Job overview

Overview of the Senior Clinical Fellow in Geriatrics role at Newark Hospital

Newark Hospital is a small, non-acute general hospital serving its local population. As a consequence of recent changes to the delivery of medical services at Newark Hospital the medical in-patient population is now largely comprised of stable or sub-acute medical patients with long-term conditions and elderly patients requiring rehabilitation.

The Urgent Care and Minor Injuries Unit see approximately 24,000 new patients per annum and are treating a wide range of conditions. Medical admissions take place during the daytime and patients requiring admission after this time are transferred to King’s Mill Hospital. Non-medical patients requiring admission are always transferred to King’s Mill Hospital.

The in-patient medical services at Newark are currently provided by Dr Silva (Consultant Geriatrician) and Dr Iqbal (General Medicine). There are 2 medical wards at Newark Hospital: Sconce Ward and Castle Ward.

The patients on Sconce Ward are typically elderly individuals requiring subacute-level care and period rehabilitation following an acute illness. Their care focuses on recovery, functional improvement, and where needed active monitoring and management of ongoing stable medical conditions and non-critical intercurrent illnesses during the rehabilitation process. Some of the patients will have been admitted via the Urgent Care and Minor Injuries Unit at Newark Hospital and others will have been transferred from King’s Mill Hospital following recovery from an acute episode requiring an emergency admission. There is a full multidisciplinary team on the ward providing high quality care to the patients. The patients on Castle Ward are medically fit patients who are awaiting discharge to their place of residence.

Each of these wards is staffed by Middle Grade doctors (7 in total, including the Specialty Doctors) working with the members of the MDT and supported by 2 consultants. There is a consultant ward round each day.

There are excellent educational opportunities, both formal (weekly medical Grand Round, weekly Geriatric Department educational meeting, specialist clinics, workplace-based assessments for further learning to improve DPD.) and informal e.g. ward round teaching. There are opportunities to attend clinics, and most specialties have clinics at Newark Hospital. There are also many opportunities for audit and QIP projects whilst working at the hospital.

There is a 7-week rolling rota for daytime and out of hours working. In the 7-week period the post-holder will work 2 weekends, 1 consists of Nights the other Long Days.

Main duties of the job

The over-riding purpose is to support the provision of the highest quality patient care through personal actions and continuous improvement.

1.     The post holder will be required to provide a comprehensive medical service to the inpatients, undertaking ward work and conducting out-patient clinics under the instruction and supervision of the appropriate Consultant. 

2.     To establish and maintain liaison with users of the service including local General Practitioners and other external agencies.

3.     The post holder will undertake to perform additional duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.

4.     To actively participate in audit/teaching and research activities within the department.

5.     Liaise with the multidisciplinary team regarding patient care.

6.     There may be occasions where you are required to undertake similar duties at other hospitals within the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

7.     Perform administrative work i.e., discharge summaries and letters/reports within prescribed timescales.

8.     The Specialty Doctor will be expected to comply with the Royal College requirements for undertaking CME and to participate in the trusts appraisal system as appropriate.

9.     So far as is consistent with the proper discharge of the above duties, the post holder undertakes to deputise from time to time for absent colleagues.

Working for our organisation

We are an award-winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. 

 We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically-led organisation. 

We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as ‘outstanding’ for care and our King’s Mill Hospital as the only ‘outstanding’ NHS-run hospital in the East Midlands.