University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Consultant Child & Adolescent Liaison Psychiatrist
The closing date is 16 March 2026
We are delighted to offer this opportunity for a Consultant Child and Adolescent Liaison Psychiatrist to join the Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine service at UCLH. This is a substantive post, working 4 days / week, currently Tuesdays - Fridays.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, skilled and experienced Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist looking to work with children and young people within a paediatric acute hospital setting. You will be joining an experienced Child & Adolescent Liaison Psychiatry team embedded and fully integrated into the UCLH Children & Young People Division.
You will join a vibrant multidisciplinary team to support paediatric liaison work to a highly complex and diverse patient group. The Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine/Services provides assessments, consultation and interventions for patients being treated at UCLH with medical conditions and experiencing emotional, psychological, behavioural difficulties or mental illness. This includes children and young people presenting in mental health / psychosocial crisis to the Emergency Department, as well as patients receiving treatment as in‑patients or out‑patients under one of the UCLH teams within the Children & Young People (formerly Paediatric & Adolescent) Division.
CV required for application.
Main duties of the job
You will provide Child & Adolescent Psychiatry input to the Paediatric Emergency Department; T12 South Adolescent (13-18yrs) ward; T11 South (<13yrs) paediatric ward; and occasionally to T11 & T12 North wards providing Child & Adolescent Psychiatry input to the UCLH Paediatric Oncology service and the Teenage & Young Adult Cancer Service, as part of cross‑cover arrangements with the Psych-Oncology team (managed by consultant colleagues). Your role will include providing psychiatric consultation, assessment and treatment to specialist teams within the Children & Young People Division, including TRACCS (Treatment & Rehabilitation for Adolescents & Children with Complex Conditions Service), Diabetes Team, Lighthouse (specialist service for CYP survivors of Child Sexual Abuse), Endocrinology, Epilepsy and others.
You will join a team of three other highly experienced Consultant Child & Adolescent Liaison Psychiatrists. There is the opportunity to work with a range of mental health presentations and use evidence‑based treatments. The team also includes one child and adolescent psychiatry specialty trainee (ST) and one or two psychiatry core trainees (CTs) and 3 CYP Mental Health Liaison Clinical Nurse Specialists.
About us
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically‑led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top‑quality patient care, excellent education, and world‑class research. We provide first‑class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
* University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
* National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
* Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital
* University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
* Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
* University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
* The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
* University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street
We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world‑class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology. We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.
Job responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Please note, due to anticipated high volumes of applications, this vacancy may close earlier than the listed closing date. You are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.
You will share responsibilities for the assessment and day to day psychiatric care of the in‑patients and day‑patients admitted to the paediatric department at UCLH, providing supervision and support to the CTs, STs and Mental Health Nursing team. Close teamwork with nursing and MDT colleagues is a specific feature of the role; there is the opportunity to work jointly with paediatricians, paediatric nurses, psychologists, psychotherapists, child safeguarding social‑workers and nurses and play specialists / activity coordinators to deliver effective care and treatment for children and young people.
You will assess referrals on admission through the Paediatric Emergency Department, complete mental state examinations and risk assessments, liaise with community child and adolescent mental health services to develop safe discharge plans, and oversee completion of discharge summaries. You will support and oversee making referrals to community CAMHS teams, CAMHS Crisis Teams and Tier 4 in‑patient psychiatric units as required, and will need to be familiar with navigating the wider system. You will also play a role in thinking about Child Safeguarding, alongside the UCLH Child Safeguarding team, working closely with social workers and dedicated safeguarding nurses.
There is a strong academic ethos in the Department, with expectations that you will contribute to Medical Student and Postgraduate / Multidisciplinary education and training. You will also have opportunities to undertake and supervise Quality Improvement projects and take up Leadership tasks within the Department.
Person Specification
Professional Qualifications
* Eligible for full registration with the GMC at time of appointment and hold a current licence to practise
* Within 6 months of attaining CCT in a Psychiatric Specialty or equivalent / relevant Specialist Training
* MRCPsych or equivalent.
* Child & Adolescent Liaison Psychiatry knowledge
* Approved Clinician under Mental Health Act 1983 (2005)
* Training the trainers educational training or equivalent.
Experience
* Broad experience of work with children, young people, parents and families in community CAMHS and specialist services.
* Experience of managing acute mental health crises in community and hospital settings.
* At least 6 years full time work or equivalent training in a recognised psychiatry training scheme.
* Experience of teaching medical students and multi‑disciplinary teams.
* Experience of undertaking Quality Improvement Projects.
* Experience of working with children & young people with physical illnesses and disabilities.
* Experience of working in Liaison psychiatry in an acute hospital setting.
* Experience of leading and/or managing teaching programme.
* Experience of leading a service development project.
Skills and Abilities
* Ability to work effectively as a team member.
* Effective verbal and written (including record keeping) communication skills.
* Ability to prioritise and organise clinical and supporting activities.
* Ability to recognise when to ask for assistance with patient safety and safeguarding in mind.
* Excellent clinical knowledge and skills, including psychopharmacology, risk assessment and management.
* Confidence and effectiveness in clinical decision making at consultant level.
* Experience in a range of teaching techniques.
* Evidence of leadership ability and commitment to clinical governance.
* Range of Quality Improvement / audit projects in the past three years.
* Special interest in working with acute mental health crises within a paediatric liaison setting.
* Experience in simulation training and learning.
* Postgraduate teaching degree or diploma.
* Completion of simulation training (faculty development program).
* Research experience.
Communication
* Ability to communicate with clarity and intelligently in written and spoken English
* Ability to build rapport, listen, persuade/ negotiate.
* Ability to engage a diverse group of learners from different disciplines.
* High level communication skills e.g. mediation training.
Personal and People Development
* Ability to take responsibility, lead, make decisions and exert appropriate authority.
* Ability to see patients as people, ability to empathise and work co‑operatively with others.
* A 'can do' approach to working with colleagues.
Responsibilities towards promoting Equality Diversity and Inclusion
* Demonstratable understanding of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion and/or Knowledge of the NHS obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duties.
Ensure the risk of infection to self, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors is minimised by:
* Being familiar with, and adhering to Trust policies and guidance on infection prevention and control.
* Completing all required training and education (both via e‑learning and face‑to‑face) on infection prevention and control.
* Including infection prevention and control as an integral part of your continuous personal/professional development and included in your annual appraisal.
* Taking personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care associated infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently.
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.
Salary
£109,725 to £145,478 a year per annum pro rata + London weighting (on‑call Cat A 3%)
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