Job overview

The Older Adults’ Community Mental Health Team and Memory Service 

We have three Older Adult Community Mental Health Teams and three memory services, one in each borough: Bexley, Greenwich and Bromley. This post is with the Memory Service in Greenwich, based at the Memorial Hospital.

The Memory service receives referrals from GPs mainly but also from CMHT and Liaison services. The Memory Service is a diagnostic service for people suspected of having dementia. The purpose of the service is to assess, diagnose and commence treatment for dementia, as well as providing post diagnostic support, advice and onward referral. The Memory Service works in a person-centred way and aims to complete the assessment to post diagnostic pathway as per service specification which is time limited. The Memory Service model and aims are in line with the ones recommended by the National Dementia Strategy and London’s Dementia Services Guide. The Service is in the process of obtaining accreditation with the Memory Services National Accreditation Programme.

Main duties of the job

Referrals to the service are generally made by General Practitioners, although some referrals will come directly from psychiatric liaison, frailty team, social services, neuro-rehabilitation team, neurologists and geriatricians. Referrals are screened by all team members and arrangements made for the person to be seen either in an outpatient clinic, or at home by a member of the MDT if their presenting needs warrant an earlier assessment.

The service also has 15 functional continuing care beds at the Memorial in Oaktree Lodge and 18 dementia continuing care beds in a purpose built home in Kidbrooke opened in 2004.  . Community teams include CPN’s (9) CPN assistants (2) Psychologists, OTs and Social Workers (5).  We also have a trust wide Intensive Hub as well as excellent and well developed Memory Clinics. Memory Clinics work within NICE guidelines and have a specialist dementia nurse as well as consultant level medical input. Greenwich Old Age services also have joint specialist clinic for patients with combined Parkinson’s disease and mental illness.  We also have an advanced dementia service dealing with palliative care in dementia. 

Working for our organisation

Oxleas is a great place to work.  It has been recognised as one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work 2023 by the Sunday Times amongst very big employers. Our staff survey results show that we are in the Top 5 in England and the highest in London for staff experience amongst similar trusts. 

Oxleas recruitment and retention strategy includes offering all Consultants and SAS doctors regular formal structured mentoring by professionally trained mentors.

“We are always delighted to welcome new colleagues to the Oxleas family.  We care about making Oxleas a great place to work - it’s a big priority in our strategy.  Come and join us - it’s a place where our values, teamwork, equity, and wellbeing matter and where you can really help to improve people’s lives.”

Ify Okocha

Chief Executive