Salary: £36,187 per annum pro rata

Location: Edinburgh

Hours: 21 hours per week worked over a 3 day per week pattern

This is a part-time role based at the College in Queen Street, Edinburgh, with flexibility for a form of hybrid working to be agreed.

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) seeks applications from senior administrative professionals to co-ordinate the external adviser service on behalf of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland.

Background

NHS Consultants are senior medical specialists. NHS Consultant recruitment in Scotland is governed by the National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) (Scotland) Regulations 2009, which provide for a single external adviser on each consultant appointment panel.

External advisers are nominated by the Royal Colleges and Faculties that comprise the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland (Scottish Academy). The Scottish Academy is responsible for maintaining a list of trained external advisers and identifying an appropriate external adviser for each consultant appointment panel in Scotland, on request from the recruiting NHS health board. External advisers are drawn from a pool of Fellows and Members of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and are working consultants in a range of specialties themselves.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland (Scottish Academy)

The Scottish Academy is a group of representatives from the Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland. The Scottish Academy contributes to improvements in the health of the people of Scotland by the promotion and co-ordination of the work of the Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties, giving the medical profession a collective voice on clinical and professional issues. The main objectives of the Scottish Academy include:

• To ensure patient safety is maximised by maintaining and improving standards within the profession.
• To provide a co-ordinated voice from the specialties in relation to education, training, clinical standards and effectiveness and research and quality which are supported and promoted by all constituent members.
• To co-ordinate and exchange expertise across the Colleges and Faculties in all areas of training, medical education and revalidation.
• To support improved medical workforce planning in Scotland to recruit and retain the highest quality doctors.

The Role

The External Adviser Senior Co-ordinator is employed by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) on behalf of the Scottish Academy. The main function of the role is to ensure that an appropriate external adviser is identified for each consultant recruitment panel in Scotland, within a specified time period.

The External Adviser Senior Co-ordinator has an important ambassadorial function to play on behalf of the Scottish Academy and is the first point of contact and support for external advisers and health boards in relation to the service provided. There is a strong emphasis on remote communication with external advisers and NHS staff, requiring excellent general IT and remote communication skills. The role requires diplomacy and tact, to handle sensitive information and situations.

An MS Access database is used to hold the list of external advisers and record information about each appointment panel request.

The Scottish Government require a comprehensive annual report for the project and regular updates are compiled for meetings of the Scottish Academy. In addition to the requisite writing skills, the reporting component of the role requires an understanding of MS Access, particularly in relation to queries in order to extract data.

The Person:

The post-holder will require the following:  

• Excellent organisational skills.
• The ability to work under pressure and prioritise effectively when several appointment panels are convened simultaneously.
• Analytical skills to summarise quality assurance output and competency in trend data analysis.
• Ability to handle highly confidential material with tact and sensitivity, particularly when dealing with complaints and problems arising relating to local implementation of recruitment guidelines.
• Ability to deal with complex enquiries.
• A flexible and inclusive approach and be a strong team player.
• The ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues in the College, external stakeholders and organisations.
• Ability to use initiative, exert judgement and work independently with minimal recourse to advice or assistance.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Advanced keyboard skills including Word, Excel, Access and Outlook with some experience of database design.

Please refer to the Job Description for the role and person full details.

Remuneration Package

The salary for this role will be £36,187 per annum pro rata plus benefits.  Additional benefits include:

• Pension: with employer contributions of 9%.
• Holidays: 23 days annual leave (with incremental increase over five years to 28 days) and 11 days public holiday/College close downs.
• Life assurance scheme.
• Long-term income protection scheme for those unable to work due to illness.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Discounted rates for use of the venue for personal events. 

How to Apply

• All applicants are required to submit a completed application form.
• A CV may be included with your application.
• Please send your application form and supporting documentation in word format only (not converted to .pdf).
• Please note agencies need not apply.

Closing Date:                    9am Monday 14^th October 2024

Interviews:                        Monday 4^th November 2024

Informal enquiries to:    Lindsay Paterson at l.paterson@rcpe.ac.uk or Keith McKellar at k.mckellar@rcpe.ac.uk

Completed applications should be returned to:  people@rcpe.ac.uk