Specialty Doctor in Elderly Medicine | Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in the UK is seeking an enthusiastic Specialty Doctor to join the Elderly Medicine Department. The successful candidate will provide support to the clinical team and be responsible for patient care alongside experienced consultants. This role provides excellent training opportunities and a commitment to staff wellbeing within a high-performing healthcare environment.

Benefits

Access to training and development programs

Supportive work environment

Commitment to staff wellbeing

Qualifications

• Medical degree and registration with the General Medical Council required.
• Experience working within a multi-disciplinary team in a clinical setting.
• Knowledge of the healthcare system and NHS structure.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior level support to the department.
• Conduct ward and board rounds, work alongside consultants.
• Communicate effectively with patients and multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Ability to work in a team

Experience in Elderly Medicine

Education

Medical degree with specialty training

Job description

Overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic Specialty doctor to join our Elderly Medicine Department within Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The Specialty Doctor will work under the supervision of and be responsible to the Clinical Director for Elderly Medicine. The Department of Elderly Medicine at Luton is supported by 15 WTE Consultants, 8 Specialty Doctors and their junior teams. Significant investment has occurred in DME over the last five years that reflects the valued contribution of the DME service to the management of frail, complex and vulnerable patients. There are 5 base DME wards: wards 14, 15, 18, 19F (Frailty unit) and 19R (rehab) as well as ward 23 (Orthogeriatrics), with a total of 134 inpatient beds. Within the Bedford site there are 4 inpatient wards in addition to the Archer Unit rehabilitation centre totaling 19 patients.

The team are supported by Nurse Specialists in Dementia, Falls and Frailty. There are specialist OPD in Falls, Syncope and Parkinson’s supported by specialist nurses. Each of the DME consultants have additional lead responsibilities: Dementia/ delirium lead; Falls lead; Frailty lead; Audit lead; Governance lead; Educational lead; Movement disorders service lead. We have a well-established Clinical Ethics Committee. We have developed a successful Orthogeriatric model of care and with the support of our colleagues in the Surgical Division, have a fully established Surgical Liaison service.

Responsibilities

• Be required to provide a senior level of support to the department.
• Attend ward & board rounds both with the Consultants and with the Specialty Training Doctors / Foundation Year 2 doctors. The Specialty Doctor may be responsible for unaccompanied ward rounds.
• Work under the supervision of and be responsible to his/her respective consultant, or the on call consultant and, ultimately the Clinical Director for Medicine for the Elderly
• The timetable will be reviewed by the Clinical Director as part of the annual appraisal process.
• Regular contribution to departmental meetings, Journal club and Medical Grand rounds of the hospital.
• Undertake, exceptionally, to perform additional duties in occasional emergency and unforeseen circumstances.
• In case of difficulties of any kind, the Specialty Doctor will seek the advice of the appropriate consultant. The Specialty Doctor is not expected to participate in any work beyond their level of expertise.
• The appointee will undertake, exceptionally, to be available for such irregular commitments, outside normally rostered duties as are essential for patient care.
• Communicate with patients, their relatives and carers, members of the multidisciplinary team, other specialties, GPs and the wider community services.
• Cover other wards within Bedford Hospital/offsite units including the Archer Unit Bedford if required.

Additional Information

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.

Our Values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Please see attached JD

This advert closes on Friday 31 Oct 2025