Geriatrician

• Palmerston North Hospital, Palmerston North, New Zealand & Horowhenua Health Centre, Levin, New Zealand
• Fulltime: 1.0 FTE (80 hours a fortnight)
• Permanent basis
• Salary as outlined in ASMS SECA (Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Collective Agreement)

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we're building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence.

About the Role

We are seeking a dedicated geriatrician to join a team of dynamic and innovative colleagues with a focus on enhancing outcomes for older adults in our region. 

This position is an innovative new role designed to support the newly created Supporting Older People in Aged Residential Care (SPARC) Team, working collaboratively with another new service, the Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI) Team.

SPARC is a team staffed by a Nurse Practitioner (1 FTE), a community-based geriatrician (1 FTE) and a pharmacist (0.5 FTE). The team aims to provide specialist care for older people in aged residential care (ARC), in collaboration with their primary care teams through early identification of acute deterioration and coordination of treatment and follow up plans. This will support patients to remain in aged residential care with the goal of avoiding transfers to ED and admission to hospital. The SPARC team proactively identifies residents or are referred to residents by clinical staff in residential care or by GPs or NPs. The SPARC team are responsible for undertaking comprehensive assessments and intervention. The SPARC team will also provide scheduled and opportunistic education and training for clinical staff in ARC to increase awareness of geriatric and frailty related syndromes.

The GEDI team focuses on the older person with frailty (OPF) presenting to the ED with an acute illness or complex healthcare requirements. Criteria for the GEDI team includes those over the age of 65 years presenting with a frailty or geriatric related syndrome. Patients of Māori/Pasifika ethnicity over the age of 55 years who present with similar clinical conditions may also meet criteria for GEDI team input. The GEDI model is aimed at providing effective and efficient acute care for this patient cohort to facilitate expedient and safe discharge from the ED. Where hospital admission is required, the GEDI team will facilitate timely and coordinated transfer of care to the relevant inpatient service. The GEDI team consists of an ED physician champion with a special interest in geriatrics and a Nurse Practitioner.  

There is no on call roster for Elder Health, but participation in the General Medicine on call roster is negotiable for those who have the appropriate approved scope via MCNZ. There is an expectation that the successful applicant will play an active role in clinical quality improvement initiatives, service development and supervision and training of resident medical officers (junior doctors) and medical students.

About the Service

Elder Health at MidCentral provide specialist geriatric care for older people in the Manawatu, Horowhenua and Tararua districts. You'll join our experienced and cohesive team of Geriatricians, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists and a diverse range of allied health professionals. Our team are committed to providing comprehensive, compassionate, evidence-based care for our patients and their whānau.

As a department, we have implemented and embedded a range of inpatient and community-based initiatives to enable older people to live well with frailty:

• OPAL Unit which provides acute comprehensive geriatric medical care for inpatients presenting with frailty syndromes.
• An Interface Geriatrics service to enable ‘front door' acute frailty and geriatric assessment in the Emergency Department.
• STAR 2, Palmerston North and STAR 4, Levin are our inpatient ATR (assessment, treatment and rehabilitation) units.
• Orthogeriatrics Inpatient Consult Liaison Service.
• OPAL-CS (Older People's Assessment & Liaison Community Service) which provides transdisciplinary comprehensive geriatric care for frail older adults in the community.
• Outpatient clinics across our three districts offering comprehensive geriatric care, including the capacity for domiciliary visits.

About the Location

Manawatū is known for its effortless blend of city and rural living; here you can choose your ideal lifestyle, from peaceful rural villages, to bustling townships, or city life.  It's a family-friendly place that's easy to live and work, with easy access to an array of outdoor activities – beaches, ski fields, lakes, mountains, as well as fantastic mountain biking and hiking tracks. No traffic and an easy commute to work and a strong community feel, help achieve true work-life balance.

Our fantastic central location means exploring other parts of New Zealand is easy as a drive or a short flight. We are well served with excellent schooling options, as well as three tertiary institutes – Massey University, UCOL (Universal College of Learning) and the IPU Tertiary Institute

Discover more hidden gems that Manawatū and Palmerston North have to offer here: Manawatū & Palmerston North - Visit | Live | Study | Business (manawatunz.co.nz). 

About You

To be considered for this position, the applicant should:

-          Hold Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians or equivalent.

-          Currently hold Vocational Scope of Internal Medicine with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) with specialist qualifications and training in Geriatric Medicine.

Overseas applicants with suitable/transferable qualifications may also be considered for this position. We can assist you with the application processes to obtain MCNZ registration.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.  

How to Apply

To apply please click “Apply Now.”  All applications must be submitted through our online careers' portal. If you have any questions about the role, please contact:

-          Denella Staham, SMO Recruitment Specialist Denella.Statham@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz  

-          Dr Jonathan Kok, Medical Lead – Elder Health 

-          Jonathan.Kok@midcentraldhb.govt.nz

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advert.