Join to apply for the Consultant Psychiatrist in Older Adults role at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT)
We are seeking a Consultant in Older Adult Psychiatry to work at Watford General Hospital, a 650‑bed district general hospital primarily serving the Hertfordshire population, with occasional patients from North West London, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The hospital has an active Accident and Emergency Department, the only A&E in West Hertfordshire.
Role Overview
As a Consultant Older Adult Liaison Psychiatrist, you will work alongside a Consultant General Adult Liaison Psychiatrist and provide clinical leadership to a well‑established multidisciplinary Liaison Psychiatry Team. The team operates 24/7 and receives an average of 275 individual referrals per month, 70% from the Emergency Department and 30% from inpatient wards, including both working‑age and older‑adult service users.
Key Responsibilities
* Provide clinical leadership and supervision to team members and the multidisciplinary team, and cross‑cover for the General Adult Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist.
* Deliver expert clinical input—including assessment—for patients with complex presentations in the A&E department and wards, working with acute trust staff to improve patient care and outcomes.
* Contribute to an ad hoc outpatient follow‑up clinic for patients discharged home after assessment, providing joint geriatrics review under the delirium pathway (ambulatory care).
* Regularly review service users awaiting mental health admission, ensuring timely reassessment and implementation of appropriate changes to management plans, offering the least restrictive treatment options.
* Lead daily referral meetings and board rounds, attend multidisciplinary professional meetings and other multi‑agency meetings with acute physical healthcare partners to provide an integrated approach. There is opportunity to develop specialised clinics with other teams and contribute to focused initiatives such as High Intensity User Support Teams.
Location
Watford General Hospital, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
Contact
Dr Champa Balalle
Consultant Psychiatrist & Clinical Director
Email: champa.balalle1@nhs.net
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