Consultant Psychiatrist in Older Adult - Dementia Inpatient Psychiatry

Job summary

The Older Adult and Frailty Division is seeking a Consultant Psychiatrist to work within the Lincoln Based Specialist Dementia Inpatient Assessment Unit at Witham Court. Witham Court provides a wide range of mental health services to Older People in Lincolnshire including memory assessment and management, community mental health services, out-patient clinics, in-patient services, and Intensive Home Treatment.

The Specialist Older Adult Inpatient Unit at Witham Court Lincoln comprises 2 wards - Langworth Ward (17 Bed Specialist Dementia In-patient Assessment Unit) and Brant Ward (18 Bed Acute Mental Health Unit for Functional Disorders). Both wards are supported by Intensive Home Treatment Teams that function as an alternative provision for acute care within the community rather than Hospital. The Home Treatment Teams also provide an in-reach function where they actively support the ward with early discharge function. There are currently 4 consultant psychiatrists (including the post holder) based at Witham Court working across the wards, the CMHTs and Intensive Home Treatment Teams. There are currently 3 ACPs undergoing training who will in due course provide additional clinical input and support the Older Adult Acute Care and Community Care Pathways.

Main duties of the job

The Post Holder's main day to day clinical role is to provide clinical leadership and consultant psychiatrist /RC input to the inpatient MDT covering Langworth Ward. The inpatient MDT on Langworth ward provides specialist interventions for people with severe dementia (regardless of age) for whom care in the community presents significant risk to patient or others. There will be some joint working and cross cover with an ACP and Consultant psychologist covering Langworth ward and the Dementia Home Treatment Team.

The post-holder will share clinical responsibility for managing patients with the ACP and Consultant psychologist. There is an emphasis on formulation-based management plans that rely on non-pharmacological interventions; although there is an acknowledgement that patients may require medication for severe and distressing behavioural problems that have not responded to non-pharmacological interventions. RC responsibility will be provided by the post holder except on days when the post holder is not contracted to work.

About us

Lincolnshire is the fourth largest county in England and runs from the Humber Estuary in the north to the Wash in the south with the counties of Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire in the west and coastline along the east, with a population of approximately 766,000. The County is mainly rural with the capital being the historic city of Lincoln. Lincolnshire boasts several grammar schools and OFSTED highly rated primary schools, as well as universities and colleges. There is easy access to London via rail (approx. 1 hr and 10 mins from Grantham to Kings Cross) and by road with via the A1 which runs through the county.

Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the principal provider of NHS mental health services, as well as providing some learning disability, autism and social care services across the county. We were one of the first foundation trusts to be established in the country. The Trust has an annual income of approximately £120m with around 2,800 staff spread across the 40+ locations. The Trust cares for around 53,000 patients a year and has around 200 inpatient beds across the Trust.