Consultant in Emergency Medicine

Consultant in Emergency Medicine

The closing date is 15 March 2026

An opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated Consultant in Emergency Medicine to join our hard working and dedicated team at an exciting time of change and improvement. The successful Applicant will be part of a team of a Consultants with a maximum 1 in 8 on call frequency.

The Emergency Department currently manages approximately 55,000 patients per year, and the footprint doubled in size at the onset of the pandemic. We were awarded £15m to refurbish the enlarged department to a very high standard and this work was completed in 2022.

In addition, we have funding for a £79m newbuild ED and ICU. Building work on this is actively ongoing and we expect the new department to open in 2027-28, with this and the current footprint forming an 'Emergency Zone' to bring specialty teams and SDEC near to the front door. There will be a dedicated area in the ED for paediatrics.

The hospital is also looking to develop its own onsite UTC (urgent treatment centre) which will allow appropriate streaming away from the ED whilst providing excellent educational opportunities for resident doctors regarding minor injuries/illness. This all offers exciting opportunities for collaborative and seamless working across Urgent and Emergency Care.

Other staffing includes 12 WTE middle grade doctors, including 2 HSTs, and 18 Resident doctors and 8 ANPs/ACPs. The nursing team is led by 1 Matron, 4 Clinical Band 7s and 12 Band 6s.

Proposed interview date TBC.

The department is proactive in the management of critical illness, and major trauma, which is consultant led. The EM Consultants currently support the 24/7 stroke thrombolysis rota with Physician colleagues. Primary PCI is offered by our cardiologists in hours as part of the pan Dorset Network Service.

Dorset County is a trauma unit in the Wessex Major Trauma Network. The geographical location of the hospital is such that the ambulance services often cannot bypass our unit in favour of the Major Trauma Centre. The onsite helipad receives patients from the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance and the HM Coastguard Search & Rescue Service (although this is currently in a secondary landing site during the ongoing building works).

The successful candidate will be expected to provide excellent clinical leadership as well as to deliver an excellent standard of direct clinical care. Teaching and training is delivered both within the department and in a dedicated Education Centre which has its own sim-suite. We actively encourage all staff to participate in audit, research and teaching.

Applicants are invited to visit the department by prior appointment and meet the team before an application for the position. Alternatively, applicants are invited to contact our Clinical Lead Dr David Markham for an informal chat ()

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.

Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well‑being of our communities.

We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under‑represented groups.

We understand that some applicants may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in preparing their application materials. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind candidates that all submissions must be truthful and accurately reflect your own experiences and suitability for this role.

Personal integrity and authenticity are central to our recruitment process. We value honesty and appreciate applications that are genuine and representative of the individual behind them.

Our DCHFT Job Description and Person Specification (attached) tells you all about this role, what to expect and what is needed to succeed. When completing your…