Job Description

Hospice Doctor

Fixed Term Contract 6 - 12 months

Salary Scale

95.48 per 4-hour daytime session

95.48 per on-call session (48 hours at the weekend = 6 sessions)

Hours

24 hours (daytime work) per week = 6 sessions (i.e. 3 days/week)

(Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 8.30am-5pm)

AND 1 in 5 weeknights and weekends on-call

Weeknights: 5.00pm - 8.30am

Weekends: Sat 8.30am - Mon 8.30am

Salary details

Half a weekday (4 hours) = 1 daytime session

Weeknight non-resident on call = 1 on-call session

24 hours non-resident on call at a weekend = 3 on-call sessions

A contribution towards medical indemnity fees will be made by the Hospice

NHS pensions can be continued but not started in this role

Annual Leave Entitlement is six weeks (pro-rata)

In addition, there is an entitlement to ten public and bank holidays (pro-rata)

All employees benefit from an additional 1-day Birthday Leave taken on or close to their birthday

Employer Overgate Hospice (not an NHS trust)

Responsible to Dr Rachel Sheils, Medical Director (Consultant in Palliative Medicine)

Accountable to Tracey Wilcocks, Chief Executive

Supervised by Dr Rhona Parrish (Associate Specialist)

Closing date - Wednesday 26 November 2025

Applications utilising AI are strongly discouraged

Overgate Hospice is an independent charity with a mission to ensure that patients and those close to them live with the best possible quality of life. This is enabled by provision of the highest standard of compassionate and evidence-based specialist palliative and end of life care for adults in Calderdale who have active, progressive life limiting illness.

However, the current constraints of our ageing facilities are making this more difficult than ever. Our ambitious redevelopment plans will modernise and expand our existing facilities to transform the environment in which we care for our patients, as well as meaning we can care for more people who need us. In April 2024, Overgate Hospice launched a capital appeal, the Big Build Appeal, to raise the funds needed to make these transformational plans become a reality.

Job Summary

The Hospice doctors work closely with the existing enthusiastic, experienced, multi-professional team to help ensure continuity of high-level medical care for Hospice patients. This will include inpatients, patients attending the Day Hospice and patients being supported by specialist nurses in the community.

Minimum Qualifications / Experience Required

Full registration with the GMC and a licence to practice are essential prior to applying.

As a charity, the Hospice, does not provide sponsorship

As a minimum, completion of Foundation Years training is essential.

Hospice medicine requires excellence in both written and spoken English language.

Key Working Relationships

Medical Director

Associate Specialist (line manager)

Director of Clinical Services, and Deputy Director of Clinical Services

Medical Team

Nursing Teams in Day Hospice and Inpatient Unit

Patient and Family Support Team

Community and Hospital Specialist Palliative Care Teams

Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical

To provide medical care to inpatients at Overgate Hospice, alongside the multi-professional team.

To provide medical input to Day Hospice patients at Overgate Hospice, with good independent decision-making skills.

To provide support to primary care teams and other professionals.

To support and advise any medical colleagues & students who are more junior/less experienced in palliative medicine.

To participate in the non-resident on-call rota.

To maintain and administer medical records as per Hospice policy.

To ensure confidentiality of information is always preserved, whether at, or away from work.

To be involved in audit, research, and service development programmes as appropriate.

To participate actively in multi-professional discussions and meetings.

To help ensure that the high standard of medical care and support for carers and families at the Hospice is maintained.

Professional/Management

To work closely with the Medical Director and Associate Specialist, to ensure provision of medical input throughout the Hospice.

To maintain standards and quality of care throughout the services delivered by the Hospice, by participating in standard setting and audit, attending relevant meetings, and contributing to Hospice policies, procedures, and guidelines.

To support the development of clinical governance, including a commitment to clinical audit, risk management, staff development, peer review and appraisal within the Hospice governance framework.

Education

To participate in the appraisal system of medical staff at the Hospice.

To participate in in-house education sessions (attending and delivering) and attend external study days as appropriate.

Additional Information

The post-holder must participate in the on-call rota. The on-call commitment is to Overgate Hospice Inpatient Unit. When on-call, the post-holder will have consultant support by telephone. On call is currently 1 in 5 and is non-resident. At the weekend, the on-call doctor is expected to complete a ward round and assess any admissions, then continue to be available but non-resident.

Prospective Cover

Doctors provide prospective cover for each other's leave. Additional weekday and on-call sessions worked to back-fill someone else's leave attracts sessional payment at the usual rate.

This post will provide adequate medical staffing levels such that Hospice Doctors will have allocated non-clinical time to contribute to indirect care (for example, via audit, policies, procedures, guidelines, teaching, governance).

Study & Training

The Hospice is committed to continuous professional development and will grant appropriate study leave with funding for this purpose whenever possible.

There is a post-graduate medical education centre with excellent facilities at Calderdale Royal Hospital. Multi-disciplinary education is also available at the Hospice.

Articles from the main palliative medicine journals are available via Calderdale Royal Hospital Library.

A laptop will be available for use during non-resident on-call sessions and non-resident, non-clinical time.

Hospice Medical Staffing

There are five part time medical posts totalling 2.6 Whole Time Equivalents, as well as GP trainees (up to 0.8 WTE).

In addition, there are two consultants, who have joint appointment with Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and Overgate, providing 1 WTE Hospice, and 0.6 WTE Calderdale Royal Hospital/Calderdale Community Specialist Palliative Care Team.

Dr Rachel Sheils is the Hospice Medical Director.

Medical secretarial support is available, and the doctors share an office.

