Birmingham Thyroid Fellowship - 2026

Job summary

There is an opportunity for a motivated individual to join the ENT department commencing as soon as possible on a fixed term basis until 03/08/2027.

Note for any applicants interested in the August 2027 post this will be advertised separately in due course. Please only apply to this vacancy if you can commence immediately.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is the largest multi-site Trust in the UK. The ENT Department works across four sites: Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), Birmingham Heartlands Hospital (BHH), Good Hope Hospital (GHH) and Solihull Hospital (SHH).

The Birmingham Thyroid Surgery Fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to work within a high-volume supra-regional university teaching hospital (the largest thyroid surgery unit in the UK) with a multidisciplinary focus. Our aim is to provide comprehensive training in the surgical management of a wide range of thyroid and parathyroid conditions. The fellowship offers exposure to the medical and surgical management of malignant and benign thyroid cases, including advanced differentiated thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer, severe thyrotoxicosis and retrosternal disease. In addition, the ENT department provides a large volume of parathyroid operations, including primary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism. Outpatient commitments include specialist thyroid, thyroid oncology, genetic thyroid oncology and 2 week wait clinics.

Main duties of the job

The ENT Department has 30 full time equivalent consultants and 3 part time consultants. Within the ENT department at UHB, there are currently 10 consultants specialising in Head & Neck and thyroid surgery. The pan-Birmingham thyroid MDT is one of the largest thyroid MDTs in the country. The department performs around 500 thyroid/parathyroid operations per year.

The middle grade tier within the department consists of 9 middle grade doctors at the QEHB site, including 4 fellows (Thyroid, Head & Neck, Otology/Skull base and Rhinology/Anterior Skull base) and 5 residents. At the HGS site there 3 Associate Specialists, 3 residents, 2 speciality doctors and 1 Medical Training Initiative (MTI). There are 8 tier one doctors at the QEHB site and 6 at the HGS site.

The appointee will be expected to undertake cross-site working with a formal job plan, with elective work based at QEHB and on call work based at HGS. All major head and neck elective theatre sessions will be at QE Hospital, with some tertiary parathyroid operating at BHH.

The job plan will include a commitment to clinic, theatre and on call duties. The on call commitment will be at BHH as the admitting site and is currently run as a 1 in 7 middle grade rota (split weekend), supported by FY/CT on call and under supervision of a consultant. Time will be given for admin and supporting professional activities. The appointee will be expected to attend and contribute to Clinical Governance, teaching and audit within the department.

Job description

Fellows will be expected to teach resident doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals during ward rounds, outpatient clinics, emergency situations and theatre sessions.

Our consultants work within a culture of mutual respect and colleague support. We welcome individuals who follow the ethos of our department and are eager to deliver high quality care to our diverse population.

General responsibilities:

The post holder will be expected to work with local managers and professional colleagues in the efficient running of the service.

Subject to the provisions of the terms and conditions of service she/he must observe agreed policies on clinical matters and should follow the standing orders and financial instructions of the Hospital.

In the management of employees of the Trust, she/he will be expected to follow legislation laid down in this respect.

All employees must comply with the Trust Infection Control Policy. All employees must attend infection control training as required within their department or as directed by their line manager.

You will be expected to be committed to Continuing Professional Development that satisfies the criteria laid down by the Royal College of Surgeons.

Clinical responsibilities:

The appointee will be involved in running clinics, theatres and being included in the ENT middle grade on call rota at Heartlands Hospital.

The advertised post is a thyroid fellowship and is suitable for those who want to expand their skills and sub-specialise in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. It is expected that the successful candidate will support the department with achieving the targets for urgent cancer referrals by seeing the patients on the "2-week referral" pathway for head and neck/thyroid cancer. "

Major Head and Neck resections (including laryngectomy, complex airway surgery, head and neck resections requiring free flap reconstruction, input of thoracic surgeons and skull base surgeons) are performed at QEH.

The proposed weekly timetable for the thyroid fellowship (subject to change / negotiation) is as follows, with two flexible sessions for revalidation / admin. In addition, there are quarterly genetic thyroid oncology clinics, approximately quarterly tertiary parathyroid operating lists, and other ad hoc theatre sessions during the week which the Fellow will be encouraged to attend.

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.