Job overview

This post will allow the candidate to get hands on experience in Paediatric Neurosurgery in one of the busiest tertiary paediatric neurosurgery hospitals in the UK. The prospective candidate will manage both elective as well as emergency paediatric neurosurgical conditions in a dedicated tertiary service. This post is more suited for those towards the end of their neurosurgical training and who desire to have some paediatric Neurosurgery experience. The appointment will be for 12 months.

Paediatric Neurosurgery at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital is well established undertaking more than 600 cranial and spinal operations per year. In 1988 BCH was designated as one of four supra-regional centre for craniofacial surgery by the Department of Health. The management of complex trauma and skull base tumours of the craniofacial region is also undertaken by this specialist team. Birmingham Children’s Hospital is one of four centres in the UK commissioned to provide Paediatric Epilepsy Surgery (CESS) in England and is also the Major Paediatric Trauma Centre for the West Midlands. The hospital has a long tradition and experience in caring for children with complex cranio-cervical junction anomalies, Chiari malformations, syringomyelia, CSF disorders, achondroplasia, skeletal dysplasia and spinal dysraphism.

Main duties of the job

This post holder will be a full member of the paediatric neurosurgery team and will be required to be fully involved with the pre-operative assessment of patients referred to the consultants. In addition, they will be required to attend, assist with and carry out as appropriate, surgical treatment under the supervision of the consultants.

The post holder will be fully involved in the post-operative management of cases. The trust fellow will share the on-call rota with the other registrars which at present is a 1:6 24 hour partial shift (non-resident).

In addition to the consultant clinics there are ward review clinics on Tuesday and Thursday mornings run by the fellow/SPR’s.

Abundant opportunities exist for clinical and/or experimental research. Research is encouraged, and the fellow will be expected to complete and publish suitable papers during this post. Collaborative research projects and research relevant to the delivery of the clinical services are encouraged. We expect the fellow to submit one paper for presentation in a national or international setting and publish one peer reviewed paper.

Activity data, complications, advances in techniques are all carefully documented throughout the year for presentation at the national audit meeting (BPNG). It is the responsibility of the fellow to record all the data and prepare it for the meeting. We expect the fellow to conduct at least one audit during their tenure with the aim to help encourage local service improvement.

Working for our organisation

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust is the first of its type in the UK. Our Trust was formed in February 2017 to drive forward our commitment to provide the highest quality, world-class physical and mental health care for our women, children and families. Uniting our hospitals means more seamless care; more investment to make greater advances in our specialist treatment and world-leading neo-natal and fetal work. Importantly, it also gives us a greater voice in shaping the future of family-centred care.

Birmingham Children's Hospital is a UK leading specialist paediatric centre with an international reputation in several areas.

Birmingham Women's Hospital is one of two dedicated women's hospitals in the UK, with the busiest single site maternity unit, delivering more than 8,200 babies a year offering a full range of gynaecological, maternity and neonatal care.

Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) Mental Health Services are a unique, innovative community and inpatient mental health partnership. Alongside partners FTB offers care pathways of mental health assessment and treatment for young people aged 0-25 years old.

Our Trust is committed to creating the best place to work. We believe in promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity and equality and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation.