Consultant Cardiologist with a Special Interest in Inherited Cardiac Conditions
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking an enthusiastic and forward-thinking Consultant Cardiologist with a specialist interest in Inherited Cardiac Conditions (ICC) to join our expanding Cardiology team. The successful candidate will play a key role in delivering and developing a high-quality regional ICC service, providing expert assessment, diagnosis and management of patients with inherited cardiovascular diseases, working closely with multidisciplinary colleagues, genetic services and tertiary cardiac centres. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to service development, teaching, research and quality improvement within a supportive and ambitious department, while enjoying an exceptional quality of life in Cornwall. We welcome applications from candidates who are committed to clinical excellence, innovation and delivering outstanding patient-centred care.
Devices
The Cardiology department undertake approximately 500 devices a year in the one of the two cardiac cath labs in the Trust with about 200 a year being complex devices. We now also offer conduction system pacing with further plans to introduce leadless pacing in the near future. We also implant high voltage devices including subcutaneous ICD with a regular weekly general anaesthetic list for pacing. The majority of these devices are undertaken in our new cath lab which was commissioned in 2025.
Heart Function
The current Heart Function specialists work closely with the heart function clinical nurse specialists within Cardiology including regular MDTs and clinics. There are also strong working relationships and collaboration with the community heart function nursing teams who are part of Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust.
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) is the main provider of acute and specialist care services in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We serve a population of around 500,000 people - a figure that can increase significantly with
visitors during the busiest times of the year. We employ approximately 6,700 staff and have a budget of approximately £580 million.
We are a teaching hospital in partnership with the University of Exeter Medical School, University of Plymouth School of Nursing and Midwifery, and Peninsula Dental School.
The Knowledge Spa on the Royal Cornwall Hospital site is the base for medical and nursing as well as ongoing education for health professions in clinical and non-clinical roles.
Keeping at the forefront of medical advances, we are continually developing our clinical services as well as our facilities and are committed to maximising the range of specialist care that can be offered locally. Allied to this is a growing reputation for research and innovation.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is a research active organisation.
It’s established South West Clinical School in Cornwall exists to promote clinical academic career opportunities for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals interested in research and evidence-based activities. Read their research paper to find out more.
Website: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/clinical-schools/royal-cornwall-hospitals-nhs-trust-clinical-school
https://doi.org/10.1177/17449871231209037
The post is advertised as full time with a 10 PA job plan. Candidates pursuing a part-time post or job-share may also be considered. A generic job plan is attached; the content of the final job plan will be dictated by the clinical skills the successful applicant brings. The post holder will share the in-patient management of Cardiology patients with the twelve existing consultants.
Inpatients are managed on CIU and AMU wards and the CCU, although there are also a limited number of outlying patients. The Cardiologists are responsible for the clinical management of all patients on the CCU and CIU and cardiology patients on AMU.
CCU COW starts on Monday and finishes on Friday.
During this week, you will have responsibility for the clinical management of patients on CCU and CIU all day on Mondays and in the mornings for the rest of the week, with cath lab sessions and/or outpatient clinics in the afternoon.
AMU COW starts on Monday and finishes on Sunday.
There is no overnight general cardiology on call rota for non interventional cardiologists.
Your responsibilities during this week will include:
- carrying out a daily morning ward round on AMU
- reviewing inpatient Cardiology referrals from the acute medical unit and on outlying wards
- holding the ‘COW phone’
- responding to urgent referrals from the Emergency Department (ED)
- provision of clinical cover for the patients on CIU & CCU during the afternoon on Tuesday-Friday
- provide urgent clinical support and advice to our Cardiac Physiologists, Chest Pain Specialist Nurses, and Heart Function Specialist Nurses.
Weekend duties will usually follow CCU/AMU COW weeks. Successful non-interventional candidates will have a 1 in 7 commitment to deliver ward rounds on Saturday and Sunday between 09:00 and 15:00. After this COW week, there are 3 compensatory days off with no commitment to any clinical or administrative duties.
There will be separate rotas for:
- vetting and provision of Advice & Guidance to GPs via Electronic Referral System.
- provision of routine clinical support and advice to Heart Function Specialist Nurses.
