Consultant in Geriatric and General Internal Medicine

at  Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

This is a Consultant in Frailty appointment anticipated to commence as soon as possible. This 10PA post with GIM on calls will be based flexibly across both St Helier Hospital and the place of Sutton, and will support the further development of integrated services for people with frailty. Expertise in any sub-speciality, which enhances the Trust’s reputation, would also be desirable.
Expertise or a desire to develop sub specialty interest including Orthogeriatrics, Parkinson’s disease (working in conjunction with the Neurology team), dementia, falls, frailty, surgical liaison or elderly syncope (for which the Trust has a tilt table service) is particularly welcomed.
We are looking to recruit Consultants in Geriatric Medicine to join our already established team at St Helier, with a specialist interest in developing cross-system integrated frailty services. The work model is centred on the Sutton ‘place’ and will comprise a split in clinical time, delivering care both at the ‘front door’ and specialist short stay areas of the St Helier’s Hospital site as well as into the community setting working directly both with the Sutton Health and Care @Home service which provides rapid response MDT services and also with the wider proactive MDT services being developed through the four Primary Care Networks of Sutton.
AAC Interview Date: Friday 16th May 2025
Main Responsibilities and Duties
1. To show dynamism, enthusiasm and flexibility in participating in the reshaping of acute frailty services at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust and within the community of the London Borough of Sutton.
2. To help provide a first class clinical service to all people with frailty.
3. To provide high quality leadership and support to staff, allied health care professionals, and Trust management and support staff in the Emergency Department, Acute Medical Unit/Hub, Frailty Short Stay Unit (OPSSU), and community.
4. To lead and support the multi-disciplinary team with complex discharge planning.
5. To support and sustain teaching and research where possible in relevant clinical areas.
6. To work within the framework of applicable Trust policies, procedures, and clinical governance framework.
7. To work within contractual requirements, and in support of applicable Trust clinical development frameworks, business plans, and development strategies.
St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George’s Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).
After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.
Principal Duties of the Post
The principal duty of this post is to provide a comprehensive clinical service to patients.
1. To at all times, comply with the GMC’s guidance on ‘Good Medical Practice’ as amended or substituted from time to time.
2. To ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times.
3. To undertake duties as defined within the attached job plan in so far as practicable and in agreement with your Divisional Medical Director.
4. To be responsible and managerially accountable for the reasonable and effective use of Trust resources that you use and influence, and professionally accountable to the Medical Director.
5. On commencement to ensure personal attendance at the Trust’s corporate Induction (or arranged Consultant Induction).
6. To participate in the Trust’s Statutory & Mandatory training programme.
7. To be responsible for the Clinical Management of in and out patients under your care.
Clinical
1. To share in the organisation and provision of high quality clinical care for people with frailty within the Trust
2. To assess and review people with frailty within the setting of the Medical Assessment Hub, Acute Medical Unit, CDU, ED, OPSSU and in the community when required
3. To facilitate the early discharge of patients if clinically appropriate, by using where necessary, community teams
4. To actively participate and be engaged in daily multidisciplinary team meetings
5. To provide senior support and input into clinical decisions taken by junior medical staff
6. To ensure the provision of accurate and timely communication between the Acute Medical Unit, other units within the Trust (including critical care), and in primary or intermediate care settings
7. To work to provide smooth, timely and appropriate transfer of patients to appropriate settings within the Trust and local community
8. To participate in the development and implementation of care pathways for older patients presenting with frailty to the acute hospital
9. To participate in the out of hours medical on-call rota at evenings and weekends (the intensity is site dependent), such on-call including assuming clinical responsibility for the care of all medical patients within the Trust (including those outside of the Acute Medical Unit)
Teaching & Training
1. To share responsibility with other Consultants for the recruitment, appointment and supervision of junior medical staff in accordance with Trust policies.
2. To devote time on a regular basis for teaching and training of junior medical staff, contributing as appropriate to post-graduate and continuing medical education.
3. To devote time, through agreement on a regular basis for teaching and training of medical students as part of agreed teaching arrangements with the Foundation School.
Management & Governance
1. To be responsible for the management, appraisal and discipline of junior doctors who are attached to you, after taking appropriate advice, where appropriate.
2. To maintain personal and professional development. The post holder will be expected to register with their respective Royal College for the purpose of CME/CPD and to fulfil the requirements of that registration.
3. To provide advice, as required to the Executive and Trust board, General Practitioners and other interested parties, on the provision of planning of clinical services locally, regionally and nationally in keeping with confidentiality agreements relating to Trust business.
4. To co-operate in the present framework agreement of management arrangements.
5. To fully participate in Clinical Governance arrangements across the Trust including participation in clinical audit, research (where appropriate), pursuing an agreed agenda with colleagues and the Trust Board and fully co-operating in implementing the results in order to achieve best practice.
6. To participate, on at least an annual basis in consultant appraisal and job planning reviews.
7. To comply with Trust policies and procedures where appropriate.
8. To ensure that all intellectual property rights of the Trust are observed

Please refer the Job description for details