Consultant Psychiatrist in MHSOP Community
Full‑time (1.0 WTE) Consultant Psychiatrist post providing clinical and medical leadership to the Community Mental Health Services for Older Peoples teams in Northwest County Durham. The post holder will work within a well‑established community team in Derwentside, alongside another consultant psychiatrist colleague who also works into a neighbouring community team.
In 2024 the posts were re‑configured to reflect demographic changes within the catchment area and provide an equivalent level of psychiatrist staff input to teams across the locality. As such, this is a new post.
The post holder will provide consultant psychiatric input to a population of 30,658 people over 65 years in the Derwentside & Chester‑Le Street area, shared with another consultant colleague, Dr Karyn Ohioma (0.4 WTE into this sector), and a speciality doctor.
The consultant workload is predominantly divided into sectors based on GP surgeries, which are divided amongst the consultants in proportion to their time with the team, allowing longitudinal development of strong working relationships with local communities and primary‑care colleagues.
About Us
We are one of the largest specialist mental health and learning disabilities trusts in the country, with an annual income of £320 m 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 of inpatient and community services to 2 m 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 deliver our services by working in partnership with eight local authorities and clinical commissioning groups, a wide range of voluntary organisations, as well as service users, their carers and the public.
Details
* Reference number: C9346-MHSOP-215M
* Salary: £109,725 to £145,478 a year
* Contract: Permanent
* Working pattern: Full‑time, Flexible working
* Job locations: Derwent Clinic, Shotley Bridge Hospital, Consett, County Durham (DH8 0NB)
* Date posted: 11 November 2025
* Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
* Grade: Consultant
* Employment type: Full‑time
* Job function: Other
* Industries: Mental Health Care
* Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level
Responsibilities
* Provide consultant psychiatric input to a population of over 30,000 people aged 65+ in Derwentside & Chester‑Le Street.
* Co‑lead and provide clinical leadership to the community team alongside a colleague.
* Deliver mental health services to older people across the catchment region, sharing a total of 1.4 WTE consultant input with another consultant.
* Manage clinical workload allocated across GP surgeries proportionate to time with the team.
* Perform responsibility clinician duties for patients under Community Treatment Orders in local care homes (if required).
* Prioritise Mental Health Act assessments for patients and act as a qualified DOLS Mental Health Assessor.
* Prepare ad‑hoc Section 49 Mental Capacity Act reports as needed.
* Work closely with other CMHTs and inpatient MHSOP services to support integrated care.
Person Specification
* Leadership – Essential: Reflects on own performance and behaviour, seeks and acts on feedback, influences and persuades to improve services, takes on leadership role in multidisciplinary team, has knowledge of NHS and Trust structure, shows commitment to quality through quality improvement and lean thinking methodology or can achieve within one year, adapts to and leads service change.
* Leadership – Desirable: Can take on a leadership role outside the multidisciplinary team, understands NHS and wider health economy and its implications for Trust work, trained to standard equivalent to level 2 in TEWV Trust Quality improvement system.
* Academic Skills & Lifelong Learning – Essential: Delivers undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training, participates in continuous professional development, participates in research or service evaluation, uses and appraises clinical evidence, has actively participated in clinical audit.
* Academic Skills & Lifelong Learning – Desirable: Plans and delivers undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this post, reflects on purpose of CPD undertaken, experienced in clinical research and/or service evaluation, demonstrates achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement (awards, prizes, presentations, publications), has led clinical audits leading to service change.
* Qualifications – Essential: MB BS or equivalent medical qualification; fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.
* Qualifications – Desirable: Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research, or management; MRCPsych postgraduate qualification or CESR; additional clinical qualifications; endorsement in Liaison Psychiatry.
* Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience – Essential: Excellent knowledge in specialty; excellent clinical skills using a bio‑psycho‑social perspective and wide medical knowledge; excellent oral and written communication skills in English; able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty; makes decisions based on evidence and experience including contributions of others; able to meet duties under MHA and MCA.
* Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience – Desirable: Wide range of specialist and sub‑specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service.
* Eligibility – Essential: Fully registered with GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment; eligible for inclusion in the Specialist Register in the Specialty or within 6 months of gaining CCT; approved clinician status or able to achieve within 3 months of appointment; approved under S12 or able to achieve with 3 months of appointment; included on the GMC Specialist Register.
* Eligibility – Desirable: In good standing with GMC regarding warnings and conditions on practice.
Employer Details
* Employer name: Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
* Address: Derwent Clinic, Shotley Bridge Hospital, Consett, County Durham, DH8 0NB
* Website: https://www.tewv.nhs.uk/
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