Consultant Gerontologist- Special Interest in Acute Frailty

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

This is a new role with the objective of taking Gerontology closer to the front door of the hospital where the need is greatest in Bromley. One desired output is delivery of an Acute Gerontology Unit aligned with the Acute Medical Unit to provide high-quality care to frail and older patients needing a short‑stay in hospital. The Princess Royal University Hospital provides acute care to a significant number of frail and older patients. It is well‑recognised that the London Borough of Bromley has the second largest population of older people, and this is predicted to increase by 35% in 2035. Therefore, it is crucial that the Gerontology team matches this demand in terms of workforce numbers and skill.

There is a collective commitment to fully integrate frailty services across care providers in the borough of Bromley which led to the development of the Acute Frailty Assessment Unit in 2021. This service has grown in workforce and maturity over the last 2 years and has been recognised as a regional exemplar of high‑quality same‑day frailty care. The Acute Gerontology Unit is seen as innovation on this foundation of good work.

Main duties of the job

• The remit of the post holder will be to work within the multi–disciplinary team providing and further developing care for Gerontology patients.
• The individual will be required to play an active role in the general workload of the department while having a significant commitment to teaching and training of junior staff.
• The individual will be required to take on appropriate specific responsibilities as part of their core Supporting Professional Activity (e.g. infection control, risk and performance management, consultant and junior rota supervision, teaching programme, mortality monitoring, audit, speciality liaison).
• Major areas of Adult Medicine in King’s include the interface with Acute Frailty, Orpington Hospital and other medical specialties and community care providers.

It is envisaged that the successful candidate will contribute to the development and delivery of all aspects of the service but our priorities are to continue working towards provision of recognised outstanding patient safety, quality of care, patient experience and reducing waste, and our focus is on the assessment and management of our patients with appropriate clinically lead pathway design.

Working for our organisation

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do.

By being person‑centred, digitally‑enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level. We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Trust is recognised internationally for its work in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, cardiac, haemato‑oncology, fetal medicine, stroke, major trauma, and Emergency Department. King’s is a key partner in one of London’s foremost Academic Health Science Centres, King’s Health Partners (KHP). KHP is one of only six Department of Health‑designated AHSCs in England. It brings together a world‑leading research‑led university – King’s College London – and three successful NHS Foundation Trusts: King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’, and South London and Maudsley.

This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of our dedicated workforce and join one of the largest and most successful Foundation Trusts in the UK with an international reputation for innovation and the desire to make a difference.

You must be fully registered with the GMC and hold a Licence to Practice and be on the Specialist Register, or within six months of attaining your CCT or equivalent to be eligible for interview. The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable adults and/or children (0‑18 years), therefore 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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Training and Experience

• Wide experience in all aspects of Gerontology and General (Internal) Medicine culminating in award of Certificate of Completion of Training by GMC, or award of Certificate of Eligibility for Specialty Registration (CESR) by GMC.

Administration

• Experience in day‑to‑day organisation of Gerontology services in a busy Teaching Hospital.
• Familiarity with information technology and general computer skills.
• Familiar with current structure of UK National Health Service and conversant with recent initiatives and changes.

Management and Leadership

• Able to demonstrate leadership capability within multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Management course and/or qualification.

Audit and Quality Improvement

• Thorough understanding of principles of medical audit. Must have undertaken and completed audit projects.

Research and Publications

• Experience of clinical research.
• Publication of relevant review articles or case reports.
• Relevant research experience in one or more aspects of Gerontology.

Teaching

• Experience of undergraduate and post‑graduate teaching and exam preparation.
• Teaching skills course/qualification.

IMPORTANT

Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you. If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications. To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert. Please provide email addresses for referees where possible. Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy. All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role. Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.