Job summary The Trust is seeking a consultant psychiatrist to join Southport & Formby CMHT based at the North Sefton Hub. New referrals average approximately 4 per week. Clinics will be used flexibly for all patients. Most new to service assessments are carried out by team trainee medics, the post-holder will provide supervision as required for such assessments. The average numbers of CTO patients is 6-8. While primarily responsible for delivering a quality clinical service, the consultant CMHT psychiatrist is also expected to be actively involved in the strategic development of the team as part of wider community mental health services of the Local Division. As part of the community transformation program, the team are working towards the delivery of intervention-based care, with fully developed a functional pathway already, such as the depot pathway. The consultant will work with the team to provide timely reviews for patients. The Consultant will operate a consultation, formal supervision & advice model with this group rather than have direct & continuing open episodes. Junior doctor resources are allocated by the Medical Education department, the Post Holder will be supported to develop Educational & Clinical Supervisor Responsibilities for the junior trainee. The post holder will be included in the on-call rota for Liverpool (currently 1 in 5). There is a 1% supplement available for the on-call banding. Main duties of the job This is a 10 session post which is split into 7.5 sessions for Direct Clinical Care & 2.5 sessions for Supporting Professional Activities. Clinical- Consultant psychiatrist responsibility for their CMHT caseload. To supervise & support team members who carry out assessments of patients referred to the team. To carry out comprehensive psychiatric assessments & provide treatment for patients. Supporting staff to manage psychiatric emergencies. To conduct patient reviews & lead Multidisciplinary reviews, patient reviews & multi-professional meetings. To be the responsible clinician & carry out duties in accordance with the code of practice. To carry out comprehensive Risk Assessments & participate in Trust's risk management processes. Liaison- Maintain high level of effective communication with other parts of the Mental health service across the Trust. Liaison with families, aspects of the Criminal Justice System. Maintain effective communication with Access services, community mental health teams, & primary care. Governance-Programmed activity time will allow for management & audit of the service & reporting of audit programmes.Regular stakeholder meetings if required.Partnership Forums involving service user representatives & advocacy.Involvement with critical/serious reporting & response.Protocol development.Attendance at twice monthly Consultants meetings. Training- Direct supervision of junior medical staff. Role in in-house MDT training / education sessions. About us 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. Date posted 03 April 2025 Pay scheme Hospital medical and dental staff Grade Consultant Salary £105,504 to £139,882 a year per annum, plus 10% R&R (non contractual) and on call Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number 350-MED7061797 Job locations Hartley Hospital 1B Curzon Road Southport PR8 6PL Job description Job responsibilities This is a 10 session post which is split into 7.5 sessions for Direct Clinical Care and 2.5 sessions for Supporting Professional Activities. Clinical: Consultant psychiatrist responsibility for their CMHT caseload. To supervise and support team members who carry out assessments of patients referred to the team. To carry out comprehensive psychiatric assessments and provide treatment for patients. Supporting staff to manage psychiatric emergencies. To conduct patient reviews and lead Multidisciplinary reviews, patient reviews and multi-professional meetings. To be 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. To carry out comprehensive Risk Assessments and participate in Trusts risk management processes such as Health Risk Assessment and Management Meetings (H-RAMM) and Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) Meetings. To provide medical leadership to the team. Liaison: Maintain high level of effective communication with other parts of the Mental health service across the Trust. Liaison with families / carers Liaison with aspects of the Criminal Justice System regarding patients. Liaising with other stakeholders and interested parties. The post holder will be expected to maintain effective communication with Access services, community mental health teams, and primary care. Governance: Programmed activity time will allow for management and audit of the service and reporting of audit programmes. Regular stakeholder meetings if required. Partnership Forums involving service user representatives and advocacy. Involvement with critical incident / serious untoward incident reporting and response Protocol development. Attendance at twice monthly Consultants meetings. Training: Direct supervision of junior medical staff Role in in-house MDT training / education sessions Education of other services / professions with relation to CMHT (including all stakeholders) Participation in Research and Clinical Audit Service development. Work with CMHT transformation within the Trust. Suggested draft timetable: This is a 10 sessionpost which is split into 7.5 sessions for Direct Clinical Care and 2.5 sessions for Supporting Professional Activities. The timetable is expected to be led by the consultant clinician, to adapt to the needs of the service. As we move towards Community Mental Health Framework, there will no longer be a distinction between CPA and non-CPA patients, and therefore clinics will be used flexibly for all patients. The post holder is expected to carry out clinical activity in line with best practice, and to adhere to the Trusts key performance indicators in relation to clinical reviews and timelines. The timetable is indicative only. A formal job plan will be agreed between the post holder and the lead consultant & Clinical Director three months after commencing the post and at least annually thereafter. There is some flexibility in finalising the timetable however any agreed timetable must take account of the needs of service users and coherence of the team. Each of the clinic sessions consists of 5 slots with 1 new patient and 4 follow ups. There is, however, flexibility with this. