Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine 1.0 WTE, Grade Code 180 X Contract Type - POCC23 Public Only Consultant Contract 2023 The RHD is part of Integrated Healthcare Area (IHA) Dublin South and Wicklow, within Regional Healthcare Area Dublin Southeast (RHA C).
The hospital is a voluntary, charitable organization.
The RHD is a teaching hospital for University College Dublin (UCD) and we also have links with Trinity College Dublin.
We have a strong culture of person centred care, respect, teamwork, service and professional development through practice education, quality improvement, excellence, research and audit.
It provides rehabilitation and residential services to adults under the direction of Rehabilitation in Medicine, Stroke and Geriatric consultants.
The RHD Neuro-Rehabilitation Team is an inter-disciplinary therapy team providing a specialised service for adults with a range of progressive or acquired neurological conditions.
The Neuro-Rehabilitation service is primarily based on our Stroke and Neuro-rehabilitation unit.
This Neuro-Rehabilitation service is expanding from 6 to 18 inpatient rehabilitation beds, as part of the Managed Clinical Rehabilitation Network (MCRN), outlined in Neuro-rehabilitation Strategy.
The overarching aim of the Strategy is the development of Neuro-Rehabilitation services to improve outcomes for people by providing safe, high quality, person-centred Neuro-Rehabilitation.
Nationally Neuro- Rehabilitation services are to be configured into population based MCRNs.
The new model would see the introduction of a multi-tiered system, with access to services based on clinically assessed need.
This means that instead of people being referred to a single service, they are now referred to a network of services and can access services within the network based on their need.
All referrals to the network are received on a standardised referral form and are processed through a single point of entry through the Network Rehabilitation Coordinator role.
Services would work together across organisational boundaries with people moving across the continuum of care seamlessly based on their needs.
The MCRN model consists of a multi-tiered system of Neuro-Rehabilitation services and the RHD provides a critical link in the care pathway by facilitating access to level 2 regional specialist care from both acute, post-acute rehabilitation facilities and Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Team (CRNT).
The MCRN model, includes access to the Level 1 - National Rehabilitation Hospital, Level 2- Regional Specialist Inpatient Services (The RHD) and Level 3 -CRNT.
This model has been successful in other European countries ensuring equitable, timely access to specialist Neuro-Rehabilitation services.
As part of the 'National Strategy and Policy for the Provision of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services in Ireland Implementation Framework 2019-2021, the HSE are developing networks of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services.
The RHD team will be focussed on cover for MCRN referrals in the CHO area 6/RHA Area C (2022 Census data details this as 971,030 people).
IHA Dublin South and Wicklow has a population of 421,373, which represents 8.2% of the total population of the Republic of Ireland (5,149,139).
The population in this IHA has increased by 6.6% since the 2016 Census.
The average population increase nationally was 8.1% during the same period.
The patient population targeted by the RHD team are people who have suffered serious neurological illness or injury to improve health outcomes, reduce disability and improve quality of life.
Neurological Disease refers to diseases of the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerves.
It is estimated that in Ireland that between 9,000 and 11,000 people sustain a traumatic brain injury annually (Headway Ireland) with a further 10,000 people diagnosed with a stroke and an average of 150 people sustaining a spinal cord injury.
Reviews of the care provided to patients who experience these neurological injuries have identified prolonged delays in accessing rehabilitation services (Audit of Delayed Transfer of Care among Neuro-Rehabilitation Patients in Acute Irish Hospitals 2019) in addition to recent work detailed in the HSE report (Post-Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Service Provision: A National Overview of HSE Funded Services 2024) where a number of concerning findings were made including problems with 35% of healthcare units self-identifying as rehabilitation services falling outside the remit of the report due to limitations of the services provided, large variations in the availability and access to rehabilitation services across the country along with a large shortfall in the number of Neuro-Rehabilitation beds nationally (58%).
The existing services for patients with new Neuro-Rehabilitation needs are mostly (in terms of bed days) provided in non-specialist acute hospitals which are not well suited to meeting this patient cohorts needs.
As this team is part of the RHA C MCRN, the Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine will have an a significant role to play with respect to developing, progressing and evaluating the service and contributing to further development of the team and the wider MCRNs nationally.
