Job overview
This substantive post is a new post, arisen following the increased demands of Lewisham CAMHS. It offers a unique opportunity to join an established and dynamic service in Lewisham CAMHS, within South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
The post holder will be based within the Horizon Generic team and the CRISIS team in Lewisham CAMHS. The Generic role focuses on the assessment of, and provision of specific evidence-based interventions for young people with complex mental health difficulties. The CRISIS role comprises 7-day-follow up (when urgent medical assessment and treatment is required) to those Lewisham-based patients presenting at any ED and brief intervention.
This is a time of change and expansion in the medical team in Lewisham CAMHS. We have a number of well-established and experienced Consultants. This role is a 10 PA WTE.
The successful applicant will also join the SLaM consultant CAMHS on-call rota (see On-call Section) and the weekly local consultant on-call rota.
Main duties of the job
This 10 PA post is split into DCC and SPA sessions: 7 PAs with Horizon team and 3 PAs with the CRISIS treatment team. The post benefits from 2.5 SPA time (in total, pro rata) - structured professional activities, during which the post holder will contribute to service development, research clinical governance and quality improvement, in addition to completing continuous professional development and pursuing other professional activities. Please see notional timetable below for how this could be split.
The Horizon team is a well-established service that also has another consultant psychiatrist (10 PAs split between Horizon generic team and ADHD team) as well as consultant psychology (part-time), psychotherapists (part-time) and family therapists (part-time) to support in the leadership of the team. The clinical service lead (Full time) is an experienced and highly efficient manager who manages the multidisciplinary team members. We offer specialist interventions following assessments to young people and includes individual work as well as group work. The team have a history of innovative ways of working and cater to young people and children aged 0 to 18 years who are registered with Lewisham GP.
The service has developed a very close working relationship with local partners and tier 2 services such as the MHST (Mental Health at Schools Team), CWP (Child Wellbeing Practitioners) teams and Community Paediatric team in Lewisham.
Working for our organisation
Benefits
We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. It’s important to us that you are valued and appreciated and that is why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.
Some of our benefits are highlighted here:
1. Generous pay, pensions and leave. We offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
2. Work life balance. We support a range of flexible working options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
3. Career development. There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes.
4. Car lease. Our staff benefit from competitive deals to lease cars.
5. Our staff benefit fromkeyworker housing, which is available on selected sites.
6. NHS discounts. With discounts of up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands through the Health Service Discounts website.
Other benefits include:
7. Counselling services
8. Wellbeing events
9. Long service awards
10. Cycle to work scheme
11. Season ticket loan
12. Childcare vouchers
13. Staff restaurants
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Other duties
The post-holder will be expected to provide Consultant leadership and medical cover. The weekly crisis second on-call cover is to those young people presenting in crisis – primarily at University Hospital Lewisham (UHL). This includes the Adult Majors, Minors, Paediatric ED and the Paediatric wards. The crisis team are well functioning team with nurses who will assess and escalate to junior doctors and to the post holder as needed.
This includes Emergency presentations or Paediatric ward review following admission at University Hospital Lewisham) within the borough in conjunction with the other consultants and resident doctors – to ensure that there is always appropriate senior medical cover. This supports the Crisis rota with the crisis team (supported by the Response Team). MHA assessments are rare and the post holder is expected to conduct them when needed and work with the crisis team to care plan.
Consultant Psychiatrists provide cross cover for these duties during leave periods. This is worked out by mutual agreement, and we are very good at maintaining excellent communication and relationships between consultant colleagues in Lewisham CAMHS. There is a regular team meeting and a Teams channel to maintain close working relationships.
How this post is supported
There is support from an experienced administration team, coordinated by the Borough Business Manager. The postholder will be supported administratively through this team.
The successful candidate will have an office (likely shared with one other Consultant Psychiatrist). They have their own desk, computer (work laptop) and telephone (landline and work mobile) with access to IT support. The team has administrative support.
Non car drivers can access transport for essential clinical journeys.
There is scope to develop specialism within the overall role to this service.
