Applications are invited for a Trust Grade Float Doctor post (Junior Clinical Fellow Level) based at the Lambeth Hospital. This is a full‑time fixed‑term post across a variety of inpatient services at the Lambeth Hospital. The post is for 9am‑5pm with no on‑call responsibilities, though you are more than welcome to contribute to the gaps in the resident doctor on‑call rota and will be compensated for doing so. It is a well‑established role that has become available as the current incumbent is moving on to commence their training post.
All services in Lambeth Hospital will be relocated to different Trust sites this autumn. All the acute wards and PICU will be relocated to a newly built New Douglas Bennett House in the Denmark Hill campus (Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ). The post will move along with all the staff working in these services. A full induction programme will be offered.
Post will be initially for a period of 6 months with possibility of extension.
Key Responsibilities
1. Provide medical and psychiatric advice to the inpatient wards under the supervision of consultant psychiatrists, including our acute wards, the psychiatric intensive care unit and the rehabilitation and challenging behaviour unit in Lambeth Hospital.
2. Accept medical responsibility for patients admitted to the inpatient wards under the supervision of consultant psychiatrists.
3. Initiate a psychiatric assessment, including mental state examination on first contact with the patient, and regularly update the mental state examination.
4. Ensure that a physical examination of all patients admitted to the inpatient wards under the care of the psychiatric team has been performed.
5. Maintain adequate written documentation of all medical and psychiatric examinations of the patients and record contacts with relatives and carers, including outcomes. Form clear diagnostic and treatment plans within 24 hours of admission.
6. Maintain adequate communication of medical activities: completion and communication of electronic discharge notification and present medication details for the General Practitioner before discharge. A definitive discharge summary should be completed and sent within one week of discharge, including presentation and progress during admission and statements of commitment to further follow‑up, monitoring and intervention, particularly if they are to be undertaken from within the community mental health teams.
7. Provide cover for planned leave and on‑call commitments of the ward resident doctors, including holding the duty bleep on Wednesdays (9am‑5pm) during the Core Trainees academic day.
8. Maintain a professional and ethical stance towards patients, their relatives, other team members and other agencies.
9. Acquire knowledge of and competence in the legal framework including the Mental Health Act 1983/2007 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
10. Acquire competence in basic psychotherapeutic techniques and attend supervision sessions.
11. Clinical supervision by the consultant psychiatrist in the host ward will take place on a regular basis, with regular feedback.
The Lambeth Hospital Float Doctor will provide psychiatric medical input to inpatient psychiatric wards, covering for psychiatric trainees associated with the teams. The post is designed to cover planned leave and on‑call commitments (9am‑5pm) of the ward resident doctors, including holding the duty bleep on Wednesdays during the CT academic day. The holder would have a host ward and rotate to cover short‑term vacancies on the Lambeth inpatient wards, the psychiatric intensive care unit and the rehabilitation and challenging behaviour ward based on the Lambeth Hospital site. Each ward has a dedicated inpatient consultant psychiatrist and a middle‑grade (ST4‑6).
The Float Doctor will be involved in the assessment and management of adults who are of a clinical and risk profile requiring inpatient psychiatric admission. Patients typically present with an acute mental disorder and associated vulnerabilities with risk to themselves or others. The inpatient psychiatric services interface with home treatment teams, community‑based services and general medical services in the primary and secondary care.
The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is one of 3 Foundation Trusts within Kings Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre and is committed to innovation, effective interventions and improved service‑user outcomes. As well as providing excellent mental health services for the local community, the Trust is committed to maintaining its national status as a provider of specialist mental health services for people living across the UK.
Applications close Monday 18 May 2026.
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