Guidance for job planning FR/OA/03 Faculty of the Psychiatry of Old Age FACULTY REPORT
Faculty Report OA/03 June 2015 2015 The Royal College of Psychiatrists The Royal College of Psychiatrists is a charity registered in England and Wales (228636) and in Scotland (SC038369).
Contents Introduction 4 Matrix 5 Contents 3
Introduction The Royal College of Psychiatrists published guidance in September 2012, Safe Patients and High-Quality Services: A Guide to Job Descriptions and Job Plans for Consultant Psychiatrists (CR174). In it, the psychiatrist s key role is considered to be in discussing diagnosis, treatment options and treatment plans. Other important aspects of a psychiatrist s role were also addresssed, such as service development, clinical leadership and a role in education and training. Over the past few years, there has been a significant change to the way in which older adult services are delivered. Many mental health trusts are undergoing significant reconfiguration and quality improvement programmes. This has resulted in regional representatives receiving job descriptions that do not correspond with the template that has traditionally been used for their approval. We set out to re-examine this template and come up with a matrix to guide trusts and clinical directors when planning and configuring old age psychiatry posts. We appreciate that there are large geographical variations and that the workload will vary depending on the level and quality of junior medical, but the new template is a basis for further discussion. There are several caveats to be made when applying these guidelines. z A number of areas, where services tend to be more limited and differ considerably in terms of specification (e.g. home treatment teams and care home liaison), are not ed. z Regional variations may be necessary depending on factors such as the geographical spread and travel times. z Absolute figures for capitation will vary depending on the level of junior. These figures have been drawn up on the assumption that they are ed by 1.5 whole time equivalent junior medical staff. z All programmed activities refer to direct clinical care. The template suggests a minimum standard for running safe services. Inevitably, local issues (e.g. staffing, geography, service constitution) will affect service configuration. The template should be used as a guide by regional representatives, who will generally be best placed to understand the local issues. It might, however, also be useful to inform clinical and medical directors when configuring jobs. 4 Faculty Report OA/03
Matrix 2015 The Royal College of Psychiatrists. The guidance for job planning matrix may be photocopied by individual researchers or clinicians for their own use without seeking permission from the publishers. The scale must be copied in full and all copies must acknowledge the following source: Royal College of Psychiatrists (2015) Guidance for Job Planning (FR/OA/03). Royal College of Psychiatrists. Written permission must be obtained from the Royal College of Psychiatrists for copying and distribution to others or for republication (in print, online or by any other medium). Matrix 5
Table 1 Template for assessing job descriptions in old age psychiatry Acute Generic posts hospital liaison Acute in-patient Community mental health team Memory service Rey service/ day hospital Continuing care Base Co-located Acute trust Co-located Community setting Community setting Co-located Not co-located Trust details Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Service details working-age adults working-age adults Details of acute trusts, no. of beds and admissions Eligibility criteria for beds/functional organic split/ restricted to older adults Referral number/ workload (DCC PAs) Should have ratio of no less than 7.5 PA per 10 000 population >65 years of age Minimum 7.5 PA per 600 acute beds (approximately) Minimum 1 PA per 3 beds depending on rest of job and junior a Minimum 1 PA for every 40 50 new referrals per annum in urban area with good junior (lower in rural areas) Minimum 1 PA for every 50 60 new referrals per annum in urban area with good junior (lower in rural areas) Minimum 1 PA for every 25 day places, with good junior a Will vary depending on rest of job 1 PA for 12 14 beds (higher in units with many MHA patients and lower in care homes) IT Own computer Own computer Own computer Own computer Own computer Own computer Own computer Administrative Medical Multidisciplinary team CPD Revalidation Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Clinical governance including audit 6 Faculty Report OA/03
Table 1 (cont d) Acute Generic posts hospital liaison Acute in-patient Community mental health team Memory service Rey service/ day hospital Continuing care Training Medical students Research Clinical leadership Section 12/ Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential approved clinician (or equiv.), on call Study leave Person specification Ageless service No No, except in No No No No No small (<300 beds) hospitals CCT, Certificate of Completion of Training; CPD, continuing professional development; CT, core trainee; DCC, direct clinical care; MHA, Mental Health Act 1983; PA, programmed activity; ST, specialty trainee. a. Good junior means 1 junior (foundation year or core) trainee and at least 0.5 ST or specialty. Matrix 7