Locum Consultant in Medicine for Older People
Acute Frailty Service: There is an established Acute Frailty Service comprising a Multidisciplinary Team based in ED, CDU, and Ealing Acute Care Unit. It provides rapid, responsive Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment to older patients with frailty at the front door. The service aims to create individualized plans to avoid admission if possible or reduce the length of stay if admission is required. The post offers opportunities to lead the Frailty MDT, currently including 2 Frailty Practitioners, a frailty nurse, a frailty OT, a frailty pharmacist, and an SHO, assessing appropriate patients presenting to ED, CDU, and EACU.
OPRAC: The Older Persons Rapid Assessment Clinic (OPRAC) is a well-established outpatient service providing Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, with a mix of virtual and face-to-face appointments. It has recently been combined with Ealing Acute Care Unit, allowing older patients with frailty, traditionally excluded from ambulatory pathways, access to same-day emergency care (SDEC), avoiding unnecessary admissions. There is scope for the post holder to develop a rapid access clinic of their own interest, such as a heart failure clinic.
Sub-speciality interests: Development of special interests is encouraged and supported, including Continence, Falls, Movement Disorders, Surgical liaison (including Orthogeriatrics), and Community services, potentially involving the Ealing Frailty Virtual Ward. Time within the job plan can be negotiated to explore and develop these services.
On-call commitments: General medical on-call is approximately two days per month and 8 weekend days per year, with a typical medical take of 30-40 patients per 24 hours. This attracts a 1% on-call supplement and time off in lieu during the week. The consultant is on call from home overnight.
Administrative support: The appointee will be provided with shared office accommodation, personal computer equipment (with PAS, email, internet access), telephone, and secretarial support.
Department colleagues include Dr Kate Senger (Acute frailty, community geriatrics, palliative care), Dr Darshi Palliyage (Orthogeriatrics), Dr Szabi Bertok (Movement Disorders), Dr Trishpal Dhaliwal (Medical Education), and Dr Annie Pervaiz (Acute frailty, 0.4 WTE), among others. The team includes SAS doctors (0.5 WTE), trust doctors (6.0 WTE), and 12 doctors in training (F1 to registrar).
Duties include providing inpatient care at Ealing Hospital, working in the frailty unit focusing on assessment for patients presenting with frailty syndromes not requiring admission, contributing to outpatient clinics, and participating in GIM on-call duties. The role involves supporting clinical governance activities, including morbidity and mortality meetings, quality improvement projects, and clinical audits. The post also involves undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, training, supervision, and service development, including liaising with nursing staff, healthcare assistants, therapists, and other multidisciplinary team members.
#J-18808-Ljbffr