Consultant Psychiatrist - Old Age (Inpatients)

Consultant Psychiatrist - Old Age (Inpatients)

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 inpatient multi-disciplinary team at Dunes ward, Hartley Hospital, you will work in a state-of-the-art mental health facility, providing clinical care to older adults who require specialist inpatient care. You will work closely with a wide range of clinical and professional disciplines in order to deliver holistic care by completing assessments of new admissions to Dunes ward and managing their treatment and ensuring safe discharges back to the community.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for completing assessments and formulating treatment plans for service users admitted to Dunes ward from the community. Dunes ward is a 20-bedded primarily functional older adult complex care ward at the Hartley Hospital. As a substantive Old Age Psychiatry Consultant on Dunes ward, you will work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team. You will be the Responsible Clinician for patients admitted to Dunes ward, which will invariably mean managing patients who have been detained under the Mental Health Act. Therefore, the post holder will require a sound knowledge of Mental Health Act law, including completing relevant mental health act documentation and conducting capacity assessments as required.

The post holder will be expected to lead the multidisciplinary team at Dunes ward in an enthusiastic, supportive, and approachable manner to foster positive working relationships and morale of ward staff. The post holder will complete ward rounds throughout the week and provide clear communication and documentation in relation to assessment outcomes and management plans. They will also be expected to provide leadership and training to trainee doctors and medical students placed on Dunes ward, taking an active part in the clinical work of the team and a lead role in the development of the service.

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 (Halton, Warrington, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, and St Helens) and is 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, as well as 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 while safely reducing costs.

Job responsibilities

Regular reviews of inpatients to monitor the response to treatments will be required. The post holder will operate within multi-disciplinary integrated and co-located teams, including Health staff and Social Services staff. They will be expected to liaise closely with Social Services to ensure safe and timely discharge planning of inpatients and communicate promptly to primary care services by providing discharge summaries.

At times, patients who are under General Adult teams in the community may be admitted to Dunes ward if this is deemed the most appropriate place for them at the time due to circumstances with bed availability in the Trust. The post holder will be expected to provide inpatient care through assessment and treatment as required while such patients await transfer to more suitable inpatient units, if required.

The post holder will be responsible for the overall assessment, management, and safe discharge planning of inpatients on Dunes ward, working closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, including Social Services, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Primary Care.

The team composition is as follows:

• RMN Band 5 - 7.7 WTE
• HCAs Band 3 - 17.99 WTE
• 2 x Band 4 Nursing assistants
• 1 x Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist
• 1 x Psychiatry Higher Trainee Doctor
• 1-2 x Foundation/GP Trainee/Core Trainee Doctors
• 1 x Ward Manager
• 2 x Deputy Managers
• 1 x Occupational Therapist
• 1 x Physio
• Several Part-Time Occupational Assistants

Please see job description for further details.

Person Specification

Registration

• 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 the date of interview
• Section 12 (2) Approval + Approved Clinician Status or demonstrated ability to gain approval
• In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice

Transport

• Holds a valid UK driving licence and will use own car for work-related travel OR provides evidence of proposed alternative

Qualification and Training

• MbChb, MBBS or equivalent
• Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent, with 3 years of higher professional training in Old Age Psychiatry
• Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research, or management
• Additional Qualifications
• Undertaken 'Train the Trainer' and 'Equality and Diversity' Training

Clinical Skills, Knowledge, and Experience

• Excellent clinical knowledge in specialty
• Excellent clinical skills using a 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
• 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

• Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
• Able to plan and deliver teaching and training relevant to the post

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.

£105,504 to £139,882 a year per annum, 10% R&R (non-contractual) plus on-call.