Bridging organisations for better care – the consultants working collaboratively across UCLH and Whittington Health

Intensive care doctor, James Goddin, has held a dual consultant post across UCLH and Whittington Health since March 2024. He believes that this unique role is helping to improve patient care through better joint working.  

“I’d always wanted to work at the Whittington,” James reflects. “It’s a smaller hospital with a strong sense of community - where you know people by name and build relationships quickly. That kind of environment is ideal for driving meaningful change.” 

However, James’ commitment to regional critical care, shaped in part by his experience coordinating patient transfers during the COVID-19 pandemic, led him to seek a role that could span both local and specialist care settings. UCLH offered opportunities to contribute beyond the bedside - particularly in areas such as quality improvement, education, and system-wide planning. 

Today, James divides his time between Whittington Health and UCLH, practising intensive care medicine in both. He has also recently been appointed as clinical lead for critical care at the Whittington. “Most consultants are based in one hospital and may occasionally support another,” he explains. “This is different - I’m clinically embedded in both organisations, which improves collaboration and can often allow me to follow the entire patient journey.” 

In several instances, he has treated patients at Whittington, identified the need for specialist services available only at UCLH, facilitated their transfer, and then received them as the consultant at UCLH’s critical care unit. “It’s serendipitous, but incredibly powerful,” he says. “You gain deep insight into the arc of care, and that helps improve outcomes.” 

Beyond individual cases, James’ dual role also helps to share best practice between the two organisations’ departments. “Hospitals often operate in silos,” James explains. “Being part of both teams allows us to share learning and good practice - whether it’s clinical protocols, patient safety strategies, or family engagement models.”  

Challenges remain, particularly around visibility and perception. “It’s important to be present in both places and to demonstrate the value of the role,” he acknowledges.  

James hopes that his experience will inspire similar roles for other staff including nurses and resident doctors. “We need to make it easier for staff to move between trusts, learn new skills, and grow professionally. It’s also vital for workforce resilience - offering flexibility helps retain talent.” 

Dr Yasmin Jamil is an acute medicine consultant at Whittington Health and is also co-lead of the North Central London Maternal Medicine Network which provides specialist care for pregnant women with medical conditions. Yasmin is contracted to work at both UCLH and Whittington Health, and also supports maternal medicine teams at the other hospitals in NCL. She plays a pivotal role in ensuring that both mothers and babies receive the highest standard of care - regardless of where they live. 

“Maternal medicine is about supporting women with complex medical conditions during pregnancy to make sure that both mum and baby thrive,” Yasmin explains. “I work with doctors and midwives at all the hospitals in north central London to care for women during pregnancy and after the baby has been born.” 

“Where possible we try and make sure that care can be delivered as close to home as possible – ideally in mum’s local maternity unit, but sometimes when women need more specialist care, we will bring them to the NCL maternal medicine centre at University College Hospital”, Yasmin adds.  

Working at two NHS trusts, and supporting clinical teams at other hospitals, makes for a busy working week for Yasmin. But it’s also about creating a culture of shared learning and mutual support among clinicians. 

Yasmin says that she thrives on the challenges and opportunities that this brings. “Ultimately my role is about improving care and outcomes for women and their babies. But, beyond this, I find working across organisations and with different teams of clinicians really rewarding. It allows us to learn from each other and combine our expertise to improve patient care.” 

“It’s a new way of working,” she concludes. “And I believe it’s just the beginning.”