Purpose of the post This new development consultant post and the Level 2 regional specialist inter-disciplinary team will complete the network in this region, establishing the first complete MCRN in the Irish context with the recent local CRNT going live in Bray.
This Consultant will lead Regional Neurological Specialist services, in conjunction with a specialised multi-professional team, and together all aim to provide intensive inpatient rehabilitation to people with neurological conditions with level two rehabilitation needs, in order to provide a range of therapy interventions to facilitate their return to community with blocks of treatment, re-evaluation in order to identify new goals meaningful to the patients and their family when appropriate.
Collaboration and team working within the MCRN is an essential requirement for the role with Rehabilitation Consultants and interdisciplinary teams within the local CRNT service (Bray), the National Level 1 service (National Rehabilitation Hospital),referring acute hospitals and community partners.
The purpose of the post is to lead and ensure the uplift in Neuro-Rehabilitation level 2 inpatient beds available to the Dublin south east MCRN occurs.
The Consultant will promote and aid co-ordination and integration of Neuro-Rehabilitation care within the MCRN.
This will include functions such as participation in the Local Governance Group, participation in multidisciplinary meetings and case management activities to manage complex cases supporting greater involvement in identifying patients in conjunction with the CNRT consultant, acute hospitals and NRH, suitable for the service.
The Consultant will have a formal commitment with NRH (0.1 WTE) per week and for clinical governance.
A formal commitment with community services will be established in due course as and when the new Community Neuro Rehab Service development post of 0.5 WTE Neuro Rehab Consultant is appointed, with the requirement that both Consultants will work together across services, as appropriate, to ensure that the objectives of the national strategy are achieved.
Eligibility Criteria Professional Qualifications Registration as a specialist in the Specialist Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council in Ireland in the specialty of rehabilitation medicine.
Entry to competition / recruitment process and subsequent appointment No candidate will be appointed as a Medical Consultant unless (s)he is registered as a Specialist in the Specialist Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council of Ireland.
The successful interviewee must be registered as a Specialist in the relevant specialty on the Specialist Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council of Ireland before taking up appointment.
The candidate will be allowed a max of 180 calendar days from date of interview to secure this registration and produce evidence of special interest training where relevant.
Should the successful candidate not be registered as a Specialist at that time, the post may be offered to the next suitable candidate (or, in the case of HSE posts, public jobs may choose not to recommend that candidate to the employer).
Should no suitable candidate exist, a further recruitment process may be initiated.
Please note that appointment to and continuation in posts that require statutory registration is dependent upon the post holder maintaining annual registration in the relevant division of the register maintained by The Medical Council of Ireland.
Post Specific Requirements The successfulapplicantwillplayamajorroleinshapingthedevelopmentandleadthedesignof rehabilitation& neurologicalcarepathways within the MCRN.
The successfulapplicant willplaya fullandpositive roleinfacilitating andplanning servicechangedelivering specialist Neuro Rehabilitation in RHD within the MCRN.
It is expected that the appointee will make use of opportunities for continuing medical education on a regular basis in the form of local, regional, national and international clinical meetings in order to accrue the number of Continuing Medical Educational (CME) credits determined by the Royal College of Physicians.
There is a requirement to participate in the annual Consultant appraisal programme.
Display evidence of professional knowledge and attainment in all aspects of Rehabilitation Medicine required,fulfillingtheroleanddutiesofa Consultantin Rehabilitation Medicine.
Demonstrate evidence of capacity tomanage and direct the servicein its administrative, financial, personnel,andotheractivities.
Demonstrate evidence of effective planning and organisational skills including awareness of resource managementandimportanceofvalueformoney.
Demonstrate abilitytomanage deadlinesandeffectivelyhandle multipletasks.
Demonstrate leadership and team management skills including the ability to work with multidisciplinary team in an interdisciplinary way.
Display the ability to build teams and to devolveresponsibility appropriately and the talent to develop,manageandworkinpartnershipwithhis/herteam.
Demonstratecommitmenttothedeliveryofapatientfocusedservice.
Demonstrate evidence of ability to empathize with and treat patients, relatives and colleagues with dignity and respect.
A full job specification is available upon request to HR Department, The Royal Hospital Donnybrook.
Closing date for applications 12th January 2026.
RHD is an equal opportunities employer.