Consultant Psychiatrist - Secure Learning Disability Inpatient Service
NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant
Main area Consultant Grade NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 10 sessions per week (10% R&R, PA's- 10, SPA- 2.5, DCC 7.5) Job ref 350-MED7284722
Site Aspen Wood Low Secure Unit Maghull Health Park Town Maghull Salary £105,504 - £139,882 per annum, plus 10% R&R (non contractual) 1% on call Salary period Yearly Closing 19/07/2025 23:59
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Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
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Job overview
The Consultant Psychiatrist will have responsibility for caseload of up to 20 inpatients at Aspen Wood Low Secure Unit.
This includes being the Responsible Clinician for the purposes of the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007) and carry out duties in accordance with the Code of Practice.
As a Consultant Psychiatrist and Approved Clinician, you will be responsible for ensuring that our service users’ needs are met through the delivery of high-quality care by providing a comprehensive psychiatric service to people with a Learning Disability in a secure inpatient service.
Main duties of the job
Fulfilling Responsible Clinician responsibility for inpatients within a secure inpatient service will be a major component of this post.
The post holder will have a flexible job plan.
The Consultant will provide direct clinical work including assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental and behavioural disorders. They will participate in regular MDT meetings, CPA reviews, MAPPA, safeguarding, risk reviews and providing clinical leadership and Responsible Clinician role.
The post holder will be expected to liaise with colleagues in other services or divisions within the Trust to support people with Forensic LD accessing other local and remotely located services.
The Consultant will undertake statutory responsibilities under the MHA, MCA and Consent to Treatment.
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This is a full-time post. The schedule of programmed activities represents a job plan totalling 10 programmed activities per week of 8 Direct Clinical Care and 2 Supporting Professional Activities.
The post holder will have a flexible Job Plan drawn to provide Consultant input for the Secure Inpatient Learning Disability services on the Maghull Health Park. This includes Aspen Wood Low Secure Unit and Rowan View Medium Secure Unit. The Consultant Psychiatrist will have responsibility for caseload of up to 20 inpatients at Aspen Wood Low Secure Unit.
This includes being the Responsible Clinician for the purposes of the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007) and carry out duties in accordance with the Code of Practice.
There will be reciprocal cross-cover provided by the other Learning Disability Consultants at Rowan View Medium Secure Unit on the Maghull Health Park during periods of leave and sickness. The Trust is committed to improving the services and reviewing contractual agreements to ensure that community teams are adequately resourced.
To provide medical input for several patients that a non-medical Approved Clinician has Responsible Clinician responsibility for. These patients are based at Aspen Wood Low Secure Unit.
To complete comprehensive psychiatric assessments and provide medical interventions for patients.
Supporting staff to manage psychiatric emergencies.
Conduct patient reviews and lead multidisciplinary ward reviews, CPA reviews, attend CTR meetings and multi-professional meetings.
To provide verbal and written evidence to Mental Health Review Tribunals and Hospital Manager’s hearings. Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act related work will form a significant part of this post.
To carry out comprehensive Risk Assessments and participate in Trust’s risk management processes such as Health Risk Assessment and Management Meetings (H-RAMM) and Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) Meetings if required.
To provide Clinical and or Educational supervision to junior colleagues.
Liaison with aspects of the Criminal Justice System regarding patients, where necessary.
Liaising with other stakeholders and interested parties.
The post holder will be expected to liaise with colleagues in other services/divisions within the Trust to support people with Forensic LD accessing other local and remotely located services.
There is on-call after hours for the Maghull Health Park as part of this post. This is currently 1:25.
There is admin support as part of this role.
There is a CT trainee and Specialty Doctor based at Aspen Wood Low Secure Unit.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Full GMC Registration or eligibility to be included on the register and holding a current licence to practise at the time of Appointment.
* Section 12 approval.
* In possession of Approved Clinical Status.
* Post holder to maintain AC approval.
* MRCPsych or equivalent.
* Eligible for inclusion in Specialist Register or within 6 months of gaining CCT.
* Relevant Higher Degree or other additional clinical qualifications.
* CCT in Psychiatry.
Experience
* Knowledge and experience of assessing and treating individuals with learning disability and or autism.
* Treating individuals with forensic needs.
Personal Skills
* To possess leadership skills and be able to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.
* Ability to manage own time, workload and prioritise clinical work.
* Ability to appraise own performance as a consultant.
* Able to demonstrate excellent communication skills, in order to effectively work with patients, carers and staff.
* Excellent written and oral communication skills.
* Approachable and compassionate personality with good listening skills.
* Evidence of specific achievements that demonstrate leadership skills.
* Flexible and tolerant.
* Relaxed when dealing with teams under pressure.
* Motivational skills.
Knowledge
* Understanding of the management skills required to function successfully as a Consultant.
* Awareness of current issues in mental health service provision, Transforming Care policy and legislation.
* An understanding of the importance of Clinical Governance in NHS organisations and importance in patient care.
* Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge.
* Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
* Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty.
* Knowledge of alternatives to inpatient admission care approaches.
* Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service.
Transport
* Holds and will use valid UK driving licence OR provides evidence of proposed alternative.
* Non-drivers due to disability will be supported via access to work scheme.
Academic Skills and Lifelong Learning
* Ability to work Constructively and to lead a multidisciplinary team.
* Participated in continuous professional development.
* Participated in research or service evaluation.
* Able to use and appraise clinical evidence.
* Has actively participated in clinical audit.
* Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken.
* Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.
* Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications.
* Has led clinical audits leading to service change.
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Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply for all correspondence. All information regarding your application will come from apps.trac.jobs not NHS Jobs.
Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants who consider themselves to be disabled who meet the minimum (essential) criteria for the role in the person specification. If you would like your application to be considered under the Trust’s guaranteed interview scheme you can indicate this in the personal information section of your online application form.
Should you require a reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process please email recruitment@merseycare.nhs.uk to ensure that measures can be put in place to support you.
We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.
The Trust expects all post holders who require an enhanced DBS for their role subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration. Trans applicants who require a DBS check and do not want to reveal details of their previous identity can contact the DBS Sensitive Applications Team (01516761452 or email sensitive@dbs.gsi.gov.uk ) with their application number once they have completed their DBS application form. The team can prevent any previous identity showing on the DBS Certificate, unless the applicant has a conviction under their previous details in which case this will need to be disclosed.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Please be advised that the use of Artificial Intelligence on applications is monitored and if you choose to use this, you must declare this on your application form.
Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
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Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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