Consultant Geriatrician - Acute Frailty

Vacancy at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

A vacancy is available in the Department of Older People’s Medicine at Ipswich Hospital, part of East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust. Offers are open for an enthusiastic and passionate candidate to join as a substantive consultant. Full‑time, part‑time and flexible working opportunities will be considered. This is an exciting time to join as we plan the roll‑out of Epic – our new electronic health record in 2025.

This forward‑thinking and innovative department is developing services that begin in the heart of the community. We care for patients in their homes using the virtual ward and through the whole span of their journey within the acute hospital – from specialist assessment in the emergency department to seamless specialist care in our frailty assessment base. It is a truly patient‑centred care model underpinned by expertise in specialist geriatric assessment.

There has never been a more exciting time to join our team and work with us to develop services to meet the needs of our older population, enabling them to age well and with dignity in an ever‑changing landscape. We don’t believe in always doing the same things and we welcome individuals who can bring new ideas and thoughts to the table.

• Run ward rounds on the virtual ward supported by a Staff Grade doctor or SpR.
• Act as clinical supervisor for the junior team.
• Lead daily consultant‑led board rounds on an online platform (TEAMS).
• Provide appropriate clinical leadership to the progressive, innovative multidisciplinary ward team.
• Scheduled time working in the Emergency Department as part of the FIT team, completing frailty assessments at the ‘front door’ and covering 2 sessions per week.
• Support REACT services with clinical expertise, linking with the community Dementia Intensive Support Team, social services and the Red Cross for short‑term deterioration in health and function.
• Act as the “hot phone” dispatcher to provide GP or community therapist advice or book same/next‑day patients into FAB.
• Support direct transfers from ED for patients suitable for specialist assessment before discharge.
• May include a slot on the general medicine on‑call rota (1 in 8 weekends, 12‑hour shift in EAU, overnight support from home if needed).

• Participate in the GLINT (Geriatric Liaison to the Integrated Neighbourhood Teams) project, moving falls assessments into local teams with consultant support to improve patient experience and reduce duplication of assessment.
• Invite candidates with sub‑specialist skills (e.g., onco‑geriatrics, orthopaedic liaison, virtual ward community experience) and negotiate timetable slots to allow these specialties to flourish.

• Enhanced Welcome package includes an additional £12,000 and relocation costs.
• Generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payment (where applicable) and 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro‑rata).
• Access to a range of NHS discounts and a Staff Health and Wellbeing programme.
• Unrestricted training, development opportunities and flexible working options.
• Participation in the Trust’s Time Matters programme to improve efficiency for staff and patients.
• Digital transformation with the Epic EPR system will bring the world’s best EPR system to ESNEFT.

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