Consultant in Older Peoples Services (Community Frailty) in Colchester, Essex

Job summaryAn opportunity has arisen to join our Community Frailty team in Northeast Essex as a less than full -time (LTFT) or full-time consultant. This will consist of 9 or 10 Programmed Activities (PA's) per week. Successful applicant(s) may be entirely in the community or work 50:50 between acute and community.

Main duties of the jobThis is an exciting opportunity for an experienced clinician to lead the continued development of integrated frailty services across Northeast Essex, working seamlessly across acute, community and virtual care settings.

The successful candidate will possess specialist accreditation in Geriatric Medicine and demonstrate significant expertise in the assessment and management of older people living with frailty. They will have a clear understanding of the evidence supporting Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), proactive frailty management and admission avoidance, recognising that unnecessary hospital admission can lead to deconditioning, hospital-acquired complications and poorer outcomes for this vulnerable patient group.

We are looking for a consultant who is confident in managing clinical risk within the community and has the experience and judgement to support patients safely at home wherever appropriate. They will be comfortable making complex clinical decisions in partnership with multidisciplinary colleagues and will champion a culture that supports treatment in the patient's usual place of residence whenever it is clinically safe to do so. About usAt ESNEFT we provide hospital and community health services to more than one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

As one of the largest NHS organisations in England, we employ over 12,000 staff and are committed to providing excellent opportunities for learning, development and career progression. Flexible working options will be considered for all roles where service needs allows.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services. Our philosophy is that Time Matters. We concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause delays for our staff and patients.

We have invested in our commitment to Time Matters with the implementation of Epic electronic patient record. This will transform the way we work.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - posted28 September 2026Pay schemeHospital medical and dental staffGradeConsultantSalary
113,565 to 150,569 a year

per annum

ContractPermanentWorking pattern

Full-time,

Part-time

Reference number432-MI2933Job locationsColchester HospitalTurner RoadColchesterCO4 5JLUnited KingdomJob descriptionJob responsibilitiesThe post-holder will: Work with colleagues to provide a consultant-led service with the highest standard of care;Work with the multi-professional team to develop care pathways and clinical guidelines;Develop and maintain good working practices with wards, out-patients and the Emergency Department (ED);Collaborate and promote close working links with colleagues, other departments and primary care;Offer educational, clinical support and leadership to community and acute colleagues.

Ensure appropriate information is made available to staff to measure clinical performance and enable meaningful benchmarks to be established and evaluated within your area of responsibility;Ensure there is a robust process for reviewing the quality of services provided, explaining the causes of success and failure and ensure the highest standards are maintained;Provide a role model of professional leadership, which underpins the corporate values and behaviours agreed by the organisation, ensuring these are understood and demonstrated by the medical workforce within your area and take remedial action where poor behaviour are demonstrated;Ensure that junior doctors training confirms to college requirements; andParticipate in the appraisal of medical staff within the department in line with the Trusts agree policyClinicalFulfil the role of a community Geriatrician working to manage patients with a range of frailty syndromes and fully utilise our community frailty services. Work closely with the other consultants in Older Peoples Services to share in the care of patients in all aspects of care including acute care and rehabilitation;Liaise with consultants within the department on the development and implementation of protocols and guidelines for the management of elderly patients and the development of clinical audit;Provide a consultant advisory service to colleagues in other specialties in the trust as well as those in the mental health trust;
Job description
Job responsibilitiesThe post-holder will: Work with colleagues to provide a consultant-led service with the highest standard of care;Work with the multi-professional team to develop care pathways and clinical guidelines;Develop and maintain good working practices with wards, out-patients and the Emergency Department (ED);Collaborate and promote close working links with colleagues, other departments and primary care;Offer educational, clinical support and leadership to community and acute colleagues.

Ensure appropriate information is made available to staff to measure clinical performance and enable meaningful benchmarks to be established and evaluated within your area of responsibility;Ensure there is a robust process for reviewing the quality of services provided, explaining the causes of success and failure and ensure the highest standards are maintained;Provide a role model of professional leadership, which underpins the corporate values and behaviours agreed by the organisation, ensuring these are understood and demonstrated by the medical workforce within your area and take remedial action where poor behaviour are demonstrated;Ensure that junior doctors training confirms to college requirements; andParticipate in the appraisal of medical staff within the department in line with the Trusts agree policyClinicalFulfil the role of a community Geriatrician working to manage patients with a range of frailty syndromes and fully utilise our community frailty services. Work closely with the other consultants in Older Peoples Services to share in the care of patients in all aspects of care including acute care and rehabilitation;Liaise with consultants within the department on the development and implementation of protocols and guidelines for the management of elderly patients and the development of clinical audit;Provide a consultant advisory service to colleagues in other specialties in the trust as well as those in the mental health trust;Person Specification

Essential

EssentialFull registration with the General Medical CouncilEntry onto the Specialist Register or a UK SpR within 6 months of CCT date at interviewMRCP or equivalentGood practical clinical skillsExperience of teaching postgraduate, undergraduate and Support Service professionalsAbility to offer expert clinical opinion on a full range of acute medical emergencies, rehabilitation and intermediate careAt least 4 years at SpR level (or equivalent)Experience in the management of frailty syndromes and contributions to admission avoidanceExperience working in community settings and knowledge of services available in the communityAbility to build, lead and work as part of multi-disciplinary teamExcellent verbal, listening and written communication skills, along with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to deal with difficult situationsAbility to organise and prioritise work effectively and to be involved in the organisation of the departmentMust be able to travel to meet requirements of postUndertaken basic training in management skillsDesirablePost graduate degree e.g. MD, PhD, MScEntry onto the Specialist Register in G(I)M & Geriatric MedicineEvidence of work submitted for Peer reviewAbility to apply research outcomes to clinical problemsAttendance at teaching courseUnderstanding of the principles of alternatives to hospital admission and a knowledge of successful models of care in the communityAttendance at management course
Person Specification

Essential

EssentialFull registration with the General Medical CouncilEntry onto the Specialist Register or a UK SpR within 6 months of CCT date at interviewMRCP or equivalentGood practical clinical skillsExperience of teaching postgraduate, undergraduate and Support Service professionalsAbility to offer expert clinical opinion on a full range of acute medical emergencies, rehabilitation and intermediate careAt least 4 years at SpR level (or equivalent)Experience in the management of frailty syndromes and contributions to admission avoidanceExperience working in community settings and knowledge of services available in the communityAbility to build, lead and work as part of multi-disciplinary teamExcellent verbal, listening and written communication skills, along with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to deal with difficult situationsAbility to organise and prioritise work effectively and to be involved in the organisation of the departmentMust be able to travel to meet requirements of postUndertaken basic training in management skillsDesirablePost graduate degree e.g. MD, PhD, MScEntry onto the Specialist Register in G(I)M & Geriatric MedicineEvidence of work submitted for Peer reviewAbility to apply research outcomes to clinical problemsAttendance at teaching courseUnderstanding of the principles of alternatives to hospital admission and a knowledge of successful models of care in the communityAttendance at management courseDisclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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 SponsorshipApplications 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 CheckThis 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 SponsorshipApplications 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 detailsEmployer nameEast Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation TrustAddressColchester HospitalTurner RoadColchesterCO4 5JLUnited KingdomEmployer's websiteEmployer detailsEmployer nameEast Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation TrustAddressColchester HospitalTurner RoadColchesterCO4 5JLUnited KingdomEmployer's website