Gastroenterology
Manchester Royal Infrimary
Gastroenterology (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) at MRI
Join one of the UK’s largest adult IBD services and develop your experience within a large, multi-site gastroenterology network. You will be welcomed into a team that collectively cares for almost 15,000 people with IBD. Our 12-month, full-time Clinical Fellowship can offer opportunities across Manchester Royal Infirmary, Wythenshawe Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital, tailored where possible to your learning goals and the strengths of each site.
What you will experience:
- You will work alongside an enthusiastic multidisciplinary IBD team of specialist gastroenterologists, IBD nurses, colorectal surgeons, radiologists, histopathologists, pharmacists, dietitians, psychologists, stoma-care specialists, researchers and service coordinators.
- You will gain insight into dedicated IBD clinics, urgent and hot-clinic pathways, inpatient IBD care, our nurse-led advice service and virtual advanced-therapy reviews.
- You will contribute to weekly IBD multidisciplinary team meetings and a monthly complex MDT, learning from integrated surgical, radiological and histopathological expertise.
- You will have opportunities to experience IBD-focused endoscopy, including dysplasia surveillance and chromoendoscopy, pouchoscopy, capsule endoscopy and selected therapeutic procedures, according to your approved role and competence.
- You will build your understanding of advanced-therapy selection, biosimilar medicines, therapeutic drug monitoring and multidisciplinary medicines optimisation.
- You will explore joined-up pathways spanning medical-surgical IBD care, pregnancy and IBD, transition from paediatric services, nutrition and collaboration with other specialties.
- You will use MFT’s EPIC-based Hive electronic patient record and see how digital approaches support pathway redesign and communication with patients.
Fellowships and observerships at Manchester Specialist Health Academy provide international clinicians with structured opportunities to experience high quality healthcare training within a leading NHS environment. Both pathways offer consultant oversight, a clear induction, and access to modern clinical settings that support a strong understanding of advanced patient care. Participants are welcomed into a professional community that encourages learning, collaboration, and engagement with the culture of Manchester.
While fellows take part in more in depth clinical development, gaining exposure to subspecialties, procedures and research, observers focus on shadowing and understanding multidisciplinary practice within NHS services. Both groups benefit from involvement in clinics, team discussions, and wider learning activities such as simulation sessions, CPD opportunities, and quality improvement insight.
Academic contributions and awards
You will join a service with strong links to the University of Manchester, the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre and the wider Manchester research community. You will be able to learn from both commercial and non-commercial clinical research. During a longer fellowship, we will aim to support protected time for a defined research, audit or quality-improvement project, with opportunities to develop work for presentation or publication where feasible.
Our team is consistently involved in a wide range of research and publications. Explore a selection of our teams academic contributions:
Rare and complex cases
The service manages a broad case mix across cervical and vulval disease, including pre-cancerous abnormalities of the cervix (CIN), abnormal cervical appearances seen in primary care, pre-cancerous abnormalities of the vulva (VIN), vulval skin conditions such as lichen sclerosus and lichen planus, dermatological vulval problems, and vulvodynia.
Complexity for visiting clinicians to observe may include assessment of abnormal cervical smear results, colposcopic biopsy and documentation, surveillance decisions, outpatient treatment planning, joint gynaecology-dermatology input for vulval disease, patient counselling about cancer risk and treatment implications, and post-treatment follow-up pathways.
Treatment exposure may include observation of outpatient treatment approaches such as LLETZ, laser ablation and cold coagulation/ball diathermy, subject to clinic configuration, consent, governance and the visitor’s approved scope.
You will have the opportunity to learn from a broad range of rare and complex presentations. Your experience will reflect current clinical activity, your approved role and patient consent, and may include:
• Discuss severe acute colitis and complex inpatient decision-making.
• Develop your approach to treatment-refractory Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including loss of response or intolerance across several advanced therapies.
• Contribute to joint medical-surgical planning for stricturing, penetrating, perianal and postoperative Crohn’s disease.
• Experience of IBD-associated dysplasia, complex surveillance findings and shared discussions about cancer risk.
• Broaden your knowledge of pouch disorders, including pouchitis and Crohn’s-like disease of the pouch.
• Learn from patients with intestinal failure or complex nutritional needs and see how specialist teams coordinate their care.
• Explore the management of IBD in pregnancy, transition from paediatric care, frailty, multimorbidity, malignancy risk and extra-intestinal manifestations.
Why Manchester?
Manchester is a city of innovation and progress, renowned as the world’s first industrial city and still leading in science, healthcare, and technology. With excellent transport links and a vibrant, multicultural atmosphere, it offers an inclusive environment for learning and professional growth.
