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 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 and this will invariably mean managing patients who have been detained under the Mental Health Act and therefore the post holder will require a sound knowledge of Mental Health Act law. This will include completing relevant mental health act documentation and completing 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 in order 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. They will take 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 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.

Job responsibilities
Regular reviews of inpatients to monitor the response to treatments will be required and the post holder will operate within multi-disciplinary integrated and co-located teams, which including Health staff and Social services staff. They will be expected to liaise closely with Social Services in order 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 whilst 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 assistant 2
• 1x Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist
• 1x Psychiatry Higher Trainee Doctor
• 1-2x Foundation/GP Trainee/Core Trainee Doctors
• 1x Ward Manager
• 2x Deputy Managers
• 1x Occupational Therapist
• 1x Physio
• Several Part Time Occupational Assistants

Please see job description for further details.

Person Specification

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

Transport
Essential

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

Qualification and Training
Essential

• MbChb, MBBS or equivalent
• Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent, 3 years higher professional training in Old age psychiatry

Desirable

• 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
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 decision 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

Desirable

• Able to plan and deliver teaching and training relevant to the post

Additional information
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.

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.