An exciting opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to join the Haematology and TYA clinical multidisciplinary team as a Clinical Fellow. This postholder will provide medical inpatient support to Haematology and Oncology inpatients on Palatine Ward and Withington Ward.
This job role is for 40 hours per week, working as part of the existing ward team which includes 2 Haematology Specialist Trainee (ST) Doctors, 1 TYA Oncology Speciality Doctor, 1 Advanced Clinical Practitioner and 3 ward based IMT doctors who cover the 31 bedded Palatine Ward and also our 4 bedded inpatient unit, Withington Ward.
The Haematology and TYA department is led by a highly motivated multidisciplinary team who provide an outpatient, day unit, ambulatory and inpatient service across the directorate.
The successful postholder will be responsible for providing junior level medical support to inpatients on Palatine and Withington Wards with Registrar and Consultant support.
The successful postholder will be predominantly ward based but will have the opportunity to be involved in departmental teaching and multidisciplinary ward rounds. The postholder will have the opportunity to gain exposure to a number of specialist areas such as stem cell transplantation, inpatient chemotherapy, CAR-T therapy and also specialist inpatient care for young adult oncology.
A full extensive overview of the responsibilities are detailed in the job description attached.
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.
We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
ORGANISATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
This post is for 40 hours per week as a Haematology & TYA Clinical Fellow to join the existing Palatine Ward Haematology & TYA clinical team, ensuring that all inpatients across the department receive optimal clinical support.
Role Purpose
Working as part of the existing ward team which includes 2 Haematology ST doctors, 1 TYA Oncology Specialty Doctor and 3 x ward-based IMTs who cover the 31 bedded-ward and the new 4 inpatient bedded unit due to open early 2021 and the adjacent ambulatory care unit. The Haematology service is supported by an attending consultant, with 2 scheduled consultant ward rounds per week and daily consultant level input as required.
The role will be responsible for providing inpatient medical support across the service. There will be an opportunity to attend the Haematology departmental teaching sessions. Flexible working and cross cover the existing Palatine Ward middle grade haematology roles will be a requirement for this post.
The post holder will require good communication skills to work effectively and collaboratively within the broader teams but also in order to engage and build up rapport with patients and their families undergoing complex Oncology and Haematology treatments. The postholder will be flexible, adaptable and able to communicate positively at all times. They will provide information at an appropriate level of understanding to ensure a patient and/or carer is fully informed at all stages of the pathway and will communicate with patients, families and carers with empathy and reassurance. They will need good time management/organizational skills to prioritize the patient workload.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The haematology and TYA directorate provides provided on the Palatine treatment ward, a £12M inpatient facility which opened in June 2014. The ward consists of 31 individual en-suite bedrooms. 12 of which have HEPA filtration. The ward also houses Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) patients (age 16 to 24 years) of the Young Oncology Unit (YOU). It is co-located with the Haematology and Transplant Day unit (HTDU) which was built in 2008 to expand ambulatory facilities. HTDU houses a dedicated outpatient clinic (5 consulting rooms), day care facilities (4 individual rooms, 8 chairs, 2 beds) and an apheresis suite. An ambulatory care facility (8 treatment spaces) for patients undergoing chemotherapy, supportive therapies and stem cell transplantation was opened in 2018 and a further 4 bed inpatient unit (Withington Ward) was opened in 2021 to provide additional capacity and expansion in ambulatory care provision. When required, patients undergoing less intensive therapy are managed on the Medical Oncology wards (4,11 and 12). Emergency admissions are assessed on the Oncology Admissions Unit which is staffed during the week by Consultants in Acute Medicine supported by junior medical staff and Nurse Clinicians
The Haematology Department works closely with colleagues in Clinical and Medical Oncology who run the lymphoma service and also collaboration with other Haematology Departments of the South sector of the GMCCN.
Diagnostic Haematology service
Diagnostic services on the Christie Site are provided by The Christie Pathology Partnership (CPP); a joint venture which brings together brings together the clinical expertise of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust (rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission in 2017) and Synlab UK (the UK division of one of the largest providers of laboratory services in Europe).
Ambulatory care
In recent years there has been a shift towards administration of complex cytotoxic and supportive medications in an ambulatory setting which traditionally would have been administered in an inpatient setting. Palatine Ambulatory care (AC) at The Christie has been introduced to facilitate the management of patients having a specified range of haematological and Teenage and Young adult (TYA) high dose chemotherapy, transplant and CART regimens previously managed on an in-patient basis. The aim is to improve patient experience and reduce pressure on in-patient beds.
Stem Cell Transplantation
The Christie Stem Cell Transplant Program was established in 1982 since when it has performed over 2900 procedures (autologous, allogeneic and alternate donor). In recent years the department undertakes between 120 and 160 procedures annually for patients with haematological malignancies. The department has been fully JACIE accredited since 2009. In 2017, the Christie was selected as the second donor centre outside London by Anthony Nolan and in 2018, was selected as one of 7 first wave centres nationally for delivery of CAR-T therapies.
CAR-T therapy
In 2018 the program was accredited as one of 7 UK phase 1 treatment centres for delivery of CAR-T therapy. Advanced cellular therapies (CAR-T, tumour infiltrating lymphocytes) have been used at the Christie for over 10 years as part of clinical trials and we will be treating the first standard of care patients for lymphoma and leukaemia in 2019. CAR-T activity for both haematological and solid tumours is anticipated to grow significantly over the next few years. The Trust has supported a comprehensive business case to support the delivery of this service.
As well as delivery of routinely commissioned therapies, the Christie has a strong research program for development and delivery of novel treatments in clinical trials. In 2018, the Christie was awarded £6.9m from Innovate UK (one of 3 successful awards in the UK) to support the iMATCH program which is a Christie led collaboration between 3 NHS Trusts, University of Manchester and 7 industry partners to support the development of advanced therapies for the region. This is part of a UK wide network of 5 Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres which will increase the ability of the NHS to deliver these state of the art treatments.
Research, Audit and Quality Improvement
The post holder will develop knowledge of research governance, clinical governance, research ethics, and work within and comply with the principles of Good Clinical Practice (ICH GCP). They will work to support clinical audits, report results and where necessary, to implement change. They may be required to disseminate relevant research findings to colleagues and members of the health professions via presentation and publication. They will work within and contribute to the Trust’s governance processes and framework.
Educational Opportunities
There is a wide range of educational opportunities available and educational support and career development planning will be supported. The hospital has a Medical Library staffed by professional librarians offering a range of services including a modern journal collection, extensive book library and on line search facilities. The post holder will be expected to consider opportunities for career development through participation in departmental audit/service evaluation projects.
Continuing Professional Development
The Trust supports the requirements for continuing professional development (CPD) as laid down by the GMC and surgical colleges and is committed to providing time and financial support for these activities.
Role Planning
The postholder is expected to work Monday and Friday 9am to 5pm and will be predominately based on Palatine Ward and Withington Ward and will form as a part of a multidisciplinary team providing inpatient services. The postholder will also partake in weekly Grand Round (every Thursday morning).
On call Commitments
This role does not require participation in the on-call rota.
This advert closes on Tuesday 18 Feb 2025
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .