Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Consultant Psychiatrist in Community Old Age - Huntingdon
The closing date is 16 February 2026
The successful candidate will work alongside community-based consultant colleagues to provide medical leadership for an experienced multi-disciplinary mental health team delivering assessment and treatment for patients with both functional and organic illness. The post holder will have a key role in developing links with the wider MDT and with colleagues in primary care.
Inpatient care and medical input into the Older People's Crisis Team is provided by consultant colleagues within the acute care system and the post holder will work closely with them and with the colleagues within the liaison service to ensure care is well co-ordinated. The job plan is flexible to take account of clinical and professional interests, including time within the job plan for suitably qualified and motivated individuals to develop interests such as teaching and research.
Main duties of the job
The post is a replacement post due to the previous incumbent moving to a different part of the country. The successful candidate will work alongside two community-based consultant colleagues to provide assessment and psychiatric treatment for Older Adults within the Huntingdon community across a largely rural area.
The three consultants (2.4 WTE) will share responsibility for a patch of 36,864 over‑65s. The Hunts team receives about 100 referrals per month, with approx. 16 referrals for psychiatry outpatients and 48 for memory assessment. Not all team referrals are seen by the consultant; many are dealt with by the multidisciplinary team as they include referrals for safeguarding or placement advice.
The post holder will provide medical leadership for an experienced and energetic multi‑disciplinary mental health team providing services for patients with both functional and organic illness. There are many emerging opportunities to help shape and develop services according to the evolving needs of the local population.
About us
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high‑quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children’s, adult and older people’s mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high‑calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage of the community, particularly from under‑represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk
Job responsibilities
* To lead the multidisciplinary team in providing excellent psychiatric care
* To provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment plans. Much of the work is providing assessments for new patients, many of whom are people referred for assessment of possible dementia. Patients are then discharged back to G.P. care or are taken into the multi‑disciplinary team where they are care co‑ordinated by a team member and reviewed by the consultant as required.
* To lead weekly MDT meetings and ensure prompt reviews of unwell patients
* To work closely with the CRHTT OP, community teams and liaison services as patients move between these teams
* To deliver evidence‑based treatments
* To maintain accurate and up to date clinical records
* To partake in providing cross cover for consultant colleagues for annual & study leave to maintain continuous service. In particular, the successful applicant will be expected to jointly cover the other consultant in the Huntingdon team when they are absent (e.g. study leave / annual leave).
* Leadership To provide clinical leadership for the Older Peoples Mental Health Services
Teaching/Education Contribute to the psychiatry post‑graduate teaching programme. Contribute to the psychiatry teaching programme for undergraduate medical students. Contribute to the training and support of staff within the wider MDT. Contribute to postgraduate teaching as well as to continuing medical education activities. Maintain CPD activities. For new consultants mentoring is provided and they are helped to find an appropriate peer group. The current study leave budget for consultants is £600 per year for appropriate activities. CPD time is incorporated in to the job plan. There is an active programme of weekly CPD activity, delivered via Teams, and to which all will contribute on a rota basis. Consultants are encouraged to undergo the appropriate training and become educational supervisors for trainees.
Administration Work with CPFT to achieve agreed performance targets. Contribute to the collection and monitoring of clinical outcome data for service development and commissioning purposes. Participate in audit. Participate in the administration of patient information systems and ensure that data are entered in accordance with service policies and guidance. Work in accordance with Trust and service policies and guidelines.
Management Work with the Service Manager and Clinical Director to contribute to the management of Older Peoples Acute Care System. To contribute to the planning and further development of Older Peoples Mental Health Services and of the wider community services. To attend meetings, relevant to the interests of the service.
Research The post‑holder is expected to support the broader CPFT research endeavour where possible. It is anticipated that funding would become available for the right applicant to become involved in research, potentially acting as a principle investigator for clinical trials into dementia and other late life mental health disorders or making use of local opportunities to develop other research interests.
Clinical Governance The post‑holder will be aware of, and act within, locally and nationally agreed protocols and actively involved in clinical governance within the service.
On‑call The post holder may be required to take part in the consultant out of hours on call rota. Currently this is approximately 1:25. There is support when on call from core and senior trainees. Not all consultants within CPFT participate in the on‑call rota. Consultants are not put on the rota for the first 6 months after appointment. On call is currently remunerated at a rate of 3% subject to current monitoring and possible review. The on‑call consultant covers old age and general adult. There is a separate CAMHS on‑call rota.
Accountability The post holder will be accountable to the lead psychiatrist in the directorate (currently Anna Forrest). Professional accountability is to the Trust Board through the Trust Medical Director.
Job Planning & Appraisal Consultants are required to take part in the Revalidation and annual appraisal process under the supervision of the Medical Director, Dr Cathy Walsh, and Responsible Officer.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Entry on the GMC Specialist Register
* CCT in Psychiatry of Old Age or Candidates with a CESR will be considered equally and are encouraged to apply
* Approved Clinician Status or eligible to attend training.
* The post holder must have a valid UK driving licence and be willing and able to drive
* MD or PhD
* Postgraduate qualification in medical education
Experience
* Clinical training and experience equivalent to that required for gaining UK CCT in Old Age
* Experience of research
* Experience of service development
Characteristics
* Ability to work in a team
* Ability to communicate effectively with patients, relatives, GPs, nurses and other agencies.
* Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the context of the service within the wider context of developments in the NHS.
* First‑hand experience of developing services in a constantly changing environment and to tight budgetary restraints would be an advantage
* Candidates need to be effective teachers and trainers and be able to guide their own continuing education and training.
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.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
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