Psychiatric Trainees and SAS Doctors
Lewisham CAMHS benefits from the support of one Core Trainee (CT1-3) and two Specialist Trainees (ST4-6) on the South London and Maudsley training schemes. However, this is due to change due to wider national ‘levelling up agenda’ (in which London is expected to lose a significant number of training posts).
The Training Programme Director for CAMHS Specialist Trainees is Dr Dan Hayes, Consultant Psychiatrist. This is not a training post, but you will be involved in supporting the trainees through both formal and informal teaching, as opportunity arises.
Timetable
This is a notional timetable. It can be adapted to meet the needs of the post holder and the service, in the context of the job planning process with the lead clinician. There will be a 7.5 / 2.5 DCC / SPA split. Although there are no specific additional responsibilities associated with the post, the post holder would be encouraged to take up additional roles commensurate with their seniority and interests, to be incorporated into their negotiated job. These could include lead roles in education and training (undergraduate or postgraduate), safeguarding, clinical governance etc.
The consultant role involves providing clinical and medical leadership for both the MDT and junior medical staff.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
am
Crisis Team –
Team meeting
Huddle
DCC HORIZON Clinic +admin
Crisis Team – Clinic + admin
SPA
SPA
Clinic Admin
DCC HORIZON Clinic +admin
pm
Crisis Team – Clinic + admin
HORIZON team Meeting
DCC – FOLLOW-UP
DCC HORIZON Clinic +admin
Advisory meeting (monthly)
SPA
DCC HORIZON Clinic +admin CAMHS weekend handover
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
14. MRCPsych membership or equivalent
Desirable criteria
15. Membership or Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
16. Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management
17. Experience in other relevant specialties such as in patient psychiatry, liaison psychiatry (especially Paediatrics)
Eligibility
Essential criteria
18. Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment
19. Evidence for inclusion in the Specialist Register or within six months of gaining CCT in C&A psychiatry or Equivalent training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CESR issued by PMETB).
20. Section 12 approved
21. Approved Clinician status or able to achieve within three months of appointment
Training and Experience
Essential criteria
22. Experience of assessing and managing complex co-morbidities, including Crisis Care
23. Experience in Outpatient/Community Child and Adolescent Psychiatry with higher level diagnosis and management expertise
24. Special interest in complex mental health presentations comorbid with neurodevelopmental conditions
Desirable criteria
25. Training in treatment modalities
26. Experience of providing consultation to non-CAMHS practitioners
27. Consultant experienced in community CAMHS
Clinical Skills
Essential criteria
28. Excellent leadership skills
29. Excellent adolescent psychiatric assessment skills
30. Good ability to relate to children, adolescents and parents
31. Good ability to work in a team setting
32. Understanding of safeguarding
33. Ability to assess capacity and consent
34. Understanding of how complaints and serious incidents are managed
35. Up-to-date knowledge and fitness to practice
36. Expertise in the use and application of The Mental Health Act in children and young people
Desirable criteria
37. Evidence of skills in consultation to non-mental health specialists e.g. GPs, social workers, paediatricians
38. Evidence of range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
39. Expertise in CBT or other therapeutic intervention to postgraduate level
40. Significant experience of developing and leading outpatient/community CAMHS psychiatric care
Academic Skills and Lifelong Learning
Essential criteria
41. Management/Audit: Participation in audit or QI in clinical posts
42. Teaching: Experience of teaching a range of disciplines
43. Research: Involvement in research projects
44. Personal Skills: Excellent demonstrable communication skills in English (both oral and written)
45. Personal Skills: Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team and resolve conflict
46. Personal Skills: Probity
47. Personal Skills: Eligible to work in the UK
Desirable criteria
48. Management/Audit: Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this post
49. Teaching: Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
50. Research: Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation
51. Research: Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications
52. Personal Skills: Has led quality improvement projects/audits leading to service change or improved outcomes to patients
53. Personal Skills: Evidence of involvement with business planning of clinical services
54. Personal Skills: Peer reviewed publication
55. Personal Skills: Book publication