• Job Description

  Req#: C9179-25-0254?language=en&page=1185&sort=publicationDateDesc

  Job summary

  Consultant in Geriatrics & Acute Frailty Medicine - Shape the Future of Frailty Care!

  Join our pioneering Care of the Elderly team at West Suffolk Hospital, where innovation meets compassionate care. This is an opportunity to lead transformative change in frailty care both regionally and nationally

  What We Offer:

  • Inpatient Geriatrics Ward: Oversee care on our 32-bed ward and develop the ward to have outstanding care for our frail populations
  • Acute Frailty Service: Conduct specialist assessments in ED, AAU, and SDEC (Monday-Friday, 9 AM-7 PM)
  • Community Impact: Collaborate with the Virtual Ward and community teams
  • Weekend Rounds: Participate in a 1 in 7 rotation (Saturday-Sunday, 8:30 AM-12:30 PM)

  Why Join Us?

  Frailty care is a top priority for our trust. Under new leadership, we are pioneering eFrailty Alerts, electronic clinical frailty scores, and patient-led pathways. By empowering patients, families, and healthcare professionals through education and innovation we are shifting away from traditional hospital-based care. Our approach fosters patient ownership of health, reduces ED waiting times, and delivers high-quality, person-centred frailty care. You will be working in Bury St Edmunds, a charming town in the heart of Suffolk with excellent transport links to Cambridge and London. You will be part of an expanding team, supported by Advanced Care Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and other medical professionals

  Interviews to be held on Thursday 14th August 2025

  Main duties of the job

  Key Responsibilities Include:

  • Conducting outpatient clinics in General Geriatric and Frailty Clinics.
  • Collaborating with Community teams to provide holistic, patient-centered care.
  • Participating in weekly MDT meetings to enhance service integrationReviewing older inpatients under other specialties.
  • Ward rounds on G4 and providing consultant support for Ward G4.
  • Supporting acute frailty and SDEC assessment, as well as active case management.
  • Taking part in a 1 in 7 weekend post-take ward round rotation.

  Please See Full Job Description attached for details

  About us

  #BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

  We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

  The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

  Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

  We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

  With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

  We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyone's voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

  Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

  Details

  Date posted

  29 May 2025

  Pay scheme

  Hospital medical and dental staff

  Grade

  Consultant

  Salary

  £105,504 to £139,882 a year Pro Rata Per Annum

  Contract

  Permanent

  Working pattern

  Full-time

  Reference number

  179-7245165-MSC

  Job locations

  West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

  Hardwick Lane

  Bury St. Edmunds

  IP33 2QZ

  
  

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  The Geriatric Department

  We are a team of geriatricians looking to expand our services further across the hospital and into the community to enable more older people to benefit from specialist geriatric assessment. We provide acute in-patient services on an elderly care ward, ortho-geriatric services, medical and surgical liaison services, front door assessment and out-patient clinics at the West Suffolk Hospital site. In addition, we provide a falls clinic at a community hospital in Sudbury and oversee care of intermediate care beds in the community hospital at Newmarket and in a nursing home in Bury St Edmunds.

  Our priorities for the next 2 years include the establishment of an acute frailty assessment unit to take direct admissions from the community, establishing falls and frailty clinics in peripheral sites, developing models of closer working with community matrons and advanced clinical practitioners in frailty to enable patients to receive comprehensive geriatric assessment closer to home, establishment of a virtual ward and using new technology to provide remote assessment of patients in care homes.

  This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of frailty care beyond traditional inpatient settings. Our Geriatricians work across hospital and community settingsor a combination of both playing a vital role in admission avoidance strategies for frail and elderly patients.

  Please See Full Job Description attached for details

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  The Geriatric Department

  We are a team of geriatricians looking to expand our services further across the hospital and into the community to enable more older people to benefit from specialist geriatric assessment. We provide acute in-patient services on an elderly care ward, ortho-geriatric services, medical and surgical liaison services, front door assessment and out-patient clinics at the West Suffolk Hospital site. In addition, we provide a falls clinic at a community hospital in Sudbury and oversee care of intermediate care beds in the community hospital at Newmarket and in a nursing home in Bury St Edmunds.

