An exciting opportunity has arisen for 12 month fixed term/ locum Consultant Geriatrician positions to join our exciting and rapidly expanding Geriatrics and Frailty Team. This post is fixed term for 1 year with intention to move to a substantive position.

The post holder's primary duty will be to enhance the integrated frailty service and be involved in providing reactive and proactive care across the acute and community areas.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and innovative professional to join a growing team of Geriatricians with varying interests and skills to enhance and develop our current service provision. The Department currently provides specialist services for acute frailty, falls, dementia, orthogeriatrics and has introduced 2 frailty units across both sites. The Trust is keen to develop an outstanding geriatric service and is looking for a highly motivated and innovative physician to supplement the present team.

As a Consultant joining BHRUT you will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the department which consists of the 2 frailty units and 8 Acute Elderly Wards.

Teaching and development of medical students and trainees is an integral part of the role as well as participation in research and audit activities in the department. Duties may also include teaching, lectures or workshops for other departments, nurses, GPs and others.

Main duties of the job

Locum Consultant Geriatrician

The post holder will have a base ward in one of the Acute Elderly Units and will be supported and responsible for the supervision of junior medical staff including trainees. The successful post holder will be supported to undertake formal training in educational supervision.

In addition to acute elderly ward the successful post holder will also participate in the Acute Frailty Unit to deliver early comprehensive geriatric assessments and management of our elderly care admissions to ED. The Acute Frailty Unit functions as a medical assessment unit specific for older patients. There is a full dedicated MDT and junior medical support. There is a morning and afternoon MDT board round handover followed by medical review of frailty unit patients. All patients on the frailty unit have their care led by the geriatricians on duty and specialist referrals are well serviced by visiting specialties including cardiology, haematology, etc as needed.

The post holder will contribute to the development of the Frailty Service establishing an effective multi-disciplinary team to provide early comprehensive geriatric assessment and management to meet the needs of frail older patients at BHRUT.

The post holder will build on the existing good relationships with primary and community care services so that frail, older people have risk factors identified and can be signposted to services that will support them to maintain their independence.

About us

We take PRIDE in everything we do, our five core values reflect that PRIDE. We work hard to provide outstanding care to our community, delivered with PRIDE.

Our PRIDE values of Passion; Responsibility; Innovation; Drive and Empowerment inspire us and keep our patients at the heart of everything we do.

The Geriatrics Division has undergone major transformation over the last few years. Service transformation and innovation works are continuing, and we are striving to give the best care available nationally to our expanding, and increasingly elderly population.

The Geriatrics and Frailty Division currently manage approximately 240 beds across Queens and King George Hospital and the Trust discharges approximately 1,600 patients from our Elderly Care Wards per year across both sites.

The Division is constantly innovating and developing new services which include :-

• Front Door Frailty Units across both sites
• Frail and Older Peoples Advisory & Liaison Service (FOPALS)
• Ortho-geriatric Service
• Community treatment team (CTT)
• Redbridge (CCT) March 2022
• Integrated Case Management (ICM)
• Dementia Service
• Inpatient rehabilitation
• Acute elderly wards
• General and specialist outpatient clinics including dementia, delirium and falls 

Our major sites - King George Hospital in Ilford and Queen's Hospital in Romford - are in excellent locations, less than 30 minutes from Central London, easily accessible to the coast, and the Essex countryside.

Job description
Job responsibilities

The key duties and responsibilities of the post will be: 

• Professional supervision of junior medical staff including to provide clinical and educational supervision and training
• Provision with Consultant colleagues of a service to the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, with responsibility for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness, and the proper functioning of the department. 
• An active part in the educational programmes for junior medical staff, including formal teaching sessions and clinical audits/QIP relevant to the needs of the service and Acute Elderly Units.
• Issuing clinical advice to GPs including advice on admission to hospital or specialist referrals to outpatients or ambulatory care.
• Participate in relevant audit and quality assurance processes, including reviews of staffing requirements
• Out-of-hours responsibilities, including participation in the Care of the Elderly and General Medical Consultant rota
• Cover for colleagues annual leave and other authorised absences.
• Teaching responsibilities including to undergraduates.
• Participating in medical audit, QIP, Clinical Governance processes, and in Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
• Involvement in research (where applicable).
• A willingness to undertake additional professional responsibilities at local, regional or national levels.
• The post-holder must at all times carry out their duties with due regard to the Trusts Equal Opportunities Policy. A responsibility to ensure that all colleagues and patients receive the same treatment, care and attention, regardless of race, religion, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, age, sexuality or disability.
• A responsibility to work co-operatively with colleagues and to respect and value their contribution to patient care.
• It is the responsibility of all employees to maintain a safe and healthy environment for patients, visitors and staff. The post-holder is required to comply with the appropriate Health and Safety Policies as may be in force.
• It is the responsibility of the post-holder to ensure that all duties are carried out to the highest possible standard and in accordance with the current quality initiatives within the area of work.
• All staff that have access to, or transfer data, are responsible for that data and must respect confidentiality and comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998, in line with the Trusts policies. Such information should not be released without the consent of the patient, client, or staff member concerned unless required by a court order.
• The post-holder is responsible for data quality and complying with the policies, procedures and accountability arrangements throughout the Trust for maintaining accuracy and probity in the recording of the Trusts activities.
• The post-holder will be required to comply with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in line with Trust policy.
• The post-holder is required to comply with Trust policy on the implementation of Working Time Regulations (1998, 2009 amendment) including declaration of hours worked and breaks taken by undertaking monitoring exercises when required, and reporting any instances where the pattern of working hours may constitute a health and safety risk to the post-holder, patients, public and other Trust employees. The post-holder will not be subjected to any unlawful detriment by reporting any concerns under the Regulations.
• The post-holder will be responsible for undertaking the administrative duties associated with the care of patients and the administration of the department.
• The post-holder will be required to participate in the annual appraisal process.
• The post-holder will be required to complete annual updates in mandatory training.
• Travel as necessary between hospitals/clinics will be required but a planned and cost effective approach will be expected
• Any other duties that may be required from time to time.
• The post-holder must comply with all aspects of confidentiality, professional codes of conduct, Trusts Staff Charter and the NHS Managers Code of Conduct.
• The successful candidate will have continuing responsibility, at all times for the care of his/her patients and where necessary be in charge of patients of Consultant colleagues and to supervise their Junior Medical Staff to ensure the proper functioning of the departments.
• Provide medical leadership and professional accountability for the patients on under his/her care.
• Work within the multidisciplinary team to ensure effective team working on the Elderly wards in the provision of acute medical care to patients on the unit and other specialty areas. 

These duties are subject to review from time to time in light of the changing requirements of the service. If alterations to the described duties are required, these will be mutually agreed between the post holder, Clinical Lead and Divisional Director.

Upon appointment you will also become a member of our Senior Medical Staff Committee

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential  

• Sufficient experience at consultant level working in Medicine
• Full registration with the General Medical
• Completion of 12 years Medical work since obtaining primary Medical Qualification

Desirable 

• Presentations or papers in Geriatrics and Frailty or sub specialty
• Shows ability to work with and lead others across professions
• Development of evaluations / audit /protocols / clinical improvement initiatives 

BMJ Ref: BMJ-108942/162-0515-AA-F