Job Summary
Are you a forward thinking and highly motivated Consultant Psychiatrist looking for your next career move? We are seeking a dynamic and highly skilled Consultant Psychiatrist to join our Liaison Psychiatry team on a part time basis in this newly created post at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.
You will work alongside the current Liaison Consultant Psychiatrist to provide strong clinical leadership to a well-established Liaison Psychiatry team within the acute hospital setting. Liaison psychiatry is an incredibly varied sub-specialty, and in addition to a broad and exciting range of clinical work, a rewarding part of the job is in developing and managing relationships with acute hospital colleagues from different backgrounds and specialties.
Dorset County Hospital Liaison Psychiatry are currently working towards PLAN accreditation and are part of Dorset wide Liaison Psychiatry services, linked with the Liaison Psychiatry service at University Hospitals Dorset in the East of the county, which is also recently PLAN accredited.
We offer a generous relocation package of up to £10,000 to support your move and are committed to enabling flexible and welcome discussions on how this could be achieved for you. For any questions and the opportunity to discuss the role please contact Dr Paul Walters, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at Dorset County Hospital; paul.walters1@nhs.net.
Main duties of the job
As the Consultant Psychiatrist you will be part of the Liaison Psychiatry service at Dorset County Hospital, in a multi-disciplinary team that also includes a Matron, Team Leader, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Psychiatric nurses, a Clinical Psychologist and Administration staff.
You will provide the psychiatric input and clinical leadership required for the assessment and management of patients at DCH with mental health needs. This will include undertaking routine and emergency clinical assessments in the Emergency Department and inpatient wards; providing clinical supervision to Resident doctors, Advanced Nurse Practitioner and other team members; and providing specialist consultation and advice to medical colleagues at the acute hospitals, including education and advice on mental capacity assessments, and involvement in complex capacity assessments.
You will have administrative and secretarial support from the Liaison Psychiatry Team Assistant. You'll be invited to take part of the on call rota. The on call rota is Dorset wide and paid at 3% on call availability plus additional 0.75PA for full time participation. The post attracts 10 days per year of study leave and an annual study leave budget of up to £1000.
About us
At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.
We do things differently here – it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.
Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.
Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to create healthier lives, empowered citizens and thriving communities.
Details
Date posted: 27 February 2026
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Consultant
Salary: £109,725 to £145,478 a year pro rata for part time
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 152‑ME44.25
Job locations:
Dorset County Hospital
Williams Avenue
Dorchester
DT1 2JY
Job responsibilities
For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.
We understand that using AI can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application. However, we have also seen an increase in the over‑reliance of AI tools which is negatively impacting applications as they remove candidates' individuality, and it becomes much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience. If you do use AI, it should be used to enhance your application and not to create your supporting statement in its entirety. If we suspect you have used AI to create your supporting statement and this does not match your experience, we may withdraw your application.
As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact dhc.wideningparticipation@nhs.net.
Person Specification
Qualifications / Training (Essential)
* General medical Qualification e.g. MBBS, or equivalent and hold a Licence to Practise.
* MRCPsych or recognised equivalent, e.g. membership of a psychiatry college in another country.
* Eligible for Section 12 Approval (Mental Health Act) or willing to apply for such approval. Eligible to be on the register of Approved Clinicians (MHA, 2007).
Qualifications / Training (Desirable)
* Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.
* Additional clinical qualification.
* Subspecialty CCT endorsement in Liaison Psychiatry.
* Dual CCT in General Adult and Old Age Psychiatry.
Eligibility (Essential)
* Must be in possession or within 6 months of possession of a CCT in Psychiatry or on Specialist Register in Psychiatry.
* On Specialist Register in General Adult Psychiatry.
* Section 12(2) approval and Approved Clinician approval or ability to obtain approval before starting post.
Eligibility (Desirable)
* Experience of medicine outside psychiatry e.g. general practice, medicine.
Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience (Essential)
* Excellent knowledge in specialty; evidence of effective multidisciplinary team involvement.
* Excellent clinical skills using bio‑psycho‑social perspective and wider medical knowledge.
* Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA.
* Make decisions based on evidence and experience including contribution of others.
* Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience (Desirable)
* Teaching experience.
* Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within the NHS or comparable service.
Management Skills (Essential)
* Understand the importance of working with managers in the interest of good patient care.
* Able to manage priorities.
* Evidence of management/Leadership skills training.
Management Skills (Desirable)
* Previous management experience including that of other junior medical staff.
Dorset HealthCare Values (Essential)
* Proactive, respectful, supportive, reliable and trustworthy, and positive.
Leadership Skills (Essential)
* Understand principles of leadership and give examples of leadership in own practice.
* Able to provide clinical leadership to a multi‑disciplinary team.
Clinical Governance (Essential)
* An understanding of the importance of Clinical Governance in NHS organisations and its importance in patient care.
* Awareness of current issues in mental health service provision, policy and legislation.
Clinical Governance (Desirable)
* Experience of PLAN accreditation process.
Self Awareness (Essential)
* To have an understanding of own strengths and weaknesses and how these attributes affect professional functioning.
* To have an understanding of the stresses involved in being a consultant psychiatrist and how to manage these appropriately.
Supervision of Junior Medical Staff (Essential)
* Knowledge of requirements for supervision and appraisal of junior medical staff.
* Approved educational supervisor training.
Research and Audit (Essential)
* Experience of carrying out an audit or Quality Improvement project.
* Ability to critically appraise published research.
Research and Audit (Desirable)
* Published audit / QIP.
* Experience or involvement in a research project and publication.
* Ability to supervise junior medical staff undertaking research projects.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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. For further information visit UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer details
Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust
Dorset County Hospital
Williams Avenue
Dorchester
DT1 2JY
Employer's website
https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/work-for-us
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