Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry

Location: Aberystwyth, Ceredigion

The Older Adults Mental Health Service Consultant role provides an opportunity to live and work in West Wales as part of a caring and committed team delivering high quality services to our later life population. As an Old Age Consultant Psychiatrist, you will be able to work across the pathway of primary, community and specialist secondary care maintaining that all important continuity.

We welcome and support colleagues to develop their areas of special interest be that clinical, academic, research or managerial in nature; and we have a very strong record of consultant retention.

This is a sector-based pathway service, such that the role encompasses: the assessment at the initial referral stage (whether in the patient's home, care home, or in clinic); the MDT based formulation of risk and treatment plans; the ongoing management of episodes of later life mental ill health; and, where appropriate, the admission to the older adults mental health ward that you will clinically lead.

Knowledge and experience of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act are essential; the Mental Health (Wales) Measure will form a crucial part of your work and, if unfamiliar, you will be expected to become competent in its application.

Section 12 MHA and Approved Clinician status are expected.

The service sees, assesses and manages functional and organic disorders in later life and, working well and closely with our colleagues in General Adult services, has a pragmatic approach to transitions & boundaries.

Patients known to you and your service, if admitted to General Hospital, will remain under your team's care but you will enjoy support and close working relations with your local MH liaison service.

We are proud of our culture of mutual respect and cooperation across service and specialty boundaries.

Hywel Dda University Health Board plans and provides NHS healthcare services for people living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and bordering counties.

We have over 13,000 staff and together we provide primary, community, in-hospital, mental health and learning disabilities services.

We work in partnership with the three local authorities, as well as public, private and third sector colleagues, including our valued team of volunteers.

Our services are provided in:

• Four main hospitals: Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth; Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen; Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli; and Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest
• Five community hospitals: Amman Valley and Llandovery hospitals in Carmarthenshire; Tregaron Hospital in Ceredigion; and Tenby and South Pembrokeshire hospitals in Pembrokeshire
• Two integrated care centres: Aberaeron and Cardigan in Ceredigion, and several other community settings
• 47 general practices (six of which are health board managed practices); dental practices (including four orthodontic); 97 community pharmacies; 43 general ophthalmic practices; and 8 ophthalmic domiciliary providers
• Numerous mental health and learning disabilities services

The successful candidate for this Consultant post will be eligible to hold an Honorary Academic title at a partner university on the understanding that they will participate in undergraduate teaching, including acting as an examiner, and support and facilitate research activities in an appropriate university faculty and school. They will take direction in these activities via the appropriate academic lead. The agreement to define the Honorary Academic responsibilities and associated programmed activities in relation to teaching time and research will be negotiated jointly between the post holder, the university and the Health Board. It will form part of the successful candidate’s job plan. The award of the Honorary Academic contract will be dependent upon a formal application being submitted to the university in accordance with the Honorary Appointments procedures and will be available on a fixed term basis subject to satisfactory performance in the academic activity undertaken.

This is an established Consultant post in Older Adults Mental Health, working to a geographical sector model. You will be responsible for the assessment and management of clients referred to your Community Mental Health Team. For those clients you admit to your older persons psychiatric in-patient unit, you will direct their care and fulfil the Responsible Clinician role. You will not be responsible for routine dementia diagnosis services in your area as the memory assessment service is a separate established service. You will join a collegiate group of Consultants, who have a strong and supportive relationship with the service management, and we will work together to deliver the best services.

For full details of the role requirements please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for this vacancy.

Discussions around working pattern will take place during initial job planning, where preferences, requirements and options can be discussed and explored in full.