Job summary
The service serves an over-65 population of over 250,000. The service provides assessment and treatment of organic and functional mental illness for the population over 65 years old, although younger patients who are appropriate for the service are also accepted.
Durham & Tees Valley MHSOP is comprised of 9 community mental health teams, 3 inpatient wards for patients with functional illnesses and 3 inpatient wards for patients requiring organic assessment and treatment. The service also provides dedicated MHSOP Crisis, Intensive Community Liaison and Care Home Liaison teams.
Working relationships between the teams are close, with regular input by community staff during inpatient stays of their patients. Crisis services provide weekend and out of hours cover. The community mental health teams provide a full service during the working week, and a limited service at weekends.
The Durham & Darlington MHSOP service also operates a full liaison psychiatry service to our local acute trust. Although the liaison service works with adults of all ages, there is recognition for the specialist needs of older people and therefore, there is separate Old Age Psychiatry input into the liaison team from a dedicated consultant psychiatrist and Advanced Nurse Practitioners.
The community teams provide mental health assessments for people who have memory problems or who have other mental health problems requiring secondary care intervention in the locality.
Main duties of the job
The Clinical PAs are 7.5 PA across the week, working with the Derwentside and Chester-le-Street Community Mental Health Team.
This post provides consultant leadership to the community team, working closely with other consultant colleagues working in the County Durham area CMHTs, and the consultants and teams at our inpatient MHSOP services.
The post-holder is expected to prioritise Mental Health Act Assessments for their own patients during working hours, and be a qualified DOLS Mental Health Assessor for any patients on their personal caseload.
Therefore, it is necessary for the post-holder to have Approved Clinician, Section 12 and DOLS Mental Health Assessor Status, and support can be provided to attain the latter if the prospective applicant does not already hold this status.
The postholder will be expected to have a familiarity with important relevant legislation affecting the care of older people with mental illness. The Trust is eager to support the development of a special interest and this is negotiable either at the time of employment or at the Annual Job Plan Review meeting. The postholder will work with the Locality Manager, General Manager, Lead Psychiatrist and Associate Clinical Director to plan and develop the service in line with the Service Business Plan.
There are 2.5 supporting PAs with active encouragement to use these for some of the following activities.
About us
We are one of the largest specialist mental health and learning disabilities trusts in the country, with an annual income of £320m and a workforce of some 6,700 staff operating from around 100 sites in Durham, Teesside, North Yorkshire and York and Selby. We provide a range inpatient and community services to 2m people living in County Durham, the Tees Valley, Scarborough, Whitby, Ryedale, Harrogate, Hambleton and Richmondshire. We also provide additional specialist services to other parts of Northern England.
We are a multi-award winning trust and are included within the Health Service Journals Best 100 Places to Work. The trust take a positive and proactive approach to support staff in their personal development and has embedded the Talent Management approach within the Trust.
Psychiatrists are essential contributors to the majority of our mental health teams. Service users expect and are justified to expect collaborative relationships with dedicated psychiatrists who work consistently as part of effective services. Our medical staffing shortage puts strain on services and puts strain on workforce wellbeing and costs extend beyond the financial. The Medical Directorate and Medical Development Team are striving to improve medical workforce recruitment and retention in a variety of ways and the cornerstone of these efforts is The TEWV Charter for the Medical Workforce - see attached Supporting Document.
The Trust welcomes a conversation about flexible working.
Details
Date posted
19 February 2026
Pay scheme
Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade
Consultant
Salary
£109,725 to £145,478 a year
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number
C9346-MHSOP-215M2
Job locations
Derwent Clinic
Shotley Bridge Hospital
Shotley Bridge
County Durham
DH8 0NB
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached job description for further information on this post. Please note this post has been approved by The Royal College.
Person Specification
Clinical Knowledge & Skills
Essential
1. Excellent knowledge in specialty
2. Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
3. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
4. Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty
5. Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others
6. Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA
Desirable
7. Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
Academic Skills and Lifelong Learning
Essential
8. Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
9. Participated in continuous professional development
10. Participated in research or service evaluation.
11. Able to use and appraise clinical evidence.
12. Has actively participated in clinical audit.
Desirable
13. Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this post
14. Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
15. Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.
16. Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications.
17. Has led clinical audits leading to service change.
Leadership
Essential
18. Reflects on own performance and behaviour, seeking and acting on feedback.
19. Able to influence and persuade to improve services
20. Able to take on leadership role in multidisciplinary team.
21. Knowledge of structure and management of the NHS and the Trust.
22. Shows commitment to quality through knowledge of quality improvement and lean thinking methodology OR able to achieve within one year of appointment
23. Able to adapt to and lead service change.
Desirable
24. Able to take on a leadership role outside the multidisciplinary team.
25. Understanding of NHS & wider health economy and its implications for the work of the Trust.
26. Trained to standard equivalent to level 2 in TEWV Trust Quality improvement system
Qualifications
Essential
27. MB BS or equivalent medical qualification.
Desirable
28. Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.
29. Experience
30. MRCPsych
31. Endorsement in Liaison Psychiatry.
Eligibility
Essential
32. Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.
33. Included on the GMC Specialist Register for Old Age Psychiatry OR included within six months.
34. Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment
35. Approved under S12 OR able to achieve with 3 months of appointment
Desirable
36. In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
Experience
Essential
37. Describe your clinical experience relevant to this job role
Desirable
38. Experience in Liaison Psychiatry.
39. Any other experience that may be applicable