Job summary
As a Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist working for Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust you will be responsible for ensuring that our service users' needs are met through the delivery of high quality care.
As a leader of the outpatient multi-disciplinary team at the South Sefton Neighbourhood Centre in Waterloo, Liverpool, you will manage the community mental health team and Memory service, providing clinical care to service users who have been referred for older adults mental health care and specialist cognitive assessment.
You will work closely with a wide range of clinical and professional disciplines in order to deliver holistic care by completing assessments of new referrals to the team, making formulations and managing their treatment in order to optimise the quality of life of the service users under your caseload.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be the Responsible Clinician for patients in their caseload within the Community Mental Health Team and Memory Service. There are allocated GP surgeries for each caseload within the service and these are allocated to ensure equity in terms of number of referrals. In line with New Ways of Working, the post holder will provide a consultative, supervisory and supportive role to the multidisciplinary team's work. They will take an active part in the clinical work of the team and a lead role in the development of the service. The post holder will be expected to provide leadership to the Team whose role is to provide assessment, management and support to older adults who have been referred for assessment of cognitive function and functional mental disorders. Practitioners within the team will support access to services in a timely manner, as well as ensure arrangements are in place to enhance smooth pathways between primary care and secondary services. The post holder will be enabled to work in a consultative manner, being accessible to team members, GP and primary care staff, patients and carers, for the provision of expert advice and interventions in a timely manner. The post holder will operate within multi-disciplinary integrated and co-located teams, which including Health staff and Social services staff. The post holder will be expected to be part of the allocation procedure within the team and be responsive and flexible to the needs of the team
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The overall pathway for the older adult service at SSNC is as below:
- All referrals are added to the Assessment pathway upon receipt. The initial assessment is completed by medics within the team.
- Once the initial assessment has been completed then each case is transferred to either the Memory Clinic (for confirmed diagnoses of dementia which require ongoing follow up and monitoring for trials of memory medication), the CMHT (for more complex/functional cases which require more regular/closer monitoring), or the Care Home Liaison Team if the patient is a care home resident and requires ongoing monitoring.
- Referrals are received from the GP/first response service/other medical specialty and is triaged by the post holder who may request additional information, decline the referral or accept it and consequently offer an appointment.
- For cognitive assessments, once the initial assessment is completed by the postholder or their trainee medic, if a diagnosis of dementia is confirmed and treatment is commenced the patient will be booked in for Memory Team review at 11 weeks, 3 months and then 6 monthly thereafter. Any confirmed diagnoses of Mild Cognitive Impairment are discharged from the service with appropriate advice. If further investigations are required these are requested prior to commencing treatment.
- For functional patients, referrals are received from other CMHTs/GP/first response service. Referrals are triaged by the postholder and, if deemed suitable for assessment, an appointment is arranged either in outpatient clinic or for a domiciliary visit and, if appropriate, a Care Coordinator will be assigned from the team.
The over-65 catchment population in the Sefton area as a whole is 64,032. The area covered by the advertised post includes the areas of Maghull and Crosby with the combined total over-65 population for the advertised post being approximately 25,068 according to the latest figure provided by the Integrated Care Board. The annual number of referrals to SSNC was 630 between October 2022 and October 2023. The current total caseload is 773 with 40 of these being under the Assessment team, 571 in the Memory Team, 136 under the Community Mental Health Team and 26 in the Care Home Liaison Team.
Core Trainees in Psychiatry and Higher Trainees in Old Age Psychiatry (or Dual Higher Trainees in Old Age & General Adult Psychiatry) are usually placed with the Community Older Adults Mental Health Service at South Sefton Neighbourhood Centre (SSNC). The post holders MDT is usually assigned a Core Trainee in Psychiatry and the other MDT based at SSNC, led by Dr Sudip Sikdar, is assigned a Higher Trainee.
Please see job description for further details.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The overall pathway for the older adult service at SSNC is as below:
- All referrals are added to the Assessment pathway upon receipt. The initial assessment is completed by medics within the team.
- Once the initial assessment has been completed then each case is transferred to either the Memory Clinic (for confirmed diagnoses of dementia which require ongoing follow up and monitoring for trials of memory medication), the CMHT (for more complex/functional cases which require more regular/closer monitoring), or the Care Home Liaison Team if the patient is a care home resident and requires ongoing monitoring.
