Locum Consultant Hepatologist | Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

This is a replacement post and is part of a dynamic and enthusiastic team of 10 Gastroenterology Consultants delivering safe and effective care for Gastroenterology and Hepatology patients.

The appointee will be based at Luton & Dunstable University Hospital and run regular Hepatology and Gastroenterology clinics and endoscopy sessions. Supporting the team with the OOH bleed rota on-call together with the ward cover model

Maintenance of the highest clinical standards in the management of all patients presenting to the Hospital.

To share the management of Hepatology patients (and Gastroenterology/general medical inpatients) referred to the Trust with colleagues in the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department.

To share the in-patient management of patients with GI or general medical problems on the Gastroenterology Ward and linked outlier beds with colleagues by rota.

To provide by rota specialist in-patient Gastroenterology opinion to patients under other teams elsewhere in the hospital, to include the Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU).

The job plan will be a prospective agreement that sets out a consultant’s duties, responsibilities and objectives. It will cover all aspects of a consultant’s professional practice including clinical work, teaching, research, education and managerial responsibilities. It will provide a clear schedule of commitments, both internal and external. In addition, it will provide personal objectives, including details of links to wider service objectives, and details of the support required by the consultant to fulfil the job plan and the objectives.

The pattern of work may change in the future to meet local changing needs and annual review meetings will take place in line with the new Consultant Contract, job planning and appraisal arrangements.

The appointee will participate in clinical audit. It is expected that the appointee will show a commitment to continuing medical education (CME).

To provide care to both inpatients and out-patients to ensure that patients are provided with the highest possible standard of diagnosis, treatment and care in the most effective and timely way.

The post holder will supervise, train and manage junior medical staff working at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, to ensure high standards of clinical practice and efficient use of resources.

The successful candidate will work according to the terms and conditions of the new consultant contract.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.

Our Values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

The job plan will be a prospective agreement that sets out a consultant’s duties, responsibilities and objectives. It will cover all aspects of a consultant’s professional practice including clinical work, teaching, research, education and managerial responsibilities. It will provide a clear schedule of commitments, both internal and external. In addition, it will provide personal objectives, including details of links to wider service objectives, and details of the support required by the consultant to fulfil the job plan and the objectives.

The pattern of work may change in the future to meet local changing needs and annual review meetings will take place in line with the new Consultant Contract, job planning and appraisal arrangements.

The appointee will participate in clinical audit. It is expected that the appointee will show a commitment to continuing medical education (CME).

To provide care to both inpatients and out-patients to ensure that patients are provided with the highest possible standard of diagnosis, treatment and care in the most effective and timely way.

The post holder will supervise, train and manage junior medical staff working at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, to ensure high standards of clinical practice and efficient use of resources.

The successful candidate will work according to the terms and conditions of the new consultant contract.

All staff employed by the Trust are expected to comply with the Trust’s Health and Safety policies.

· To maintain current knowledge of Hepatology/Gastroenterology and related areas appropriate to carrying out these duties, and to participate in a recognised programme of continuing medical education and professional development.

· To lead by example and set and maintain high professional standards.

· The post holder will actively conduct/ participate in audits related to both clinical and non-clinical aspects of the work and participate in hospital audit programmes.

· To participate in Clinical Audit Programmes and Clinical Governance.

· To assist in the management and support of junior medical staff and of technical staff according to Trust policies and in line with the requirements of the clinical service.

· To maintain effective communication and working relationships with medical, scientific, management, technical and nursing staff, as required for performing the responsibilities of this post. This includes electronic communication within the department, the Trust, and with national and international colleagues.

Both in‑patient and out‑patient services are based at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital. There are currently just over 150 beds allocated for use by General Medicine and related specialties. There is a state-of–the-art Cardiac Suite, to undertake coronary angiography and interventional cardiology on-site.In addition, there is a Coronary Care Unit with 5 high dependency and 8 additional cardiac monitoring beds. There is a 7 bedded Intensive Care Unit and 11 bedded High Dependency Unit, including 4 - 6 respiratory HDU beds.

There is a satellite renal dialysis unit at the Hospital. The base for this service is the sub-regional unit at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage. This development has facilitated renal out-patient services at Luton.

In addition to, there are well-established services in Elderly Medicine, Cardiology, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Neurology, Neurophysiology, Rheumatology, Dermatology and Sexual Health.

This advert closes on Friday 5 Jun 2026