Beyond your placement, Manchester offers something for everyone - from watching the iconic Manchester derby to exploring world-class museums and galleries. With vibrant music, sport, and culture, the city truly has it all. Combining heritage and modernity, it creates a unique setting for personal enrichment and memorable experiences whilst you develop professionally.
Our signature programmes
Observership
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
You will follow a focused, fully observational programme built around your agreed learning objectives. You will be able to observe clinical practice and multidisciplinary working, while remaining outside independent patient care, prescribing and procedures.
Objectives
By the end of the placement, the visiting professional should be able to:
- You will understand how a large, multi-site IBD service is organised and governed, and how every member of the multidisciplinary team contributes to high-quality care.
- You will strengthen your assessment of complex IBD by bringing together clinical, biochemical, endoscopic, radiological and histopathological information.
- You will build confidence in presenting cases clearly at an IBD MDT and turning multidisciplinary recommendations into a well-documented management plan.
- You will develop an evidence-based approach to selecting, monitoring and optimising advanced IBD therapies, including safe practice and effective patient counselling.
- You will recognise when surgical, nutritional, psychological, obstetric or other specialist expertise can enhance a patient’s care.
- You will deepen your understanding of high-quality IBD endoscopy, including disease assessment and dysplasia surveillance. If you join as a fellow, you may also develop procedural competence through an agreed and appropriately supervised training plan.
- You will have the opportunity to design or contribute to a research, audit or quality-improvement project and share its findings with others.
- You will reflect on how relevant elements of the MFT service model could be adapted safely and effectively within your home health system.
Eligibility
- The visiting professional must have sufficient English language skills to engage meaningfully in the scheme.
- Recommended speciality fit: demonstrable commitment to gastroenterology and IBD through clinical experience, audit, research, teaching or service improvement.
Fellowship
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
You will undertake a longer, supervised placement designed for an appropriately qualified clinician who has completed all employment, GMC, occupational health, immigration and governance requirements. Your clinical activity will develop in line with your competence and agreed objectives. As the host of the Greater Manchester spoke of the North West Endoscopy Academy, MFT may also support your assessment and progress towards accreditation for UK endoscopy practice when this is appropriate to your stage of training.
Objectives
By the end of the placement, the visiting professional should be able to:
- Develop advanced expertise in the assessment and management of complex inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), integrating clinical, biochemical, endoscopic, radiological and histopathological findings to guide patient care.
- Gain experience managing patients across the full IBD pathway, including diagnosis, disease monitoring, treatment escalation, management of complications, and long-term follow-up.
- Build confidence in leading discussions at multidisciplinary team meetings, critically evaluating evidence, and translating recommendations into comprehensive, patient-centred management plans.
- Develop an evidence-based approach to the initiation, optimisation and monitoring of advanced IBD therapies, including biologics and small molecules, while strengthening your skills in patient counselling, safety monitoring and shared decision-making.
- Deepen your understanding of the multidisciplinary management of IBD, working closely with colorectal surgeons, specialist nurses, dietitians, psychologists, radiologists, pathologists and other specialist teams to deliver holistic care.
- Enhance your expertise in diagnostic and therapeutic lower gastrointestinal endoscopy, including disease assessment, dysplasia surveillance and the role of endoscopy in treatment planning. Fellows undertaking endoscopy training may develop procedural competence through an agreed and appropriately supervised programme.
- You will gain insight into the leadership, governance and organisation of a large tertiary IBD service and reflect on how elements of the service model could be adapted and implemented within your own healthcare system.
Eligibility
- Postgraduate Qualification: Applicants must hold an overseas-recognised postgraduate medical qualification (MD, MS, Masters) in the relevant specialty.
- Experience: Minimum of 3 years’ recent experience in the specialty or a related specialty within the last 5 years, including at least 12 months of continuous practice before applying.
- Training Level: Equivalent to ST5 or above, or post-CCT clinicians seeking subspecialty exposure.
- Language Proficiency: IELTS Academic with 7.0 in each band and overall 7.5, or OET Medicine with Grade B in all domains, with certificate valid within 24 months.
- Registration: GMC registration is required for clinical fellowship activity. Sponsorship support may be available through approved routes where applicable.
- Applicants should normally have experience equivalent to a final-year gastroenterology trainee or recently accredited specialist, with appropriate general gastroenterology and endoscopy experience.
- MRCP(UK) or an accepted equivalent postgraduate qualification
- Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and communicate sensitively with patients and colleagues.
- For fellows seeking hands-on endoscopy: an up-to-date procedure log, evidence of relevant competencies and agreement to an individual supervised training plan.