Consultant - Audiovestibular MedicineNHS

Job summary

Audiovestibular Medicine are looking to appoint a full-time consultant to succession plan for a retiring consultant and to support the Audiovestibular services in Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham and Western Sussex.

The department of Audiovestibular Medicine was established by Dr Peter West in 1991. He was a single-handed consultant for over 16 years until the appointment of a second consultant in 2007. The department is highly regarded in the provision of tertiary Neuro-otological services and the provision of the medical aspects of childhood hearing impairment in the region.

Audiovestibular Medicine works closely with the ENT department and the Audiology department.

The Audiovestibular department, in collaboration with the Audiology department, provide a comprehensive audiovestibular diagnostic and rehabilitative service to people of any age with problems of hearing, dizziness, balance or tinnitus. The rehabilitation provided includes a fully comprehensive hearing aid service, counselling, tinnitus management, and the rehabilitation of patients with dizziness/balance disorders.

The Audiovestibular Medicine department are involved in the formal teaching of Medical Students from the newly established University of Portsmouth Medical School.

Main duties of the job

Clinical Duties of the Post

The post holder will hold out-patient clinics, providing a full range of Audiovestibular services, Paediatric and Adult, on two hospital sites: Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham and St Richards Hospital, Chichester, and in community settings.

The post holder, in conjunction with the existing consultants, will receive and prioritise referral from:

• GPs
• ENT colleagues
• Audiology
• Geriatrics
• Neurologists
• Paediatrics
• A&E/MAU
• Other professionals

Adult Audiovestibular Medicine

This constitutes the majority of the workload. Most referrals are patients with dizziness, vertigo and balance disorders. Patients with hearing loss are primarily referred to Audiology but the post holder will be required to see patients with progressive and fluctuating hearing loss and patients with tinnitus requiring medical input.

The physician, in conjunction with ENT and Audiology, will be responsible for formulating appropriate local care pathways for patients with Audiovestibular disorders in accordance with Department of Health, NICE and national guidelines.

Paediatric Audiovestibular Medicine

The post holder will be expected to see babies referred from the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme and older children with hearing loss for aetiological investigations and provide a medical input. The post holder will also see children with vertigo and balance disorders.

Job description

There is a close relationship with the Elizabeth Foundation adjacent to QAH, a centre renowned for the rehabilitation of children with hearing impairment. Most diagnostic audiology clinics take place at the Foundation. The consultant Audiovestibular Physician will help one of the existing consultants to provide medical management of these children. Medical clinics do not currently take place at the Foundation.

The Head of Audiology is the Lead for NHSP but also receives all initial referrals for children with suspected hearing impairment.

The post holder will:

• In conjunction with other health professionals, offer and, where appropriate, arrange aetiological investigations of an individual childs hearing loss. This may include children with complex needs and medical conditions.
• Interpret Audiovestibular test results in the context of clinical findings.
• Ensure that a family friendly ethos runs through the service.

Key Responsibilities:

The appointee will join the existing two Audiovestibular Medicine Consultants as a Consultant and will be expected to participate in all facets of department activity.

The post will be based at Queen Alexandra Hospital, ENT Department on D Level. Full participation in teaching, audit and research will be expected. The Trust runs a mentorship scheme which is accessible to all new consultants.

The post holder will be required to teach Medical Students from University of Portsmouth Medical School.

About us

Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we are proud to provide expert, compassionate care for our local population. We are ranked as the third in the country for research, embedding education and training across the organisation. Our main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals on the south coast employing over 8,700 staff.

Our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for getting it right for patients, colleagues, and our community, you will find a home at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.