This is a specified purpose full time appointment on a POCC Contract by the HSE to be based in Connolly Hospital 

During the appointment the successful candidate will, under the supervision of the Consultant / Clinical Director / Employer, participate in and deliver a quality health care service.

Appointees will be required to actively engage in continuing professional education and development in accordance with organisational / professional requirements.

The HSE has created six new health regions. Each region is responsible for providing both hospital and community care for the people in that area. Bringing community health services and hospitals together means we can take a more patient-centred approach to healthcare.  HSE Dublin and North East region which provides health and social care to North Dublin, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and most areas of Cavan. Connolly Hospital is situated within the North Dublin area of the region.

Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown (CHB)  is a model 3* major teaching hospital providing a range of acute services including:

• acute medical in-patient services
• elective surgery
• 24 hour emergency care
• acute psychiatric services
• intensive care
• diagnostic and support services
• outpatient care

The hospital is affiliated to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) for medical education, to Dublin City University (DCU) for nursing education and to University College Dublin (UCD), Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the Institute of Technology for allied health professional education.

The consultant clinical microbiologist in CHB  plays a central role in patient care through support of the laboratory service, provision of clinical advice, antimicrobial stewardship, and infection prevention and control (IPC) activities. In Connolly Hospital, the service is fully consultant-delivered with no NCHDs. The clinical workload includes patient result authorisation, clinical liaison, MDT participation, daily ICU rounds, and a 24/7 on-call rota for critical laboratory results and urgent clinical or IPC advice.

Consultants oversee the functions of the INAB-accredited microbiology laboratory, which serves Connolly Hospital, Dublin North West Integrated Care Centre (Cuan Aoibheann), St Francis Hospice Blanchardstown, and a wide network of GPs and social care facilities in the catchment area. The laboratory will also provide a service to the Dublin North East Surgical Hub which plans to deliver 10,000 day case surgeries and procedures annually.

Consultants provide clinical leadership for the IPC team supporting all aspects of the service including provision of expert advice and engagement in outbreak management, surveillance, audit & feedback, quality improvement and preparedness planning. Consultants participate in key hospital governance structures, including the IPC Committee, Quality and Safety Executive, Decontamination, Hygiene, Ventilation, Water Safety committees, and meetings relating to capital developments.

The service delivers an active antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme with 1.8 WTE antimicrobial pharmacists. Activities include AMS ward rounds, patient management, development of empiric prescribing guidelines based on local susceptibility data, and participation in the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee, regional AMS committees, audit, and education.

To participate in the development of and undertake all duties and functions pertinent to the position of Consultant Micrologist, as set out within the applicable Clinical Directorate Service Plan (or other plans as apply) and in line with policies as specified by the Employer

Standard Duties and Responsibilities for all Consultant posts are as per Section 4 and Section 10 of the POCC23.

Clinical

In collaboration with the other Consultants in the Department:

• Liaison with hospital clinicians, other hospital staff and GPs concerning the diagnosis and management of patients and prevention of infection
• Participation in ward-rounds, clinical conferences and multi-disciplinary team meetings
• Advising on antimicrobial and other relevant hospital policies
• Provision of 24-hour access to specialist microbiology advice

Laboratory

In collaboration with the other Consultants in the Department and the Chief Medical Scientist:

• Day-to-day supervision of diagnostic methods, examination of specimens, authorisation and interpretation of the results obtained and communication with relevant clinicians where appropriate
• Co-ordinate surveillance in the Department, including regular reporting of surveillance data
• Supervision of quality assurance within the Department including taking part in all relevant external quality assurance programs
• Sharing of responsibility for achieving and maintaining full accreditation of the laboratory with INAB
• Participation in business planning, including the introduction and assessment of new methods, evaluation and organisation of staff and equipment requirements
• Support the local implementation of the new national medical laboratory information system (MedLIS) due to go live in October 2026.
• Provision of an on-call service in microbiology
• Support laboratory service development, diagnostic stewardship, improving sustainability and support local and regional workstreams for the laboratory services reform programme 2026-2035.

Infection Prevention and Control

In collaboration with the other Consultants in the Department, and the Infection Prevention and Control team

• provide and maintain an effective infection prevention and control strategy for the prevention of transmission of infection including MDROs
• Provide assistance with the preparation of and advising on the implementation of infection prevention and control policies for the hospital
• Provide expert Infection Prevention and Control input for all stages of planned capital developments as needed.
• Participate in the Hospital Risk Management Program
• Act as lead for Infection Prevention and Control in the Built Environment and including a special remit for infection control governance relating to the North Dublin Surgical Hub.

