Consultant Psychiatrist - Liaison Service - Stoke Mandeville Hospital

We are recruiting for a part‑time Consultant Psychiatrist to join our Psychiatric Liaison Service (PLS) at Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe Hospitals.

You’ll have an active clinical leadership role working alongside an existing consultant psychiatrist and an experienced multi‑disciplinary team. The service manages psychiatric emergencies in the Emergency Department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital (SMH) and facilitates early discharge from the designated wards in SMH and Wycombe General Hospital (WGH) by assisting with discharge planning.

PLS is an important component within our Urgent Care Pathway, commissioned to provide services for people who have both mental and physical health problems in the acute hospital setting. They, alongside the county’s two Crisis Teams and third sector services, play a role in supporting people in crisis and help to reduce emergency acute admissions, attendances at the Emergency Department and extended lengths of stay which can be distressing and debilitating for patients.

We offer rewarding career development with protected SPA time as part of your job plan, encouraging you to take leadership courses to enhance your skills; we also offer a relocation allowance of up to £8,000 for external applicants (subject to eligibility criteria).

Could this be the next step in your career? Apply now to join one of the UK's leading mental health Trusts and be part of a successful service delivering urgent care and improving patient outcomes.

Main duties of the job

• Provide clinical leadership and medical input to the team.
• Take responsibility for those patients seen by yourself, together with those patients seen by medical staff directly supervised by you. This will include mental health referrals from SMH and WGH of patients over the age of years. Although the appointed consultant is expected to take clinical lead for adults of working‑age patients, each member of the team is expected to work across specialty boundaries.
• With other consultants in the team, have responsibility for the clinical governance of the team as clinical leads for the team.
• Provide clinical supervision of other medical staff and nurses attached to the team and contribute to the multidisciplinary working of the service.
• Day‑time responsibility for Mental Health Act assessments and related MHA administration of patients under the care of PLS, including Responsible Clinician duties.

Applicants must be fully registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and on the Specialist Register or be within six months attaining their Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or an equivalent approved indicator of training.

Job description

The Psychiatric Liaison Service (PLS) was established in April 2014 with a priority to manage psychiatric emergencies in the Emergency Department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital (SMH) and to facilitate early discharge from the designated wards in SMH and Wycombe General Hospital (WGH) by assisting with discharge planning. Both SMH and WGH are part of Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust.

PLS is an important component within the Urgent Care Pathway, commissioned to provide services for people who have both mental and physical health problems in the acute hospital setting. They, alongside the county’s two Crisis Teams and third sector services, play a role in supporting people in crisis and help to reduce emergency acute admissions, attendances at the Emergency Department and extended lengths of stay which can be distressing and debilitating for patients.

SMH is located on the edge of the market town of Aylesbury. It provides a wide range of services including a 24‑hour Emergency Department, maternity, cancer care and outpatient services. WGH is situated in High Wycombe and offers surgical services and specialist medical care for stroke and heart conditions, as well as cancer and urological services.

Oxford Health has close links with Oxford University including academic meetings, research opportunities, journal clubs and audit meetings. The Trust hosts research infrastructure and offers opportunities for medical input into the Centre for Patient Safety and Quality.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Medical degree
• Fully registered with the General Medical Council
• Eligible for inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register (or Specialist Registrar within 6 months of gaining CCT at time of interview)
• Membership or Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent qualification (in accordance with Royal College of Psychiatrists guidelines)
• Eligible for Section 12 Approval (Mental Health Act)/ Approved Clinician or willing to apply for such approval once in post

Desirable

• A higher degree such as MD or PhD
• Liaison accreditation

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Experience of clinical work in specialty at SpR, SAS/Specialist grade or consultant level within the last 3 years
• Excellent working knowledge and experience of the application of the Mental Health Act
• Appreciation and understanding of ethnic minority issues and a commitment to developing culturally sensitive practices
• Understanding of social factors relevant to psychiatry

Desirable

• Experience of service development and introducing new services in mental health

Skills

Essential

• Demonstrable leadership skills
• Excellent clinical skills in relevant psychiatric specialty

Desirable

• Experience in supervising resident doctors and SAS doctors

Teaching

Essential

• Experience in teaching resident doctors
• Experience of teaching medical undergraduates and postgraduates
• Experience of teaching non‑medical mental health professionals

Desirable

• Medical education qualification

Other

Essential

• UK driving licence or evidence of proposed alternative

Desirable

• Car owner

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