Job summary
This post is a replacement post and is one of the four posts (4 WTE) supporting adult acute care in the North Durham Locality (Adult Mental Health Directorate) of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. This includes 3WTE Consultant Psychiatrists working into the inpatient unit and 1WTE Consultant Psychiatrist covering the Durham & Darlington Adult Crisis Team.
The population covered within the North Durham locality is 250,000. The main population centres include Durham; Chester-le-Street; Consett and Seaham and include areas with relative affluence; areas with significant levels of deprivation and more rural areas.
The main inpatient beds for the North Durham Locality are located at Lanchester Road Hospital. There are two, twenty bedded wards (Tunstall Unit for female patients & Farnham Unit for male patients) admitting patients with acute mental health problems at Lanchester Road Hospital. There are 3 WTE Consultant Psychiatrists for these 2 wards. Average length of stay is around 25 days, some individuals stay are longer but good working relationships with Community Teams and Crisis Teams keep the length of stay at a minimum often less than 25 days. Inpatient admissions happen at approximately 5 or 6 per week per ward. The proportion of detained and informal admissions is approximately 50/50. Out of catchment area admissions account for approximately 10% of total admissions.
This post is for a Consultant Psychiatrist on Tunstall Ward, female inpatients.
Main duties of the job
The principal duty of this Consultant post is to support the In-patient team. Currently the post holder will be expected to provide consultant input for 10 - 12 beds, between the two wards (Farnham & Tunstall Units) New admissions are allocated between consultants on a 1 in 3 rota on each ward. There is a limit of 10- 12 patients per each consultant to ensure equity. Currently the average length of stay excluding over 90 days is 20 days in Farnham Ward (Male Ward) and 28 days in Tunstall Ward (Female Ward) while the combined average in the locality is 31 days.
Clinical duties will include:
Daily attendance at Report Out meetings
- Completion of 24hr initial reviews of patients admitted to the unit
- Chairing of formulation, review and discharge planning meetings
- Contribution to the collective leadership of the team
- MHA work including completion of MHA assessments on the ward, tribunal reports and giving oral evidence at first tier tribunals, CTO assessment and initiation, SOAD requests and review of consent to treatment
- Support to broader multi-disciplinary team
- Contribution to risk management on the ward
About us
We are one of the largest specialist mental health and learning disabilities trusts in the country, with an annual income of £320m and a workforce of some 6,700 staff operating from around 100 sites in Durham, Teesside, North Yorkshire and York and Selby. We provide a range inpatient and community services to 2m people living in County Durham, the Tees Valley, Scarborough, Whitby, Ryedale, Harrogate, Hambleton and Richmondshire. We also provide additional specialist services to other parts of Northern England.
We are a multi-award winning trust and are included within the Health Service Journals Best 100 Places to Work. The trust take a positive and proactive approach to support staff in their personal development and has embedded the Talent Management approach within the Trust.
Psychiatrists are essential contributors to the majority of our mental health teams. Service users expect and are justified to expect collaborative relationships with dedicated psychiatrists who work consistently as part of effective services. Our medical staffing shortage puts strain on services and puts strain on workforce wellbeing and costs extend beyond the financial. The Medical Directorate and Medical Development Team are striving to improve medical workforce recruitment and retention in a variety of ways and the cornerstone of these efforts is The TEWV Charter for the Medical Workforce - see attached Supporting Document.
The Trust welcomes a conversation about flexible working.
Details
Date posted
19 March 2026
Pay scheme
Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade
Consultant
Salary
£109,725 to £145,478 a year
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number
C9346-AMH-337M
Job locations
Lanchester Road Hospital
Lanchester Road
Durham
County Durham
DH1 5RD
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached job description for further information on this post. Please note this post has not been approved by The Royal College.
Person Specification
Clinical Knowledge & Skills
Essential
1. Excellent knowledge in specialty
2. Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
3. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
4. Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty
5. Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others
6. Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA
Desirable
7. Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
Academic Skills and Lifelong Learning
Essential
8. Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
9. Participated in continuous professional development
10. Participated in research or service evaluation.
11. Able to use and appraise clinical evidence.
12. Has actively participated in clinical audit.
Desirable
13. Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this post
14. Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
15. Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.
16. Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications.
17. Has led clinical audits leading to service change.
Leadership
Essential
18. Reflects on own performance and behaviour, seeking and acting on feedback.
19. Able to influence and persuade to improve services
20. Able to take on leadership role in multidisciplinary team.
21. Knowledge of structure and management of the NHS and the Trust.
22. Shows commitment to quality through knowledge of quality improvement and lean thinking methodology OR able to achieve within one year of appointment
23. Able to adapt to and lead service change.
Desirable
24. Able to take on a leadership role outside the multidisciplinary team.
25. Understanding of NHS & wider health economy and its implications for the work of the Trust.
26. Trained to standard equivalent to level 2 in TEWV Trust Quality improvement system
Qualifications
Essential
27. MB BS or equivalent medical qualification.
Desirable
28. Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.
29. Experience
30. MRCPsych
Eligibility
Essential
31. Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.
32. Included on the GMC Specialist Register for General Psychiatry OR included within six months.
33. Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment
34. Approved under S12 OR able to achieve with 3 months of appointment
Desirable
35. In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
Experience
Essential
36. Describe your clinical experience relevant to this job role
Desirable
37. Any other experience that may be applicable