Senior Fellow in Neurosciences Intensive Care

Job Overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Job Title: Senior Fellow in Neurosciences Intensive Care

Start Date: February 2027

Contract Type: Fixed term

Duration: 12 months

Purpose for Fixed Term: Training Contract

This post is appointed on a fixed-term basis for the primary purpose of providing structured training and supervised clinical development. While the postholder will contribute to service delivery, the overarching purpose of the post is to provide defined educational opportunities, supervised clinical practice, and experience aligned to the relevant specialty training curriculum

Further details about the role can be found in the job description below.

Main duties of the job

Applications are invited for a Senior Airway Fellow post in the Wessex Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Southampton to start February 2027. This post is for 1 year. As part of our team, you will work collaboratively with colleagues, helping to deliver excellent services and ensuring the highest standards of patient care.

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Wessex Neuro ICU is a 13-bed dedicated Unit. The Unit admits 800-1000 patients yearly comprising 300 severe neurological

trauma (brain/spinal injuries, complex polytrauma), 300 acute stroke (subarachnoid/intracerebral haemorrhages, ischaemic), 300 neurosurgical cases (100 emergency/200 elective) and neurological (demyelinating polyneuropathies, autoimmune encephalitis etc),

medical and surgical cases.

Resident Airway Fellows participate in a 1:9 rota. The post is well supported by Consultant input.

Successful applicants will have competence in airway management and experience working in anaesthesia and/or critical care. Full attainment of the anaesthetic “Initial Assessment of Competence” (IAC) is mandatory. Applicants with training backgrounds in anaesthesia, critical care and ACCS are welcome. Most successful applicants join at ST3 or above.

Support for study leave will be given. Ongoing research trials within Wessex present opportunities for presentation at national and international meetings. Our sub-speciality team recently won ICS Team of the Year. Our Unit is recognised nationally by the UK ICM speciality training committee. Previous fellows progressed to anaesthesia, intensive care, neurosurgery and academia, ultimately gaining CCT/CESR accreditation. Our feedback is excellent.

The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the delivery of safe, effective, and patient-centred care while working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation.

• Leadership & Management:
  
  

Daily management of neurocritically unwell patients on ICU. Attendance at ward rounds including stepping up into a senior leadership role, including leading daily ward rounds and being part of the senior decision-making process.

• Practical Skills & Airway Competence:
  
  

Resident Airway Fellows will be expected to have competence in practical skills such as preliminary airway management and transfer of the critical care patient; central venous line insertions; arterial cannulations and be able to do - and teach - these procedures independently. Evidence of competence will be required. Prior attainment of the anaesthetic skills demonstrated in the full “Initial Assessment of Competence (IAC)” certificate – or its equivalent - is mandatory. Competence and familiarity with intra- and inter-hospital transfers is essential.

Training in lung ultrasound and bedside echocardiography is available from FICE-accredited practitioners.

• CESR opportunities
  
  

We actively recruit Fellows who wish to gain accreditation in either neuroanaesthesia or neurocritical care as part of the CESR pathway.

• Research & Audit
  
  

Fellows have the opportunity to participate in the clinical research trials and audits currently underway in the Neuro ICU.

• Study leave & professional development
  
  

Full support for funded study leave will be given. All successful candidates will be allocated an educational supervisor and required to undertake workplace-based assessments and appraisal. We actively recruit trainees who wish to qualify as Consultants in Anaesthesia and/or Critical Care and our feedback in providing training and development in these areas leading to successful enrolment in these training pathways is consistently excellent.

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role, including responsibilities, requirements, and essential criteria.

Fellows

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Appointment will be made under local contractual terms and conditions of service for Trust appointed fellow doctors and dentists. Applicants requiring Skilled Worker sponsorship should ensure they meet the Home Office application criteria prior to submitting an application.

Successful candidates will have an educational framework equivalent to training grade doctors, and there will be a named educational supervisor assigned at the start of the post. The opportunity for Continued Professional Development (CPD) is highly supported and encouraged by the Trust, with options available to take study leave.

Grades for Trust appointed fellows will be paid a basic salary at a nodal pay point linked to the grade, at the rate set out in the National Medical and Dental pay circular. Basic salary plus any additional remuneration (as applicable) for hours set out in the doctors work schedule (e.g. additional hours, weekend allowance, and any hours which attract enhanced pay)

Salary will be assessed based on experience and skills. Eligibility criteria for appointment to a Nodal Point 5;

• Have a minimum of 6 years of Specialty training

Hold relevant higher specialty exam (e.g FRCP, FRCA, FRCS)

A portfolio of evidence that demonstrates they meet the criteria for progression (in line with the Curriculum for the speciality similar to deanery trainee)

Proposed interview date: 12th October 2026

This vacancy closes on or before 30th September 2026

Person specification

Qualifications, Training & Experience

Essential criteria

• MBBS or equivalent medical qualification
• GMC registration with a licence to practise
• Previous work in NHS anaesthesia
• Completion of 3-6 month attainment of the anaesthetic “Initial Assessment of Competence” (IAC) Certificate or equivalent demonstrating airway competence
• More than 3 years working as a doctor since gaining medical degree
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Advanced life support certification (ALS or equivalent)
• Post graduate examinations (FRCA/MRCP/FFICM/MCEM/EDIC) or equivalent
• Previous work in NHS Intensive Care Unit/s
• Previous work in other acute specialty
  
  

Aptitudes & Skills

Essential criteria

• Evidence and ability to work effectively in multi-professional teams
• Understanding of equality and diversity and how this affects patients, visitors and staff
• Evidence and ability to communicate and liaise effectively with patients and colleagues (verbal and written communication skills in English).
• Demonstrate good organisational skills including ability to prioritise effectively and meet deadlines
• Demonstrate the ability to be calm, compassionate, and able to respond efficiently to various circumstances, which may change rapidly
• Evidence of participation in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
• Core ICU practical & transfer skills: WBPA evidence or equivalent
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Advanced ICU practical skills such as FICE accreditation at ECHO and/or lung ultrasound
• Evidence of competence at inter-hospital Level 3 transfers
  
  

Trust Values

Essential criteria

• Patients First
• Working Together
• Always Improving