Geriatrician, Older Adult Community Service in Melbourne

Opportunity for a dedicated physician with an interest in mental health care for older adults, 7 hours per week, Heidelberg location with multiple public transport options.

Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives.

About the Mental Health Division and The Older Adult Mental Health Community Service (OACS): Austin Health's Mental Health Division (MHD) provides care and services through a comprehensive range of teams to meet the needs of mental health consumers and carers throughout Victoria. Services in the MHD are located across Austin Health and in the community. The Older Adult Mental Health Community Service (OACS) provides person-centred, recovery-oriented care to older adults experiencing, or at risk of, serious mental illness. The multidisciplinary team fosters a culture of collaboration, shared learning, and mutual respect to ensure holistic, high-quality care that promotes recovery, dignity, and wellbeing in the community.

About the role: This role plays a key part in delivering high-quality mental health care to older adults. Working collaboratively with Consultant Psychiatrists and the multidisciplinary team, the Geriatrician will ensure timely, clinically appropriate and person-centred care that respects patient choice, promotes positive outcomes and supports the effective use of health resources. This is a senior Medical Position and carries the professional responsibilities of clinical leadership, teaching and training, as well as administrative requirements.

A regular day will see you:

• Ensure high-quality acute assessment and treatment are provided to the patients of the service in line with the key principles of the Victorian Mental Health Royal Commission.
• Develop treatment programs, which, as far as possible, enable treatment in the least restrictive environment for patients of the service.
• Provide support for families of people with mental illness and ensure that they and patients are well informed about mental illnesses and their treatment.
• Observe, record and report general and specific mental, physical and social conditions of patients which may be indicative of a change in their condition.

About you: You will be an experienced physician who is committed to improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life of older adults with mental illness. Bring your expertise to Austin Health and help make a lasting difference in the lives of the people and communities we serve.

You will further bring with you:

• Registration as a Medical Practitioner in Australia with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• Current Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians or equivalent.
• Appropriate training and experience applicable to the field of Geriatric Medicine.
• A commitment to community approaches to the care of the mentally ill and providing support for their families.
• Demonstrated commitment to high quality patient care.

Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including:

• Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation.
• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program.
• Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options.
• Mentoring and career development opportunities.

We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures.

If you feel this role is right for you, we encourage your early application. Even if you don't meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the closing date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad prior to the advertised closing date.

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working With Children Check. Austin Health is a child safe organisation, committed to upholding the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people in line with Child Safe Standards.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the hiring manager: Dr Victoria Harpwood, Clinical Director.

Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the position description for further details.