- Referrals are received from the GP/first response service/other medical specialty and is triaged by the post holder who may request additional information, decline the referral or accept it and consequently offer an appointment.
- For cognitive assessments, once the initial assessment is completed by the postholder or their trainee medic, if a diagnosis of dementia is confirmed and treatment is commenced the patient will be booked in for Memory Team review at 11 weeks, 3 months and then 6 monthly thereafter. Any confirmed diagnoses of Mild Cognitive Impairment are discharged from the service with appropriate advice. If further investigations are required these are requested prior to commencing treatment.
- For functional patients, referrals are received from other CMHTs/GP/first response service. Referrals are triaged by the postholder and, if deemed suitable for assessment, an appointment is arranged either in outpatient clinic or for a domiciliary visit and, if appropriate, a Care Coordinator will be assigned from the team.
The over-65 catchment population in the Sefton area as a whole is 64,032. The area covered by the advertised post includes the areas of Maghull and Crosby with the combined total over-65 population for the advertised post being approximately 25,068 according to the latest figure provided by the Integrated Care Board. The annual number of referrals to SSNC was 630 between October 2022 and October 2023. The current total caseload is 773 with 40 of these being under the Assessment team, 571 in the Memory Team, 136 under the Community Mental Health Team and 26 in the Care Home Liaison Team.
Core Trainees in Psychiatry and Higher Trainees in Old Age Psychiatry (or Dual Higher Trainees in Old Age & General Adult Psychiatry) are usually placed with the Community Older Adults Mental Health Service at South Sefton Neighbourhood Centre (SSNC). The post holders MDT is usually assigned a Core Trainee in Psychiatry and the other MDT based at SSNC, led by Dr Sudip Sikdar, is assigned a Higher Trainee.
Please see job description for further details.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- MbChb, MBBS or equivalent
Desirable
- Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management
- Additional Qualifications
- Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent
- Undertaken 'Train the Trainer' and 'Equality and Diversity' Training
Transport
Essential
- Holds valid UK driving licence and will use own car for work related travel OR provides evidence of proposed alternative
Registration
Essential
- Full registration with General Medical Council
- Inclusion on or eligible for inclusion on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council or within 6 months of CCST/CCT or equivalent in Old age Psychiatry at date of interview
- Section 12 (2) Approval + Approved Clinician Status or demonstrated ability to gain approval
Desirable
- In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Excellent clinical knowledge in specialty
- Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
- Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty
- Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others
- Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA
Desirable
- Experience in working previously in similar roles at a relevant level.
- Training or worked as a DoLs assessor
- Experience in management and service development
- Knowledge and use of IT systems
Academic Skills & Lifelong Learning
Essential
- Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
- Participated in continuous professional development
- Participated in research or service evaluation
- Able to use and appraise clinical evidence
- Has actively participated in clinical audit.
Desirable
- Able to plan and deliver teaching and training relevant to this post
- Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
- Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.
- Has led clinical audits leading to service change.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- MbChb, MBBS or equivalent
Desirable
- Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management
- Additional Qualifications
- Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent
- Undertaken 'Train the Trainer' and 'Equality and Diversity' Training
Transport
Essential
- Holds valid UK driving licence and will use own car for work related travel OR provides evidence of proposed alternative
Registration
Essential
- Full registration with General Medical Council
- Inclusion on or eligible for inclusion on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council or within 6 months of CCST/CCT or equivalent in Old age Psychiatry at date of interview
- Section 12 (2) Approval + Approved Clinician Status or demonstrated ability to gain approval
Desirable
- In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Excellent clinical knowledge in specialty
- Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
- Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty
- Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others
- Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA
Desirable
- Experience in working previously in similar roles at a relevant level.
- Training or worked as a DoLs assessor
- Experience in management and service development
- Knowledge and use of IT systems
Academic Skills & Lifelong Learning
Essential
- Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
- Participated in continuous professional development
- Participated in research or service evaluation
- Able to use and appraise clinical evidence
- Has actively participated in clinical audit.
Desirable
- Able to plan and deliver teaching and training relevant to this post
- Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
- Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.
- Has led clinical audits leading to service change.
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.
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).
Additional information
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).
