General Information

JOB TITLE: Surgical Research Fellow in Colorectal

GRADE: Senior Clinical Fellow

HOURS: 40 hours per week

RESPONSIBLE TO: Mr Amyn Haji (Clinical Director)

TENURE: 12 months (Renewable subject to mutual agreement) with a view to doing an

MD/PhD

Background

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest
teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and
more than 13,500 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust
provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist
services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and
at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of
Bromley.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KCH), Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS
Foundation Trust (GSTT), and the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation
Trust (RBH) have established a close partnership and are increasingly working
together.

The enlarged Trust is located on multiple sites serving the economically diverse
boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth and Bromley and Bexley.. The Trust provides a broad
range of secondary services, including specialist emergency medicine (e.g. trauma,
cardiac and stroke). It also provides a number of leading edge tertiary services, such
as liver transplantation, neurosciences, haemato-oncology, foetal medicine, cardiology
and cardiac surgery, on a regional and national basis.

King’s College is one of the largest and busiest hospital Trusts in London, with a well-
established national and international reputation for clinical excellence, innovation and
achievement. Two thirds of the clinical activities of the hospital are in support of the
socially and economically diverse communities of the boroughs of Southwark,
Lambeth, Bromley and Bexley. As both a healthcare provider and a major employer
with over 13,500 staff, King’s plays an important part in helping reduce local, social and
health inequalities. The hospital provides a broad range of secondary services,
including specialist emergency medicine (e.g. Major trauma, Colorectal, cardiac and
stroke). It also provides a number of leading edge tertiary services, such as liver
transplantation, neurosciences, haemato-oncology, foetal medicine, cardiology and
cardiac surgery, on a regional and national basis.
King’s has an enviable track record in research and
development and service innovation. In partnership with King’s College London the
Trust has recently been awarded a National Research Centre in Patient Safety and
Service Quality. It is also a partner in two National Institute for Health Research
biomedical research centres. The first is a Comprehensive centre with King’s College
London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and the second is a
Specialist centre with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the
Institute of Psychiatry. King’s has also recently strengthened its research and
development infrastructure in order better to support clinical researchers across the
organisation.

King’s offers a family friendly working approach for all staff to ensure a good work-life
balance. It is an environment where family life is promoted and this will be a feature
of your annual appraisal. The Trust provides childcare advice and nursery facilities in
conjunction with a supportive mentoring and career planning programme. Applications
for job sharing are welcome.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has an enviable track record in research
and development and service innovation. In partnership with King’s College London the
Trust has recently been awarded a National Research Centre in Patient Safety and
Service Quality. It is also a partner in two National Institute for Health Research
biomedical research centres. The first is a Comprehensive centre with King’s College
London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and the second is a
Specialist centre with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the
Institute of Psychiatry. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has also recently
strengthened its research and development infrastructure in order better to support
clinical researchers across the organisation.

Further information about King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust can be found
on its website, www.kch.nhs.uk.

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION

1. INTRODUCTION

The Department of Colorectal Surgery forms part of the General Surgery Care Group
and works with the other subspecialities – Upper GI, Endocrine, Breast, Emergency
Surgery and Major Trauma to provide 24 hour care. The colorectal service consists of
the following medical staff:

Mr Amyn Haji Colorectal and General Surgery, Clinical Director of

Surgery
Mr Joseph Nunoo-Mensah
Colorectal
Ms. Lindsey Barker
Mr Asif Haq
Mr Musallam Al Akash
Mr Christos Lapa
Colorectal and General Surgery, Clinical lead for
Colorectal and General Surgery
Colorectal and General Surgery
Colorectal and General Surgery (Locum)
Colorectal and General Surgery (Locum)
We are supported by 4 specialist cancer nurses, 2 MDT
coordinators, ERAS specialist nurse, 2 research registrars and 1 post CCT fellow in
addition to the juniors that form part of the General Surgery Care Group.

Junior Staff in General Surgery

4 Specialist Registrars
13 Senior Clinical Fellow
2 Clinical Research Fellows
8 Junior Clinical Fellows
 1 CT2 doctor
 3 FY2 doctors
 18 FY1 doctors
 3 Trust Grade FY1s

This is part of the wider General Surgery specialty.

The Specialist Registrars are part of the South East Thames/ South East London’s
Higher Surgical Training Scheme. There are eighteen Foundation Year 1 doctors who
rotate with those in Urology, Trauma/Orthopaedics and General Practice; 15 deanery
and 3 trust posts. There are 3 FY2’s and one core surgical trainee. There also 7 Trauma
Fellows with a view to expand if the service requires an increased establishment.