  Our priorities for the next 2 years include the establishment of an acute frailty assessment unit to take direct admissions from the community, establishing falls and frailty clinics in peripheral sites, developing models of closer working with community matrons and advanced clinical practitioners in frailty to enable patients to receive comprehensive geriatric assessment closer to home, establishment of a virtual ward and using new technology to provide remote assessment of patients in care homes.

  This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of frailty care beyond traditional inpatient settings. Our Geriatricians work across hospital and community settingsor a combination of both playing a vital role in admission avoidance strategies for frail and elderly patients.

  Please See Full Job Description attached for details

  Person Specification

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • Entry on the GMC specialist registers in General Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine or be eligible for entry (within six months of attaining Certificate of Completion of Training) at the time of interview and hold a licence to practice
  • Full GMC registration with a licence to practise
  • MBBS or equivalent

  Clinical Expertise

  Essential

  • Clinical training and experience equivalent to that required for gaining UK CCT in General/Geriatric Medicine.
  • Ability to offer expert clinical opinion on a range of problems in adult medicine
  • Ability to take full and independent responsibility for clinical care of patients

  Management and Administrative Experience

  Essential

  • Ability to manage and lead a multidisciplinary team
  • Ability to contribute to development of services
  • Experience of clinical governance
  • Ability and willingness to work within the Trust and NHS performance framework and targets

  Teaching Experience

  Essential

  • Experience of supervising junior trainees
  • Ability to teach clinical skills to students and trainees

  Desirable

  • Experience of teaching basic clinical skills to undergraduates
  • Experience of teaching other professional groups

  Research Experience

  Essential

  • Ability to apply research outcomes to clinical problems

  Desirable

  • Experience of conducting research projects
  • Publications in peer-reviewed journals

  Knowledge

  Essential

  • All applicants to have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English that are adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues which could be demonstrated by one of the following:- - PLAB 1 - PLAB 2 If applicants believe that they have adequate communication skills, but do not fit into one of the examples they need to provide evidence.

  Other Attributes

  Essential

  • Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team
  • Good inter-personal skills
  • Enquiring, critical approach to work
  • Caring attitude to patients
  • Ability to communicate effectively with patients, relatives, GPs, Nurses and other agencies
  • Commitment to Continuing Medical Education and the requirements of Clinical Governance and Audit

  Desirable

  • Ability to commute to rural areas.

  Person Specification

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • Entry on the GMC specialist registers in General Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine or be eligible for entry (within six months of attaining Certificate of Completion of Training) at the time of interview and hold a licence to practice
  • Full GMC registration with a licence to practise
  • MBBS or equivalent

  Clinical Expertise

  Essential

  • Clinical training and experience equivalent to that required for gaining UK CCT in General/Geriatric Medicine.
  • Ability to offer expert clinical opinion on a range of problems in adult medicine
  • Ability to take full and independent responsibility for clinical care of patients

  Management and Administrative Experience

  Essential

  • Ability to manage and lead a multidisciplinary team
  • Ability to contribute to development of services
  • Experience of clinical governance
  • Ability and willingness to work within the Trust and NHS performance framework and targets

  Teaching Experience

  Essential

  • Experience of supervising junior trainees
  • Ability to teach clinical skills to students and trainees

  Desirable

  • Experience of teaching basic clinical skills to undergraduates
  • Experience of teaching other professional groups

  Research Experience

  Essential

  • Ability to apply research outcomes to clinical problems

  Desirable

  • Experience of conducting research projects
  • Publications in peer-reviewed journals

  Knowledge

  Essential

  • All applicants to have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English that are adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues which could be demonstrated by one of the following:- - PLAB 1 - PLAB 2 If applicants believe that they have adequate communication skills, but do not fit into one of the examples they need to provide evidence.

  Other Attributes

  Essential

  • Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team
  • Good inter-personal skills
  • Enquiring, critical approach to work
  • Caring attitude to patients
  • Ability to communicate effectively with patients, relatives, GPs, Nurses and other agencies
  • Commitment to Continuing Medical Education and the requirements of Clinical Governance and Audit

  Desirable

  • Ability to commute to rural areas.

  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).

  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 (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).

  Employer details

  Employer name

  West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

  Hardwick Lane

  Bury St. Edmunds

  IP33 2QZ

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.wsh.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

  Employer details

  Employer name

  West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

  Address

  West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

  Hardwick Lane

  Bury St. Edmunds

  IP33 2QZ

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.wsh.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

• About the company

  National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.

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