Antimicrobial Stewardship

• Advise on appropriate antimicrobial treatment of infections
• Provide assistance in the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship policies in the hospital
• Assist with the development of the existing AMS programme in line with national and international guidelines
• Carry out antimicrobial stewardship rounds
• Assist with the implementation of the HSE National Policy on Restricted Antimicrobial agents
• Assist with auditing compliance with various aspects of the antimicrobial stewardship programme
• Participate in education of clinical staff including Consultants, NCHDs, nursing staff and pharmacy

Education

In collaboration with the other Consultants in the Department

• Participation in the education and training of laboratory staff in Microbiology
• Participation in education sessions for NCHDs, nurses and allied health professionals
• Participation in ongoing CPD programs

Research and Audit

• Performance of appropriate research in microbiology, and in collaboration with other researchers within the hospital
• Participation in clinical audit

The above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office. 

Entry to competition / recruitment process

No candidate will be appointed as a Medical Consultant unless (s)he is registered as a Specialist in the Specialist Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council of Ireland.

Professional Qualifications

Registration as a specialist in the Specialist Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council in Ireland in the specialty of Clinical Microbiology or be within 180 days of registration at the time of interview.

Possess a Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath) in Clinical Microbiology

Age
Age restriction shall only apply to a candidate where he/she is not classified as a new entrant (within the meaning of the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004). A candidate who is not classified as a new entrant must be under 65 years of age on the first day of the month in which the latest date for receiving completed application forms for the office occurs.

Health
A candidate for and any person holding the post must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the post and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character
A candidate for and any person holding the post must be of good character.

Relevant Attachment:

Job Description

The candidate must demonstrate:

Clinical Competence – Delivering Clinical Expertise

(incorporating clinical knowledge & skills, clinical experience, Continuous Practitioner Development)

• Possesses a detailed knowledge and understanding of the relevant specialist domain
• Has a clear understanding of the clinical challenges facing relevant population groups
• Demonstrates leadership skills to enhance patient care and safety
• Applies knowledge effectively to make clear and proactive decisions
• Anticipates rather than reacts; maintains knowledge of current research and practice
• Recognises and respond to the complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity inherent in medical practice
• Has track record of doing things thoroughly in challenging cases
• Adopts a patient-centred approach to understanding patient needs and delivering their care
• Makes a clear and decisive contribution within the multi-disciplinary team
• Regularly engages in further education to develop self and practice

Organisational Competence – Leading & Governance

(Incorporating clinical leadership & accountability, clinical service planning)

• Sees self as accountable for relevant issues related to clinical outcomes, patient safety, risk, quality, stewardship of resources and change management
• Manages people by providing direction, reviewing performance, motivating others and promoting equality and diversity
• Recognises respective areas of accountability of the CEO, General Manger / Service lead and others
• Efficient and organised; employs effective processes to manage and prioritise workload
• Open and honest; willing to admit mistakes and learns from experiences
• Is aware of resources available and manages these appropriately to ensure the delivery of safe and efficient services
• Contributes to the development of business and service plans to achieve service goals
• Reviews and monitors service provision
• Adequately identifies, assesses, manages and monitors risk within their area of responsibility

Interpersonal Competence – Engaging Staff, Patients & Family

(Incorporating communication & listening skills, dealing with emotional situations, teamwork & collaboration, motivating and supporting others)

• Listens attentively and accurately to others and tailors his/her communication to suit the individual and the situation (oral and written)
• Encourages people to collaborate towards a common goal or vision
• Demonstrates self-awareness; understands own limitations
• Adopts an inclusive, collaborative always approach / understands and respects others’ roles within the wider multi-disciplinary team / treats people with respect
• Sees self as a team member; is willing to take as well as give direction / works within teams to deliver and improve services
• Effectively influences and persuades others

Future Focused Competence – Improving Future Care

(Improving healthcare quality, Teaching & Research)

Identifies the contexts for change, demonstrating awareness of the political, social, technical, economic, organisational and professional environment

• Encourages improvement and innovation, creating a climate of continuous service improvement.
• Applies knowledge and evidence, gathering information to produce an evidence-based challenge to systems and processes in order to identify opportunities for service improvement
• Makes sound evidence-based decisions consistent with the values and priorities of the organisation and profession
• Measures and evaluates outcomes taking corrective action where necessary and is accountable for decisions
• Contributes to an ongoing process to improve health in the community / population s/he serves, with a strong appreciation of the service user
• Shares learning with colleagues via formal and informal methods (thinking aloud)
• Makes time to coach and support others; shows empathy for the concerns of learners, promotes a safe learning environment.