Overgate Hospice

Overgate Hospice is the Hospice that serves the people of Calderdale and was founded in 1981. It has grown since then to provide specialist palliative care to twelve inpatient beds (one of which is a booked respite bed for patients with specialist palliative care needs) and day hospice services both within the hospice and at hubs throughout Calderdale. The Hospice also provides bereavement care and counselling, specialist palliative care social work services, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, complementary therapies, chaplaincy services, diversional therapies and a 24-hour advice line for professionals. Our aspirations include development of services to support patients in their own homes, and we have a team of Specialist Palliative Care Community Educators to support primary care professionals in the palliative care they deliver; this will strengthen our good relationship with local primary care services. In 2024 ground will be broken to start the building of a new purpose built sixteen bedded single room occupancy hospice within the grounds of the current hospice.

The Hospice has an excellent relationship with the local acute trust, Calderdale, and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHfT). CHfT's Medical Director provides Overgate Hospice with its Responsible Officer for Revalidation. Overgate's patients have access to diagnostic services at CHfT and doctors have access to the trust intranet, including diagnostics results services, and electronic patient record (EPR) systems including CHfT's EPR, SystmOne, PPM (the local oncology electronic record) and PASWEB (where patients' results can be accessed). Hospice doctors can also access e-learning via Blue Stream Academy, which has been commissioned by the Hospice. The Hospice has Wi-Fi access for staff and service users.

The Hospice is situated in beautiful grounds between Huddersfield and Halifax and is close to the M62. Parking at the Hospice is free of charge, either in the Hospice grounds, or in the cricket club car park just across the road. The Hospice has a dynamic fundraising team that generates the majority of our income and receives some of its funding from West Yorkshire's Integrated Care Board.

Calderdale Palliative Care Team

The community palliative care team is employed by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (via the community nursing arm); it is led by Consultant in Palliative Medicine Dr Jeena Ackroyd who has a joint appointment between the acute hospital trust and Overgate Hospice. The team is completed by specialist palliative care Clinical Nurse Specialists, and a Nurse Consultant for End-of-Life Care, Abbie Thompson.

The palliative care team for the local hospitals (Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary) is based at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

Appointment Procedure

The appointment will be by application and interview.

Use of AI (e.g. ChatGPT) for applications is strongly discouraged.

The appointment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment health screening, references and checks as prescribed by the GMC.

The successful applicant will be required to produce evidence of hepatitis B immunity status.

Applicants must be fully registered with the GMC at the time of applying, have a GMC Licence to Practice, and be a member of a recognised medical defence organisation, with up-to-date medical indemnity for the post being in place before their start date. Certificates must be produced at interview and will be checked directly with the GMC.

Overgate General Duties & Responsibilities

Overgate Hospice is a no smoking organisation.

The employee must maintain a safe working environment in accordance with Overgate Hospice's Health and Safety policies & abide by the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974).

The employee must complete mandatory training as determined by the Hospice.

The employee must ensure that they comply with all Hospice policies and procedures at all times & participate in the development and implementation of Hospice policies.

The employee must be actively involved in Hospice Governance and support the audit cycle.

The employee must always maintain strict confidentiality, applying to all aspects of Hospice business and work within the guidelines of the Data Protection Act and GDPR.

Employees must demonstrate commitment to their own personal development and are required to make a positive contribution to fundraising and raising the profile of the Hospice locally and nationally.

Employees must adhere to the Hospice's Standards of Behaviour Framework in all aspects of their work.

Work closely with the Volunteer Services Coordinator as appropriate to ensure that any volunteers are supported in their roles, addressing any issues as they arise.

Use all Hospice resources economically and cost effectively.

This job description is not exhaustive and will be subject to periodic review. The employer and the employee share responsibility to review and amend it as appropriate.

Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk

All Hospice staff are required to act in such a way that always safeguards the health and well-being of children and adults at risk. Familiarisation with and adherence to the Hospice safeguarding policies is an essential requirement of all employees as is participation in related mandatory/statutory training.

Valuing Diversity and Equality

All employees should carry out their duties in accordance with the values and principles of valuing diversity and equity of provision. It is the responsibility of all employees to support the Hospice vision of promoting a positive attitude to diversity and equality of opportunity, to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage in service delivery and employment, and to manage, support or comply through the implementation of the Hospice's Equal Opportunities Policy.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Full registration with the GMC, and as of 16.11.2009, a GMC licence to practice

As a minimum, completion of foundation years training, or equivalent for doctors trained overseas

Desirable

Completion of Core Medical training (post-foundation) medical experience or equivalent

M.R.C.P. / M.R.C.G.P.

Experience working within the NHS

Role-specific requirements

Essential

Ability to attend the Hospice within 60 minutes (maximum) when required during on-call periods

Knowledge of holistic care and the principles of palliative care, and ability to develop independent decision making in this specialist field

Able to demonstrate empathy towards patients and families, including ability to adapt style and practice to individual situations (i.e. patient-centred)

A commitment to personal development and continuing medical education

Ability to communicate clearly in English - in speech and writing, and to maintain confidentiality.

Computer literate - able to use email and Microsoft programmes including Word, and able to learn to use electronic patient records / information systems.

Ability to provide leadership and direction relating to own discipline

Excellent team working and interpersonal skills, including co-operation in setting the on-call rota.

Able to recognise and respect the skills of others within the whole Hospice team and effectively collaborate with colleagues.

Commitment to the purpose and values of Overgate Hospice

Positive professional approach and image

Emotionally resilient, and has an awareness of the need for good structures of support to cope with death and dying within the field of palliative medicine

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: 95.48 per day

Expected hours: 24 per week

Benefits:

Canteen Cycle to work scheme Free parking Life insurance
Work Location: In person