Consultant in Older Peoples Services- *Welcome Bonus- £12K* with certificate of sponsorship to the UK

Visa Note

While this position offers a certificate of sponsorship, all applicants must verify their eligibility to work in the UK with the employer before applying. International candidates should confirm visa requirements and ensure they meet all necessary criteria for skilled worker sponsorship.

Job Summary

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Consultant in Older Peoples Services to join our team at Colchester Hospital and Clacton Hospital. This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in elderly care while benefiting from our enhanced welcome package that includes a £12,000 bonus and relocation costs.

About the Role

The successful candidate will join a team of four consultants providing comprehensive care to residents of Northeast Essex. You will play a key role in developing the Frailty service for elderly patients while contributing to inpatient care, frailty work, on-call acute care, and teaching/training junior medical staff.

Enhanced Welcome Package

We value our international staff and offer an enhanced welcome package including a £12,000 bonus and assistance with relocation costs. This demonstrates our commitment to supporting you as you begin your new journey with ESNEFT and settle into the UK healthcare system.

Main Duties

The post-holder will work with colleagues to provide a consultant-led service with the highest standards of care. You will collaborate with the multi-professional team to develop care pathways and clinical guidelines, maintain good working practices with wards, out-patients and the Emergency Department, and promote close working links with colleagues, other departments and primary care.

Leadership Responsibilities

You will offer educational, clinical support and leadership to junior medical colleagues, nursing colleagues, and other members of the multi-disciplinary team. Additionally, you will ensure appropriate information is available to measure clinical performance, maintain robust processes for reviewing service quality, and provide professional leadership that underpins the corporate values of the organization.

Teaching and Training

The role includes participation in postgraduate and undergraduate teaching programs, as well as teaching of other health professionals within the department. You will ensure junior doctors’ training meets College requirements and participate in the appraisal of medical staff within the department.

Job Responsibilities

You will take part in the acute medical intake working, providing ongoing medical supervision for patients admitted under your care. There are four Older Peoples Services wards, and you’ll manage in-patients on your allocated ward. You’ll work closely with other consultants to share in patient care across all aspects including acute care and rehabilitation.

Collaborative Working

Liaising with consultants within the department on developing protocols and guidelines for elderly patients, you’ll also provide a consultant advisory service to colleagues in other specialties within the trust and those in the mental health trust. This collaborative approach ensures comprehensive care for our elderly patients.

Essential Qualifications

Applicants must have full registration with the General Medical Council and MRCP or equivalent. You should either be on the Specialist Register or be a UK SpR within 6 months of CCT date at interview. Good practical clinical skills and awareness of current specialty-specific developments are essential.

Experience Requirements

You must have at least 4 years at SpR level (or equivalent) and the ability to offer expert clinical opinion on a full range of acute medical emergencies, rehabilitation, and intermediate care. The role requires the ability to build, lead, and work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Personal Qualities

Excellent verbal, listening, and written communication skills are essential, along with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to deal with difficult situations. You should be able to organize and prioritize work effectively and be willing to travel to meet the requirements of the post.

Desirable Qualifications

While not essential, a postgraduate degree (e.g., MD, PhD, MSc) would be advantageous. Entry onto the Specialist Register in G(I)M & Geriatric Medicine is desirable, as is evidence of work submitted for peer review. The ability to apply research outcomes to clinical problems is also valued.

About ESNEFT

We are ESNEFT, providing hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics, and in patients’ own homes. We are one of the largest NHS organizations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

Staff Benefits

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff with a wide range of training and development opportunities, flexible working options, a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata), and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing program offers a variety of services.

Digital Transformation

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for staff and patients. We are investing in this commitment through a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic, bringing what’s widely regarded as the world’s best EPR system to ESNEFT.

Application Details

The closing date for applications is 10 March 2026. The position is based at Colchester Hospital, Turner Road, Colchester, CO4 5JL. This is a permanent, full-time role offering a salary of £109,725 to £145,478 per annum. The reference number is 432-MC2817.

Contact Information

For questions about the job, please contact Dr A Pillai (Clinical Lead) by email at Ajith.Pillai@esneft.nhs.uk or by phone at 01206742533. They will be able to provide additional information about the role and the application process.

How to Apply

Apply via the NHS Jobs website. When applying, please ensure you include all required documentation and clearly address the essential and desirable criteria listed in the person specification. International applicants should include details of their eligibility for UK registration and visa sponsorship requirements.

Additional Documents

Supporting documents including the full job description (Consultant Older Peoples Services Job Description.doc, 659 KB) are available on our website. These documents provide further detail about the role, responsibilities, and requirements to help you prepare your application.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, requiring a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. All successful applicants will undergo this mandatory check.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, all applicants must verify their eligibility with the employer before applying. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants must present criminal record certificates from countries they have resided in for 12+ months in the past 10 years.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information about UK registration requirements for healthcare professionals, please see the NHS Careers website for overseas health professionals. This will help you understand the process and requirements for working in the UK.

Privacy Notice

Please refer to East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s privacy notice for information about how your data will be processed during the application and recruitment process. This document outlines your rights and how we handle personal information throughout the recruitment journey.