Overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a substantive consultant psychiatrist to join the team on Townsend Court, a 20 bedded, female adult acute ward in Mayer Way (Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire). The post holder will provide clinical leadership to the ward based MDT to deliver a range of evidence based and recovery orientated interventions in accordance with NICE guidance, within a frame of trauma informed care. Townsend Ward provides inpatient care for patients with a range of mental health conditions including Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. At ELFT, we recognise the importance of work life balance, and encourage flexible working.
Details: 13 March 2026; Grade: Consultant; Salary: £109,725 to £145,478 a year; Contract: Permanent; Working pattern: Full-time.
Location: Townsend Court, Mayer Way, Houghton Regis, LU5 5BF.
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people\'s lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive.
Responsibilities
* Provide consultant leadership to the multidisciplinary ward team.
* Provide comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of the mental and physical health for acutely ill adult female inpatients.
* Carry out all Responsible Clinician duties for patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, including care planning in line with legal requirements (assessing patients under the Mental Health Act, capacity assessments, consent to treatment, tribunal report writing, attending Mental Health Act Review Tribunals and Managers\' Hearings, granting Sec 17 leave, revoking CTOs, recommending CTOs).
* Assume clinical responsibility for adult patients admitted acutely from community services (all admissions gate-kept by the Crisis Resolution/Home Treatment team).
* Work within the recovery approach, placing the service user at the centre of care planning and decision making.
* Attend the ward daily to review patients, facilitate the care program approach and involve carers where appropriate.
* Provide support and training to other health care professionals and service users through the care pathway, while working with other teams in the community setting.
* Lead on the delivery of high-quality care in all settings and monitor quality targets set by the Trust and nationally.
* Continue to develop the inpatient setting as a therapeutic milieu and maintain links with specialist adult mental health services.
* Develop knowledge of local services and refer to facilities available to specialist mental health services including psychotherapy and psychology services in secondary care.
* Provide clinical supervision and training for junior medical staff and lead the multidisciplinary team.
* Participate in mandatory Trust audit programmes and develop local audit cycles to improve community rehabilitation services.
* Be actively involved in the Trust\'s clinical and strategic development and contribute to Quality Improvement (QI) projects.
* Involvement in the regular Consultant Duty Rota (approx 1:30) and S12 On Call Rota (approx 1:30).
Person Specification
Qualifications
* 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.
* Eligible for Section 12 Approval (Mental Health Act) / Approved Clinician or willing to apply for such approval once in post.
Knowledge and Experience
* Experience of clinical work in Adult Psychiatry at SpR, SASG or consultant level within the last 3 years; excellent knowledge of Mental Health Act applications.
* Understanding of ethnic minority issues and culturally sensitive practices; understanding of social factors relevant to psychiatry.
* Robust experience with severe and enduring mental illness and risk assessment/management; desire to develop services and implement improvements.
Organisational Skills / Abilities
* Leadership and ability to work in a multidisciplinary, multi-model team.
* Ability to manage complex workloads and support others; strong consultation skills.
* Commitment to service user involvement in service development.
Clinical Skills and Supervision
* Ability to lead a multidisciplinary team; self-motivated and innovative; expertise in risk assessment; confident in therapeutic risk taking; commitment to clinical governance.
* Experience in supervising resident doctors and SAS doctors (desirable).
Teaching
* Experience in teaching junior staff; good teaching and communication skills; experience with medical undergraduates and postgraduates; experience teaching non-medical mental health professionals.
Research and Audit
* Audit experience (essential); desirable: research experience and publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Other Requirements
* UK driving licence (essential); car owner (desirable).
Disclosure and Sponsorship
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check may be required. Applications from job seekers who require Skilled worker sponsorship will be considered. UK registrations and related guidance apply.
Employer details
Employer: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Townsend Court, Mayer Way, Houghton Regis, LU5 5BF
Employer\'s website: https://www.elft.nhs.uk
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