Background

This post has been designed to provide research training with the aim of
progressing to the award of MS/MD. The surgical research fellow will be
exposed to a wide variety of advanced surgical procedures, in a busy tertiary
hospital and offers opportunities to develop important research questions.

During the year the main focus of the Surgical Research Fellow will be to
conduct clinical duties, participate in the collection of clinical research data and
undertake laboratory based work. Publication of research material and
presentation at national and international conferences is expected.

Specific Areas

Surgical Research Fellow posts are available within the department of surgery
focusing on Lower GI Surgery, Endocrine surgery, or Upper GI, Bariatric and
HPB Surgery. The post is likely to combine General Surgical /Trauma on call
commitment at Senior Clinical Fellow level, with dedicated research activity.

1. TEACHING AND TRAINING

MEDICAL STUDENT TEACHING

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, as a major teaching hospital, works in
partnership with King’s College London to provide the highest possible quality of
medical education.

The quality of King’s graduates supports the performance of the Trust. The mutual
interest of the Trust and School in quality medical education is supported by the SIFT
contract.

Consistent with the educational aims of the Trust and the School, and the SIFT
contract, the Trust requires, and the School expects, all clinical Consultant staff to
devote on average the equivalent of one Programmed Activity each week (4 hours) to
undergraduate teaching activities for whole-time staff.

These activities include the planning and review of teaching, and the assessment of
students which could, where properly structured, be undertaken simultaneously with
service delivery commitments, including ward rounds and outpatient clinics.

Of necessity the requirements of the medical curriculum change over time and it is not
always possible to identify specific teaching commitments in job plans when this is the
case the general requirement for teaching time should be made clear.

The need for sensible flexibility is acknowledged by the Trust and, for example, within
a service department it can be sensible for the overall teaching commitment to be
unevenly allocated between staff to achieve optimal teaching and service quality. The
Trust is clear that the teaching and training of junior medical staff is a separate
responsibility from undergraduate education.

2. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

To consolidate and advance the Trust’s role as a major academic medical centre,
involvement in high quality R&D is strongly encouraged. Current arrangements for
funding R&D within the NHS make it essential that:

• all R&D is recorded and co-ordinated by the Trust’s R&D office

• before starting projects, appropriate steps are taken to ensure that they meet
prevailing standards of research quality and have ethical approval

Most of the Trust’s allocation of NHS service support funding (the R&D Levy) must be
used in connection with externally grant-supported studies. The Trust’s portfolio of
Levy-supported R&D also includes pilot studies to generate data in support of the
development of grant proposals, and small-scale clinical studies at the border of
research and audit.

An important component of the Trust’s R&D strategy is to strengthen the support

facilities available to Researchers. This includes assistance with research design,
statistics and access to grant opportunities. Multi-disciplinary involvement in the
research process is seen by the NHS(E) as key to increasing the relevance of projects
funded by the NHS, and ensuring the eventual uptake of validated research evidence.
Job Description and Person Specification

The surgical research fellow post combines clinical research and some clinical
commitment in the form of on calls on the Registrar rota. The post holder will spend
the majority of time in clinical and laboratory research supervised in the department
of colorectal surgery. The post is for a period of 12 months initially and it will be
possible to extend for a further year depending on satisfactory progress and mutual
agreement. It is expected that the post holder will register with the University for a
Formal Degree MS/MD/PhD.

Some of the duties include participating in,

• the research projects of Colorectal Department
• the on call commitment in ASU
• the Diverticular Disease Clinic
• other clinical aspects of Colorectal Department(discussed with SCF in Rota-
DSU, main theatres, Ward Rounds, MDM )

The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing
and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any
specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this
post.

• To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College

Hospital NHS Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional
obligations.

• To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to

patients and staff.

• To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal

development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.

• The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to infection
control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene requirements
of this role.

These requirements are set out in the National Code of Practice on Infection Control
and in local policies and procedures which will be made clear during your induction and
subsequent refresher training. These standards must be strictly complied with at all
times.

This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not
intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change
over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post
holder.

Infection Control Statement

The post holder has an important responsibility for and
contribution to make to infection control and must be
familiar with the infection control and hygiene requirements of this role.

These requirements are set out in the National Code of Practice on Infection Control
and in local policies and procedures which will be made clear during your induction and
subsequent refresher training. These standards must be strictly complied with at all
times.