Specialist Doctor in Physical Healthcare

Job responsibilities

Teesside Learning Disability Services provide inpatient and community services for adults with a learning disability across Stockton, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland.

The role of a physical health doctor within the service is well established. This new post has been created to recognise the importance of physical healthcare within the service and the role of medical leadership in future service developments.

An inpatient service is provided at Bankfields Court, Middlesbrough. The service provides assessment and treatment for adults with a learning disability who have mental health problems, behaviours that challenge, autism and/or epilepsy.

A respite service is provided at Bankfields Court and Aysgarth for people with Profound & Multiple Learning Disabilities or significant behaviours that challenge.

The Trust operates a day service at Kilton View, Brotton, and provides nursing staff for an integrated day service with the Local Authority at The Orchard, Middlesbrough. Both day services provide care for people with Profound and Multiple Learning disabilities.

There are two community Learning Disability teams:

· Teesside North, based at Wessex House, Stockton & The Centre for Integrated Living, in Hartlepool.

· Teesside South, based at Flatts Lane, Middlesbrough.

There are three consultant psychiatrists working within the Directorate who cover different geographical areas:

· Dr Passmore – Middlesbrough

· Dr Selmes – Redcar & Cleveland

· Dr Amarasuriya – Stockton & Hartlepool

Core trainees in psychiatry are regularly attached to Dr Selmes and Dr Amarasuriya on a six-monthly rotational basis. Senior Learning Disability psychiatry trainees are intermittently placed with Dr Passmore for rotational periods of up to one year.

All the teams provide a full MDT, including psychiatrists, psychologists, community nurses, support workers, behavioural specialists, occupational therapists, dieticians, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and administrative staff.

The service has recently received significant investment into its health facilitation function and a new service model is currently in the process of development.

There is a need for a flexible approach to the pattern of working which may change from time to time in line with the demands from various areas of the service and needs of the population. Changes will not be made to a Specialist’s responsibilities without full consultation with the doctor concerned.

The Trust has a well-established appraisal system which is monitored by the Responsible Officer and the Trust Board.

A newly appointed Specialist will be encouraged to seek a mentor to support their development in their first year of appointment. The Trust has a trained group of mentors for the doctor to choose from.

All medical staff are expected to commit themselves to quality improvement and to learn about the Trust’s Quality Improvement System, working with their clinical team to improve services for patients using these quality improvement system tools. All medical staff undertake some training in Quality Improvement and new Specialists are expected to attend training within one year of appointment.

The post holder will have a role in supporting physical health care for patients who access the Trust’s service. This could involve membership of the Physical Health Group or task and finish groups relating to physical healthcare.

Undergraduate and postgraduate medical education within TEWV is highly regarded at a regional and national level and is organised through the Trust’s Medical Development Department. Medical students from 4 medical schools are taught within the Trust (Newcastle, Sunderland, Hull / York and Leeds medical schools). Consultants are encouraged to develop special interest sessions and elective placements in psychiatry for medical students (sometimes known as student selected components or SSCs). Training grade doctors at all grades are present within the Trust, from Foundation Year 1 doctors undertaking their first post to senior psychiatric registrars in their final year before appointment as a consultant. All Specialists are expected to make a contribution to the Trust’s postgraduate medical education work and the trust is committed to recognising educational activity time within the job planning process.

The Specialist may be appointed as Clinical or Educational Supervisor of Foundation, GP or Core trainees. There may also be opportunities to provide training to other disciplines and to provide supervision for non-medical prescribers.

Research is well-supported in the Trust, led by the Clinical Director of Research and Development, Professor David Ekers. Our priorities are to embed research access and participation in all areas of the Trust, and to drive forward a research-led improvement in the care we provide. Service user and carer involvement is strongly encouraged. We support our clinicians to win large-scale project and programme grants from NIHR and other funders, in collaboration with academic partners. We have strong links to the University of York: its Mental Health and Addiction Research Group led by Professor Simon Gilbody, is a leading UK centre of research excellence, with a global reputation for applying population science and delivering large-scale randomised trials. Honorary appointments will be sought for appropriate candidates.

