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An opportunity is available for a Temporary Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine within an integrated older persons' service in Ireland.
The post is designed to provide clinical leadership and specialist expertise in the care of older people, with a strong focus on community-based geriatric medicine, rehabilitation, frailty and integrated care, while maintaining clinical links with acute hospital services.
The post is offered on the Public Only Consultants' Contract 2023 and comprises approximately:

• 80% Community Hospital and integrated care activity
• 20% acute hospital activity
• Clinical leadership and governance for community-based older persons' services
• In-reach activity supporting rehabilitation assessment and the Frailty Intervention Team

The service is part of a wider integrated healthcare region covering six counties and serving a population of approximately 800,000 people.

 

Main Duties of the Job

The Consultant Geriatrician will provide specialist geriatric medical input across community and acute care settings, with particular responsibility for:

• Providing clinical governance, leadership and specialist geriatric input across the Community Hospital service
• Managing older people with complex medical, functional, cognitive and social needs
• Leading Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA)
• Developing individualised care plans to optimise physical, cognitive, psychological and social wellbeing
• Supporting frailty, rehabilitation and restorative care services
• Facilitating timely clinical decision-making and discharge planning
• Supporting admission avoidance and early supported discharge
• Promoting independence, dignity and quality of life
• Supporting older people to remain living in their own communities wherever possible
• Providing specialist advice and support to GPs, Medical Officers and multidisciplinary teams
• Maintaining strong links between community and acute geriatric services
• Contributing to education, training, clinical governance, audit, research and service development.

Integrated Geriatric Medicine

The role is centred around an integrated model of care for older people, designed to provide the right care in the right setting and reduce avoidable hospital admissions and unnecessary institutionalisation.
The successful Consultant will work closely with:

• General Practitioners
• Medical Officers
• Psychiatry of Old Age
• Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons (ICPOP)
• Community Healthcare Networks
• Allied Health Professionals
• Nursing teams
• Social Care services
• Acute hospital colleagues

The role will also support end-to-end care pathways, helping patients transition safely between acute, community, residential, and home settings.

 

Service Development Responsibilities

The successful candidate will contribute to the continued development of integrated older persons' services, including:

• Developing integrated pathways across community, residential and acute care
• Supporting admission avoidance and early supported discharge
• Developing Community Geriatric Medicine clinics and outreach services
• Working with ICPOP, primary care and community services to strengthen integrated pathways
• Developing rehabilitation, frailty and ambulatory care services
• Supporting rapid-access assessment pathways
• Developing community-based interventions
• Participating in regional Networks of Care for Older Persons
• Contributing to service planning and quality improvement initiatives.

Clinical Responsibilities

The Consultant Geriatrician will:

• Provide consultant-led specialist Geriatric Medicine services.
• Lead Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment
• Provide specialist assessment, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management.
• Support complex older patients with medical, functional, cognitive and social needs.
• Provide specialist frailty, rehabilitation and restorative care.
• Support admission avoidance initiatives
• Facilitate early discharge where clinically appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary and specialist teams.
• Provide specialist geriatric input to acute hospital services when required.
• Promote ageing in place and support older people to remain in their own homes.

Leadership & Multidisciplinary Working

The post holder will provide clinical leadership across acute and community settings and will:

• Build effective working relationships across hospital, community and primary care services.
• Support and mentor medical, nursing and allied health professionals
• Promote coordinated care planning.
• Act as a clinical advocate for older people and their families
• Encourage collaborative multidisciplinary working.
• Contribute to the development of integrated healthcare networks.

Clinical Governance, Audit & Quality Improvement

The Consultant will participate in:

• Clinical governance
• Clinical audit
• Quality improvement
• Risk management
• Service evaluation
• Development and implementation of clinical guidelines
• Data collection and reporting
• Monitoring service outcomes

This includes evaluating outcomes such as admission avoidance, patient flow, rehabilitation outcomes and delayed transfers of care.

Education, Training & Research

The successful candidate will contribute to:

• Education and training of healthcare professionals
• Undergraduate medical education
• Postgraduate medical education
• Development of geriatric medicine knowledge across multidisciplinary teams
• Research
• Clinical audit
• Service evaluation relevant to older persons' services.

Essential Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must have:

• Registration as a specialist in the Specialist Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council in Ireland.
• Specialist registration in Geriatric Medicine and General (Internal) Medicine
• The successful candidate must be registered as a specialist in the relevant speciality before taking up the appointment.

Access to appropriate transport is also required to fulfil the role's requirements.

Clinical Competence

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Detailed knowledge of Geriatric Medicine
• Understanding of the clinical challenges facing older populations
• Strong clinical leadership skills
• Ability to make clear and proactive clinical decisions
• Awareness of current research and clinical practice
• Ability to manage complex and challenging cases
• Patient-centred approach to care
• Effective contribution within multidisciplinary teams
• Commitment to continuing professional development.

Leadership & Organisational Skills

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Accountability for clinical outcomes, patient safety, quality and risk
• Ability to manage and motivate colleagues
• Effective workload organisation and prioritisation
• Ability to contribute to service and business planning
• Understanding of resource management
• Ability to review and monitor service provision
• Strong risk-management skills
• Openness to learning and continuous improvement.

Communication & Teamworking

The successful candidate should have:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to adapt communication to individual patients and situations
• Strong collaboration skills
• Ability to support and develop colleagues
• Self-awareness and understanding of professional limitations
• Resilience and the ability to remain calm under pressure
• Respect for the roles of other members of the multidisciplinary team
• Ability to influence and persuade effectively.

Future Development, Teaching & Research

The Consultant will be expected to contribute to the continued improvement of healthcare services by:

• Encouraging innovation
• Identifying opportunities for service improvement
• Applying evidence-based practice
• Evaluating outcomes
• Sharing learning with colleagues
• Supporting and coaching learners
• Creating a safe learning environment.

Apply now