Overview
Join to apply for the Consultant Psychiatrist Addictions role at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. The Hope Centre is a 17-bed regional inpatient detoxification unit within Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. You will work closely with a multidisciplinary team of nurses, healthcare assistants, and junior doctors to deliver high-quality, patient-centred care to individuals undergoing detoxification from drugs and alcohol.
The post offers opportunities to develop research interests as the centre has developed a new Ketamine detox protocol. Mersey Care has recently collaborated with the University of Liverpool to create the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre. Merseyside and the surrounding areas offer an exceptional quality of life, with easy access to the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, and North Wales, excellent schools, beaches, and family-friendly communities, as well as a vibrant cultural scene.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Responsibilities
* Take responsibility for your caseload and inpatients.
* Supervise and support team members who carry out assessments of patients referred to the team.
* Carry out comprehensive psychiatric assessments for new admissions and provide medical interventions for patients.
* Support staff to manage psychiatric emergencies.
* Conduct patient reviews and lead Multidisciplinary reviews, CPA reviews, discharge planning meetings and multi-professional meetings.
* Be the responsible clinician for the purposes of the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007) and carry out duties in accordance with the code of practice.
* Carry out comprehensive Risk Assessments and participate in Trust risk management processes such as Health Risk Assessment and Management Meetings (H-RAMM) and MAPPA Meetings if required.
* Provide medical leadership to the team.
* Maintain a high level of effective communication with other parts of the Mental Health service across the Trust, maternity services and primary care.
* Liaison with families/carers and with aspects of the Criminal Justice System where necessary; liaising with other stakeholders and interested parties.
* Be part of clinical pathways with local hepatologists and established referral routes into the acute hospital on site; manage admission priorities based on clinical need; monitor bed occupancy and annual referral/admission volumes.
* Lead ward rounds (twice weekly) and oversee the inpatient addictions service, including engagement with established groups and pharmacological interventions to support recovery goals.
* Act as clinical supervisor for trainees where appropriate and support trainees during admission of patients and follow-up ward rounds.
About Mersey Care: Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people and offering specialist inpatient and community services across physical health, mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. The Trust is delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to improve quality while reducing cost.
Careers and Context
The Addictions Services at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust currently provides integrated drug and alcohol inpatient detoxification services for patients across Merseyside. It is a regional detox unit with 17 inpatient beds. The Consultant will be supported by trainees (Foundation Year and psychiatry trainees) and an SAS Doctor; there may be opportunities for ST special interest sessional support. The postholder will be expected to support trainees and see new patients.
Liaison with families/carers and local care pathways are integral to care delivery, with ongoing collaboration with local hepatologists and established referral pathways into the acute hospital. The unit admits patients with robust aftercare plans to promote abstinence-based approaches during inpatient stay.
Estimated admission wait times vary; bed occupancy is typically 85–90%, with approximately 1,000–1,200 referrals and 400–450 admissions per year depending on length of stay.
We encourage interest in flexible working where applicable and value a collaborative approach to service improvement.
Seniority level
* Mid-Senior level
Employment type
* Contract
Note: This description reflects the information provided and excludes non-essential job board boilerplate and unrelated postings.
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