Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Care inLiverpool inLiverpool PUBLISHED 12 NOV 2024

Band Consultant: Depending on experience per annum  PERMANENT  GOOD SALARY 

Alder Hey serves as a teaching hospital to the University of Liverpool.

We are looking for a compassionate individual to fill this exciting and challenging position and work as a specialist consultant to deliver high quality palliative and end of life care to children and young people aged 0-19 years, and bereavement care to their families. The role will give the successful candidate the opportunity to work in a stand-alone paediatric hospital alongside a variety of paediatric specialty services caring for children with identified palliative care needs, including: cardiology, cardiac surgery, neonatology, neurology, neuromuscular, trauma, oncology, respiratory, long-term ventilation, and intensive care.

Patient care is provided in a variety of settings including the home, hospices or in a hospital. The consultant will need to work closely and foster good relationships with all members of the child's multi-disciplinary team and with colleagues from health, social care, education and the charity-sector.

The post holder will be a specialty-trained consultant or have equivalent training as assessed by the RCPCH.

The post holder will support the delivery of specialist palliative care by working as part of the Specialist Palliative Care Team (SPCT), based at Alder Hey Children's Hospital. The SPCT supports children who have palliative care needs and their families, from referral through to the end of life, discharge or transition.

  • Support for end of life decision making, including preferred place of death.
  • Rapid discharge for end of life care, including fast track to hospice or home.
  • Specialist medical support for hospices, acute trusts, community palliative care teams, and tertiary centres.
  • Informing & educating colleagues and families on the death and dying process.
  • Providing information & support during bereavement.
  • Identifying complex grief and those at 'high risk' with signposting/referral to appropriate local and/or specialist bereavement services.

Alder Hey serves as a teaching hospital to the University of Liverpool. The undergraduate curriculum is based on problem-based learning. All consultants are expected to take part in undergraduate teaching. Support is available to enable new consultants to deliver Level Two training.

Provide education and training in children's palliative care at all levels. It is expected that the post holder will teach nurses, post graduate training of doctors including SPIN and GRID, and teaching to paediatric departments in the region.

About us


Proposed job plan

This post attracts 10 programmed activities per week. There may be the opportunity to discuss and review this with the clinical director.

The job plan for the first three months will be based on a provisional/indicative timetable. A formal job plan will be agreed between the appointee and the Clinical Director within three months of the commencement date of the appointee.

The supporting professional activities (SPAs) allocation within the provisional job plan is an illustrative guide only and will be finalised following individual agreement with successful candidate.

The basic template for new consultants is 1.5 SPA. Any additional SPA time in the job plan is linked to defined roles with clear objectives.

1.0 SPA for:

Personal revalidation, appraisal/job planning/quality improvement /clinical governance/statutory & mandatory training/CPD.

Engagement in Quality Improvement, including attending Quality Improvement meetings, contributing data; and Implementing agreed Quality Improvement recommendations in own practice.

0.5 SPA for:

departmental and Trust meetings, and teaching (UG, departmental, Trust).

Additional SPA(s) for defined roles in research, departmental leadership or wider governance, and audit, as agreed through the job planning process.

0.5 SPA for:

Educational supervision of 2 trainees.

Category B on call supplement 1 in 4: 3% (as percentage of full-time basic salary).

We are looking for a compassionate individual to fill this exciting and challenging position and work as a specialist consultant to deliver high quality palliative and end of life care to children and young people aged 0-19 years, and bereavement care to their families. The role will give the successful candidate the opportunity to work in a stand-alone paediatric hospital alongside a variety of paediatric specialty services caring for children with identified palliative care needs, including: cardiology, cardiac surgery, neonatology, neurology, neuromuscular, trauma, oncology, respiratory, long-term ventilation, and intensive care.

Patient care is provided in a variety of settings including the home, hospices or in a hospital. The consultant will need to work closely and foster good relationships with all members of the child's multi-disciplinary team and with colleagues from health, social care, education and the charity-sector.

The post holder will be a specialty-trained consultant or have equivalent training as assessed by the RCPCH.

The post holder will support the delivery of specialist palliative care by working as part of the Specialist Palliative Care Team (SPCT), based at Alder Hey Children's Hospital. The SPCT supports children who have palliative care needs and their families, from referral through to the end of life, discharge or transition.

  • Support for end of life decision making, including preferred place of death.
  • Rapid discharge for end of life care, including fast track to hospice or home.
  • Specialist medical support for hospices, acute trusts, community palliative care teams, and tertiary centres.
  • Informing & educating colleagues and families on the death and dying process.
  • Providing information & support during bereavement.
  • Identifying complex grief and those at 'high risk' with signposting/referral to appropriate local and/or specialist bereavement services.

Alder Hey serves as a teaching hospital to the University of Liverpool. The undergraduate curriculum is based on problem-based learning. All consultants are expected to take part in undergraduate teaching. Support is available to enable new consultants to deliver Level Two training.

Provide education and training in children's palliative care at all levels. It is expected that the post holder will teach nurses, post graduate training of doctors including SPIN and GRID, and teaching to paediatric departments in the region.

About us


Proposed job plan

This post attracts 10 programmed activities per week. There may be the opportunity to discuss and review this with the clinical director.

The job plan for the first three months will be based on a provisional/indicative timetable. A formal job plan will be agreed between the appointee and the Clinical Director within three months of the commencement date of the appointee.

The supporting professional activities (SPAs) allocation within the provisional job plan is an illustrative guide only and will be finalised following individual agreement with successful candidate.

The basic template for new consultants is 1.5 SPA. Any additional SPA time in the job plan is linked to defined roles with clear objectives.

1.0 SPA for:

Personal revalidation, appraisal/job planning/quality improvement /clinical governance/statutory & mandatory training/CPD.

Engagement in Quality Improvement, including attending Quality Improvement meetings, contributing data; and Implementing agreed Quality Improvement recommendations in own practice.

0.5 SPA for:

departmental and Trust meetings, and teaching (UG, departmental, Trust).

Additional SPA(s) for defined roles in research, departmental leadership or wider governance, and audit, as agreed through the job planning process.

0.5 SPA for:

Educational supervision of 2 trainees.

Category B on call supplement 1 in 4: 3% (as percentage of full-time basic salary).



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