Staff Specialist in Palliative Care

About the role

John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, NSW, is recruiting a Staff Specialist in Palliative Medicine for a fixed-term, temporary part-time position of 0.8 FTE from November 2026 to July 2027. The role sits within the integrated Palliative Care and Kidney Supportive Care Service, which is part of the Newcastle specialist multidisciplinary palliative care hub. It offers work across inpatient consultation, outpatient clinics, community-based care and virtual models of care.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver specialist palliative care to patients with advanced disease and limited prognosis across inpatient, outpatient, community and virtual settings, within the multidisciplinary team.
• Assess and manage pain, complex symptoms and the psychosocial, cultural and spiritual challenges of life-limiting illness.
• Lead advance care planning conversations and support patients, families and teams in setting treatment goals and care preferences.
• Provide clinical guidance on end-of-life care, including the management and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments where appropriate.
• Work with the Hunter New England Palliative Care Stream to review, develop and evaluate evidence-based models of care, clinical standards and service improvements.
• Support transitions between care settings through coordinated, patient-centred care.
• Provide consultative support, mentoring, education and clinical supervision to medical, nursing and allied health colleagues.
• Take part in the Hunter New England Palliative Care on-call roster and help develop and deliver virtual care services.

Required profile

• A primary medical degree registrable with AHPRA.
• Fellowship of the Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine (FAChPM), or equivalent.
• Demonstrated recent experience as a medical expert in Palliative Medicine and/or Kidney Supportive Care.
• Experience or interest in leadership, mentoring, supervision and education, and a commitment to developing the palliative care workforce.
• Interest in clinical governance, quality improvement, research and health system objectives.

What we offer

• Teaching, research and innovation opportunities through partnerships with the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
• A dedicated Senior Medical Recruitment Team and Medical Settlement Concierge Service supporting onboarding, credentialing and relocation.
• A lifestyle described as relaxed and liveable in a coastal city, with easy access to the Hunter Valley and two hours from Sydney.

Applications close on Thursday 5 November 2026; an eligibility list will be created for future permanent and temporary part-time positions.