Consultant in Rheumatology

Employer University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Christchurch Town Christchurch Salary £109,725 - £145,478 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 12/03/2026 23:59

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.

We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.

We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.

At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.

As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.

We are seeking to appoint a Consultant Rheumatologist to join the Dorset-wide Rheumatology service. This post will be primarily based at Christchurch Hospital, working in close partnership with the substantive consultant teams across Dorset.

The Dorset Rheumatology service delivers a comprehensive secondary care rheumatology service for the population of Dorset. Services are centred on our two major hub sites at Christchurch Hospital and Dorset County Hospital, with additional outpatient activity delivered through a hub-and-spoke model across Dorset. Inpatient rheumatology consultations are provided via Royal Bournemouth Hospital in the east of the county and Dorset County Hospital in the west.

This appointment comes at an exciting period of development following the merger of Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals and Poole Hospital to form University Hospitals Dorset, and the subsequent extension of collaborative working across Dorset County Hospital. The successful candidate will join a supportive, forward-looking consultant body and will have opportunities to contribute to service development as the Dorset Rheumatology service continues to evolve.

The post holder will contribute to the delivery of high-quality consultant-led rheumatology care across Dorset. The role includes consultant outpatient clinics based at Christchurch Hospital, with inpatient rheumatology input delivered via Royal Bournemouth Hospital. There may also be scope for limited satellite outpatient activity within the east of Dorset, subject to service need and job planning.

The post holder will work closely with consultant colleagues across the county and within the wider multidisciplinary team, contributing to urgent and routine rheumatology pathways, clinical governance, teaching, and continuous service improvement.

There is flexibility to shape aspects of the role in line with the appointee’s experience and interests. Ideally, applicants should have experience or a strong interest in connective tissue disease and giant cell arteritis,…