Job summary
- Main area
- Intensive care medicine/anaesthesia
- Grade
- ST5 and above, Specialty Doctors and Specialist Doctors
- Contract
- Fixed term: 6 months (Can be flexible 6-12 months contract duration)
- Hours
- Full time - 40 hours per week
- Job ref
- 387-S0218-KC
- Employer
- Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Either Peninsula, based in Launceston or Severn, based in Bristol
- Town
- Bristol
- Salary
- £67,998 - £115,341 pa pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 17/11/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 01/12/2026
Employer heading
Transfer Doctor – Retrieve Adult Critical Care Transfer Service
ST5 and above, Specialty Doctors and Specialist Doctors
North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This will create an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.
Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Considering this, if you are interested in this role, please do apply as soon as you can.
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Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for ST5+, Specialty Doctors and Specialist Doctors in Intensive Care Medicine and / or Anaesthesia to join Retrieve, the South West Adult Critical Care Transfer Team as Transfer Doctors. The service is commissioned through Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and has two operational bases within the region.
Retrieve provides a single point of contact for all adult critical care transfer referrals 24 hours a day. All calls are managed by a Duty Consultant who triages, coordinates and can provide remote decision-support if required. Over the 24 hour period Retrieve operates a dedicated transfer team from each of its operational bases – one in Launceston, Cornwall, covering the Peninsula sub-region (Devon/Cornwall) and one in Bristol covering the Severn sub-region (Gloucestershire to Somerset).
Main duties of the job
We are looking for dynamic, and enthusiastic Specialty Doctors and Trainees to undertake adult critical care transfers working alongside Duty Consultants and Transfer Practitioners to deliver the day-to-day service. You will receive training and experience in transfer medicine with the aim of achieving autonomous practice status (with remote consultant supervision) during your time with the service. Following an orientation and induction programme in the first weeks of the role, Transfer Doctors will be initially directly supervised by Retrieve Duty Consultants. Transfer Doctors are expected to progress and undergo formal assessment following which, more distant supervision may be used, depending on the clinical case and Duty Consultant decision. The post is therefore suitable for a doctor with Intensive Care Medicine and/or Anaesthesia experience who has the appropriate skillset to assess, resuscitate and stabilise critically unwell adult patients (including deliver advanced airway management) with remote supervision.
Working for our organisation
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.
With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached job description for a more detailed overview of the main responsibilities and person specification for this post
Person specification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience within intensive care medicine or anaesthesia of independently (to ST5+ level, or equivalent) assessing, resuscitating and stabilizing critically unwell patients
- Advanced airway skills (able to deliver unplanned emergency anaesthesia outside the operating theatre to a critically ill patient with remote supervision)
- Experience of critical care transfer
- Demonstrates good clinical judgement
- Completed transfer training course
- Understands and has taken part in audit and clinical governances processes
- Able to manage and care for complex cases with appropriate supervision
Desirable criteria
- Designed and completed audits and/or quality improvement projects
- Experience of critical care transfer and retrieval and/or pre-hospital emergency medicine in dedicated service
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Ability to organise and prioritise workload
- Good communication skills
- Honesty and reliability
- Ability to work effectively within an MDT environment
- Flexibility
- Critical approach to work
- Demonstrates initiative
- Ability to gain confidence of both staff and patients
- Willing to undertake additional clinical duties when necessary, including cover for colleagues on leave
Desirable criteria
- Ability to take on administrative roles within the organisation
- Ability to lead the multidisciplinary team.
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
- Full General Medical Council (UK) registration with Licence to Practice
- FFICM or FRCA or equivalent
- Advanced Life Support provider, trauma course provider (ATLS / ETC)
Desirable criteria
- CCT in Intensive Care Medicine or Anaesthesia
- Other membership, fellowship or diplomas
- Relevant specialist courses (e.g. difficult airways, ultrasound etc)
Additional and Aptitudes
Essential criteria
- IT skills on all Microsoft packages
- Fluent English speaker
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Curtis Whittle
- Job title
- Consultant
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Dr Rachel Jones, Consultant, [email protected]
Please title your email Transfer Doctor application. If you are happy to be contacted by phone please include your telephone number and a member of the team will get in touch.
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