Specialist Doctor in Elderly Medicine

Job responsibilities

This post is offered on a full time (10 PA) basis although less than full time applications will be considered. The post will complement our existing consultant workforce, and individuals will work cross-site, but the successful applicant will work predominantly at either Pinderfields or Dewsbury Hospital.

The Elderly Department within the Trust consists of 16 substantive Consultants. The Department is supported by Specialist Registrars, Trust Grade doctors, Core Medical Trainees, GP VTS Trainees, foundation doctors and Physician Associates. The post being offered to complement the existing workforce.

Clinical responsibilities will include:

Ward rounds and attendance at dedicated MDT meetings

Provision of specialist opinion

Participation in outpatient or virtual clinics or home visits

Participation in teaching and training

Regular audit, data collection and quality improvement work to ensure ongoing improvements in the care of frail older people occurs.

Maintain overview of all ward patients

Actively participating and facilitating discharges on the ward

Support and supervise junior doctors on the ward.

Liaise with Same Day Emergency Care ANPs if necessary.

Contribute to the electronic and verbal handover of patients

This post includes on-call responsibilities as part of a dedicated Elderly on-call rota together with the existing consultant workforce. Working arrangements currently consist of the following:

Scheduled evening duties 5pm 8pm Monday to Friday currently 1:10 seeing older patients (> 80yrs or > 65yrs from Care Homes or patients with frailty) admitted via the Acute Care of the Elderly Unit varies from one or two patients to five/six patients.

On-call weekends currently 1:8 8-hour resident on call seeing approximately 20-25 patients with the support of the registrar. 1 consultant on call at Dewsbury and District hospital and 2 at Pinderfields General Hospital.

Supporting Professional Activities in accordance with the Trust Framework, with a minimum of 1 SPA included in the core 10PA timetable. Additional SPA or DCC time may be commissioned in line with the skills of the successful candidate and changing requirements of the service.

Professional Registration

Essential

• Please state full GMC number
• Full Registration and a Licence to Practice with the General Medical Council OR be eligible for the same and have this prior to commencement

Qualifications

Essential

• Medical Degree from recognised medical school
• MRCP or equivalent

Desirable

• Prizes or Awards Achieved
• Audit or Case Presentations at a local, regional and national level
• Higher degree or qualifications such as a Masters

Professional Values and behaviours

Essential

• Practices within the professional values and behaviours expected of all doctors as set out in GMC Good Medical Practice and the Generic Professional Capabilities Framework including current licence to practice from the GMC Demonstrates the underpinning subject-specific competences i.e. knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to the role setting and scope
• Clinically evaluates and manages a patient, formulating a prioritised differential diagnosis, initiating an appropriate management plan, and reviewing and adjusting this depending on the outcomes of treatment
• Manages the difficulties of dealing with patients with 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
• Communicates effectively and is 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.
• Respects patients dignity, ensures confidentiality and appropriate communication where potentially difficult or where barriers exist e.g. using interpreter and making adjustments for patients with communication difficulties
• Demonstrates key generic clinical skills around the areas of concern, ensuring humane interventions, prescribing medicine safely and using medical devices safely.
• Adheres to professional requirements, participating in annual appraisal, job planning and reviews of performance and progression.
• Awareness of legal responsibilities relevant to the role, such as around mental capacity and deprivation of liberty data protection, equality and diversity.
• Applies basic principles of public health; including population health, promoting health and wellbeing, nutrition, exercise, vaccination and illness prevention.

Desirable

• Has personal insight into own strengths and weaknesses.
• Evidence of multidisciplinary team working
• Understanding and personal fit with Trust Values and Behaviours
• Demonstrates awareness of the current UK Healthcare system and the need to develop services in line with current policy

Leadership and Team Working

Essential

• Awareness of their leadership as a clinician and demonstrates appropriate leadership behaviour; managing situations that are unfamiliar, complex or unpredictable and seeking to build collaboration with, and confidence in, others.
• Demonstrates understanding of a range of leadership principles, approaches and techniques so can adapt leadership behaviours to improve engagement and outcomes appreciates own leadership style and its impact on others.
• Develops effective relationship across teams and contributes to work and success of these teams- promotes and participates in both multidisciplinary and inter-professional team working.
• Critically reflects on decision-making processes and explains those decisions to others in an honest and transparent way.
• Critically appraises performance of self, colleagues or peers and systems to enhance performance and support development.
• Demonstrates ability to challenge others, escalating concerns when necessary.
• Develops practice in response to changing population health need, engaging in horizon scanning for future developments.

Desirable

• Computer literate
• Specific educational interests and evidence of educational ideas or project work.

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

Essential

• Takes prompt action where there is an issue with safety or quality of patient care, raises and escalates concerns, through clinical governance systems, where necessary.
• Applies basic human factors principles and practice at individual, team, organisation and system levels.
• Collaborates with multidisciplinary and inter-professional teams to manage risk and issues across organisations and settings, with respect for and recognition of the roles of other health professionals.
• Advocates for, and contributes to, organisational learning.
• Seeks feedback and involvement from individuals, families, carers, communities and colleagues in safety and quality service improvement reviews.
• Leads new practice and service redesign in response to feedback, evaluation and need, promoting best practice.
• Evaluates and audits own and others clinical practice ad acts on the findings.
• Reflects on personal behaviour and practice, responding to learning opportunities.
• Implements quality improvement methods and repeats quality improvement cycles to refine practice; designing projects and evaluating their impact.
• Critically appraises and synthesises the outcomes of audit, inquiries, critical incidents, or complaints and implements appropriate changes.
• Engages with relevant stakeholders to develop and implement robust governance systems and systematic documentation processes.
• Disclosure + Barring Service (DBS) clearance

Desirable

• Has personal insight into own strengths and weaknesses.
• Evidence of multidisciplinary team working
• Understanding and personal fit with Trust Values and Behaviours
• Demonstrates awareness of the current UK Healthcare system and the need to develop services in line with current policy

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).