We are a highly active partner in the NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria, recruiting to a number of important clinical trials in mental health and dementia, Research involvement is actively encouraged, with ample opportunity to develop this as part of a consultant job plan. Robust support is available from the R&D Team, including study approval and setup, costing for grant applications, mentoring for Principal Investigator roles and commercial trial involvement, and Clinical Study Officer support for trial recruitment. We have a large and supportive community of research-active clinical colleagues. Specialists must ensure all research is ethically approved and carried out within the Research Governance Framework.

The post holder will participate in the SAS doctor development programme and will be involved in the fortnightly Learning Disability Medical meeting which consists of a rolling programme of audit, case presentations and evidence-based medicine. The post holder will be expected to develop the teaching of physical health care to medical staff, nursing staff and other disciplines. There is an opportunity to teach Core Trainees who are on placement within the Trust.

The post holder will be expected to take a role in audit, service evaluation and clinical governance. There are potential opportunities to participate in research alongside colleagues within the Multi-Disciplinary Team.

General professional duties of post holder

Maintain good clinical records using Trust’s electronic record system

Undertake administrative duties associated with the care of patients

Record clinical activity accurately and comprehensively

Maintain a revalidation portfolio and participate in annual appraisal

Undertake a job plan review with the Clinical Director and Head of Service annually

Maintain professional registration with the GMC

Comply with Trust’s agreed policies and procedures

Leadership duties of post holder

The post-holder will:

Lead the development of services relating to Physical Health Care within the Teesside adult LD Services.

Support the development of a Tees Health Facilitation Service.

Provide senior clinical leadership of the multi-disciplinary team and be a member of supercells for the service

Contribute to service development

Contribute to clinical governance and responsibility for setting and maintaining standards

Demonstrate commitment to quality improvement

External duties, roles and responsibilities

The Trust actively supports the involvement of the Specialists in regional and national groups subject to discussion and approval with Medical Managers.

The post does not have any on-call commitments.

CLINICAL VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

Essential

• Able to demonstrate excellent clinical skills, knowledge and behaviours in the physical healthcare of people with learning disabilities
• Able to demonstrate excellent clinical communication skills showing empathy and sensitivity
• Able to share decision-making with patients, relatives and carers; treats patients as individuals, promoting a person-centred approach to their care, including self-management
• Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty in the care of patients; employing expertise and clinical decision making skills of a senior and independent/autonomous practitioner
• Critically reflects on own competence, understands own limits and seeks help when required.
• Person-centred and recovery focused
• Able to meet duties under legal duties e.g. under MCA

Desirable

• Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
• Evidence of expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of physical health conditions in people with Profound & Multiple Learning Disabilities

Qualifications

Essential

• MB BS or equivalent medical qualification

Desirable

• MRCGP or equivalent

Experience

Essential

• At least 12 years postgraduate experience, including at 6 years experience in the relevant specialty (or evidence to show equivalent experience)

Language and IT

Essential

• Able to demonstrate adequate skills in written/spoken English that enable effective communication with colleagues and service users

Desirable

• Able to use electronic records and use IT for email, internet and office software

ACADEMIC VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

Essential

• Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
• Participated in research or service evaluation.
• Able to use and appraise clinical evidence.
• Participated actively in clinical audit.
• Participated in and reflected on the purpose of continuous professional development

Desirable

• Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this post
• Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.
• Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications.
• Led clinical audits leading to service change.

PROFESSIONAL VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

Essential

• Able to show commitment to Trust values of respect, involvement and well-being
• Able to manage and prioritise workload and cope under pressure
• Able to work co-operatively both in a multi-disciplinary team and across teams and to delegate appropriately.
• Evidence of annual appraisal and commitment to appraisal and revalidation.
• Practices with the professional values and behaviours expected of all doctors as set out in GMC Good Medical Practice and the Generic Professional Capabilities Framework.
• Critically reflects on own competence, understands own limits and seeks help when required.
• Critically reflects on own decision-making processes and explains those decisions to others in an honest and transparent way
• Awareness of appropriate equality and diversity legislation in the context of patient care.

Eligibility

Essential

• Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment

Desirable

• In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice

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).