Consultant in Geriatric Medicine

Job responsibilities

The Royal Sussex County Hospital is undergoing major redevelopment, with the Geriatric medicine wards a key part of the new 3Ts project which is taking shape before our eyes and expected to open in 2023. The department is very excited about this massive improvement in facilities for our staff and patients. More information can be found here: https://www.bsuh.nhs.uk/about-us/hospital-redevelopment/about-the-redevelopment/

We have a very strong relationship with the Friends of Brighton and Hove Hospitals and have worked with them on a £100,000 project Small Acts of Friendship which has positively transformed the patient experience on our wards. More information can be found here: https://www.brightonhospitalfriends.org.uk/support-us/donations/small-acts-of-friendship/

At RSCH our acute assessment unit has been reconfigured to be a true assessment unit, with an aim for patients to stay on the Unit for 24 hours or less and for their care to be provided by the acute medical team and acute frailty team.

At PRH the acute frailty model is under development and in pilot phase. It will be fully implemented when we have appointed to these new consultant roles.

The post holder would have their own desk space and computer in an office shared with other consultants in the department. They would have secretarial support and access to all Trust IT systems needed to do their job. We also offer peer-mentoring via our shared leadership model and shared office space, with regular formal and informal meetings where clinical, leadership or other work-related issues can be discussed with colleagues across both sites. We also meet regularly with colleagues from all sites including RSCH, PRH, Worthing, Chichester and Newhaven for education and governance purposes.

We are a dynamic department and are rapidly developing the care of frail patients within our hospitals and with community services including virtual wards. We maintain a strong presence at the front door, and at RSCH have a system whereby one consultant will cover the daytime acute admissions for older patients throughout the week, sometimes with a second colleague supporting them on the acute floor. We have daily MDT board rounds on all wards and the acute assessment unit, working closely with the Integrated Discharge Team (IDT) and the acute medical team.

We care for patients across 5 specialist acute Geriatric medicine wards, including the Emerald Unit, an award-winning unit treating medical problems in patients with cognitive impairment. This will move to level 8 of the Louisa Martindale, across 3 wings in June 2023.

At PRH there are two Geriatric Medicine Wards, one incorporating the award winning Poynings dementia unit. There are plans to develop an acute frailty unit. We support inpatient rehabilitation for patients following discharge on Newhaven Ward at Newhaven Hospital, and at Uckfield community hospital.

On each site there is a Rapid Access Clinic for Older People (RACOP) which, due to its success, has been expanded to incorporate general outpatients for Geriatric medicine. With the opening of the Louisa Martindale Building RACOP RSCH will be moving to level 8 to be co-located with the short stay frailty ward and will be evolving into a Frailty SDEC. There are separate specialist clinics in Parkinsons disease on both sites.

The department works closely with colleagues in stroke medicine and orthogeriatrics and is developing surgical liaison services.

There is a strong research and education base through Academic departments at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, led by Professor Rajkumar, Dr Ali and Dr Levett. There are many opportunities to get involved with research (both quantitative and qualitative) and/or teaching and assessment of undergraduate students.

We have 1 session of SPA dedicated to CPD for each consultant, protected and supported by the trust executive team. There are weekly grand round and departmental education meetings to help achieve this. Our department education meetings happen every Thursday lunchtime and are a mixture of discussion of cases for learning, talks from experts and journal club. There are also numerous other opportunities for CPD across both sites, including RCP updates and other lectures and workshops via the medical school and educational/clinical supervision training. Other activities such as teaching, supervision and leadership roles will be assigned additional SPA time. The postholder will have 2 sessions of SPA, 1.5 of which are expected to be used for activities related to revalidation (including audit, CPD and appraisal).

The post holder accepts that they will also perform duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances at the request of the appropriate consultant, in consultation, where practicable, with their colleagues, both senior and junior. While it has been agreed between the professions that they will perform such duties, the Secretary of State stresses that additional commitments arising under this sub-section are exceptions and you should not be required to undertake work of this kind for prolonged periods or on a regular basis.

For a full job description with much more detail please see the attached document.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Basic medical qualification
• Member of Royal College of Physicians (UK) or equivalent
• Full GMC Registration with a licence to practice
• CCT in Emergency Medicine or equivalent (equivalence must be confirmed by GMC by date of interview
• Entry onto the GMC Specialist Register

Desirable

• Higher Degree (e.g. Masters, MD)

Clinical Skills and Experience

Essential

• Completed speciality training in geriatric and general medicine
• Can undertake a comprehensive geriatric assessment of an older person at consultant level
• Understanding of clinical risk management

Desirable

• Experience of a specialist area such as surgical liaison, parkinson's diseaseerience in other related specialties

Knowledge

Essential

• Appropriate level of clinical knowledge / up to date

Desirable

• Breadth of experience in and outside specialty

Organisation and Planning

Essential

• Experience and ability to work in multi-professional teams
• Understanding of: NHS / Clinical governance / Resource constraints.

Desirable

• Evidence of managerial skills: Achievements / Course attended

Teaching Skills

Essential

• Evidence of an interest and commitment to teaching

Desirable

• Recognised teaching qualification

Academic and Research

Essential

• Evidence of participation in audit

Desirable

• Research experience
• Publications
• Prizes and honours

Career Progression

Essential

• Appropriate progression of career to date

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Evidence of:- Good communication skills both oral and written

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).