerset.

Main duties of the job

What We're Offering:

Consultant Posts - General Paediatrics and level 1 (Special Care Baby Unit) neonatal care. Full time 10 PAs, or less than full time posts will be considered

Job planning to meet your unique needs and service requirements (introducing 1 in 8 consultant of the week and on-call rota and working towards 1 in 10 rota to meet RCPCH national standards).

Protected time and active support for developing specialist interests including clinical sub specialist interests, education, leadership, and service development.

A real chance to shape the development of a leading-edge paediatric service for our local community

An opportunity to be part of our transformation program alongside our supportive leadership team.

A 3 6-month supernumerary induction period at both acute sites, offering a consultant led supported transition into a senior clinical role, opportunities to build team culture, and ensure excellence in patient care and training, after a A 12-month period of regular individualised supervision/mentoring and peer support within our department as well as clinical restorative supervision and access to our trust-wide senior doctoring mentoring program

About us

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

Flexible working options to help you balance work and life

NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security

Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax

A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.

Relocation - Subject to eligibility criteria

We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset?

Live in a county known for its beautiful landscapes, affordable housing, and award-winning state and public schools

National hot spots for cycling, surfing, and climbing

Areas of natural beauty: Exmoor national park, Cheddar Gorge, Jurassic coast, Blackdown hill and Somerset levels

Devon & Cornwall, Bath & Bristol are all within easy reach and fast trains to London Paddington takes 1hour and 50 minutes

Job responsibilities

In April 2023, the acute paediatric services at Taunton and Yeovil merged, laying the foundation for a unified and innovative model of care across a large and beautiful rural county. This is a rare opportunity to join at a pivotal moment, bringing fresh ideas, clinical excellence, and vision to a team committed to equity, quality, and child-centred care. We are a unique position for our Somerset Paediatric services, having created a combined paediatric and child and adolescent mental health team at both clinical and managerial level. We have championed our vision for parity of esteem between physical and mental health.

Our large senior paediatric team are recognised and valued for our creative approach and innovation within acute paediatrics, whilst supporting individuals to develop their own areas of specialty service development. Alongside our deep commitment to the care of children and their families, we are proud of our strong team collaboration, progressive mindset approach and a strong learning culture.

What We're Looking For:

Consultants who are passionate and skilled general paediatricians

Collaborative clinicians eager to contribute to service development, improvement, and strong learning culture.

A consultant to join us in continuing to strengthen team dynamics and celebrate our successes in continuing to build sustainable future ready services for children and families.

An enthusiasm for teaching, governance, and innovation.

A willingness to embrace the rural character of our county with access to outdoor life, family-friendly communities, and flexible working

Person Specification Qualifications

• Medical Degree
• MRCPCH (or equivalent)
• Full GMC registration with a license to practice
• Entry on GMC Specialist Register (or within 6 months of CCT)

Experience

• Significant experience in general and acute paediatric care
• Excellent communication and team collaboration skills
• Clinicians eager to contribute to service development, improvement and strong learning culture.
• Ability to supervise and mentor resident doctors and allied health professionals.
• Knowledge of clinical governance and commitment to service improvement
• Sub-speciality experience working in an acute paediatric unit and level 1 SCBU unit
• Participation in recent quality improvement work
• Passion for education
• Interest in developing leadership skills

Additional Criteria

• Driving license or ability to travel between sites

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.

Associate Medical Director for Paediatrics & CAMHS