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday AM AM AM AM AM Admin / MHRT work DCC Academic meeting & Consultant meeting SPA Urgent reviews and admin DCC CPA / non CPA clinic DCC MDT 2-4 DCC SPA activity PM PM PM PM PM CPA / non-CPA clinic urgent slots DCC DCC CPA / Non CPA clinic CPA / Non CPA clinic DCC Clinical Admin/ junior doctor supervision etc DCC CPD / audit / team performance SPA each clinic can accommodate approximately 5 review slots, in line with the Community Mental Health Framework there will be less reliance on the outpatient model, in favour of full MDT working, so a flexible approach is expected in line with the national directives. The post holder will have access to allocated office space at Hartley Hospital with a computer with Internet access. A smart phone and laptop will be provided. Other specific technical support can be negotiated. The post holder will have access to a dedicated 0.5 WTE band 4 medical secretarial and dedicated 0.5 WTE band 3 transcriptionist support in post. The Trust insists on participation in the CPD programme of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the postholder must join a local CPD peer group. Consultants are encouraged to take their study leave entitlement in line with learning objectives identified in personal development plans. Newly recruited consultants will attend the Essential Mandatory Trust Induction and be provided with a local induction by their Medical Manager. Induction includes training on the Trusts clinical information system. A mentoring scheme exists for medical staff in the Trust and is available to all doctors, including consultants, for guidance and support for as long as they feel the need for it. This is actively encouraged for all newly appointed colleagues in their first Consultant post. Job planning is conducted annually and led by the post holders Lead Consultant with support from the Clinical Director and Chief Operating Officer as necessary. Individual job plans will be aligned to Trust, Division, Service Line and personal objectives respectively. The post holder will receive any necessary training as provided by HENW in order to achieve Level One trainer status, which will allow them to act as a clinical supervisor to trainees. Once approved the post holder will have the opportunity to take on the role of clinical and educational supervisor responsibility for the trainees based with the team. The post holder will regularly attend the Tuesday morning Virtual postgraduate programme as part of their weekly SPA sessions. This is well attended by consultants and is a lively meeting. It includes case conferences, journal presentations, mandatory training slots and guest speakers. The Consultant Group has one lunchtime continuing professional development meeting each month. This involves presentations by invited speakers on topics agreed by the Consultant group, or discussions of clinical cases primarily intended for peer support. There is a well-resourced and expanding clinical effectiveness, research and resource library developed within the Trust. It has a dedicated space at Rathbone Hospital site where there is access to various databases both locally held and Internet based. Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust has an active audit culture and the post holder will be involved in audit and supervising junior Doctors audits. As part of its new Perfect Care strategy the Trust is keen to expand and develop existing research opportunities for interested Consultants. Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and University of Liverpool have teamed up to create the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC). A ground-breaking research facility based in Liverpool that will impact directly on NHS mental health services. The Trust actively supports its consultant staff who may wish to undertake roles outside the Trust that are of benefit to medical practice at regional, national and international level, and recognises the value of such roles for the reputation and standing of the Trust. Consultants should however undertake such duties only after discussion with colleagues and with the agreement of the Clinical Director or Deputy Medical Director and should be sensitive to the increased workload undertaken by colleagues in support. From time to time, it may be necessary for the postholder to carry out such other duties as may be assigned, with agreement, by the Trust. It is expected that the postholder will not unreasonably withhold agreement to any reasonable proposed changes that the Trust might make. The post holder will be included in the daily on-call rota for South Liverpool. There is usually always a higher trainee ST4-6 first on call at night. On-call availability supplement is 1% - Band B low frequency, low intensity and has been consistent for many years. The rota is currently shared with approximately 15 FTE colleagues, from adult, addictions and learning disability services. The post will be covered by the terms and conditions of service for Hospital Medical and Dental staff (England and Wales) as amended from time to time. Contracts have been agreed with the BMA local negotiators, but individuals may wish to discuss this further before acceptance. Mersey Care is committed to the principles of Equality and Human Rights. The Trust promotes health equalities for our colleagues, patients, service users, carers, volunteers and visitors to the trust. Job description Job responsibilities This is a 10 session post which is split into 7.5 sessions for Direct Clinical Care and 2.5 sessions for Supporting Professional Activities. Clinical: Consultant psychiatrist responsibility for their CMHT caseload. To supervise and support team members who carry out assessments of patients referred to the team. To carry out comprehensive psychiatric assessments and provide treatment for patients. Supporting staff to manage psychiatric emergencies. To conduct patient reviews and lead Multidisciplinary reviews, patient reviews and multi-professional meetings. To be 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. To carry out comprehensive Risk Assessments and participate in Trusts risk management processes such as Health Risk Assessment and Management Meetings (H-RAMM) and Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) Meetings. To provide medical leadership to the team. Liaison: Maintain high level of effective communication with other parts of the Mental health service across the Trust. Liaison with families / carers Liaison with aspects of the Criminal Justice System regarding patients. Liaising with other stakeholders and interested parties. The post holder will be expected to maintain effective communication with Access services, community mental health teams, and primary care. Governance: Programmed activity time will allow for management and audit of the service and reporting of audit programmes. Regular stakeholder meetings if required. Partnership Forums involving service user representatives and advocacy. Involvement with critical incident / serious untoward incident reporting and response Protocol development. Attendance at twice monthly Consultants meetings. Training: Direct supervision of junior medical staff Role in in-house MDT training / education sessions Education of other services / professions with relation to CMHT (including all stakeholders) Participation in Research and Clinical Audit Service development. Work with CMHT transformation within the Trust. Suggested draft timetable: This is a 10 sessionpost which is split into 7.5 sessions for Direct Clinical Care and 2.5 sessions for Supporting Professional Activities. The timetable is expected to be led by the consultant clinician, to adapt to the needs of the service. As we move towards Community Mental Health Framework, there will no longer be a distinction between CPA and non-CPA patients, and therefore clinics will be used flexibly for all patients. The post holder is expected to carry out clinical activity in line with best practice, and to adhere to the Trusts key performance indicators in relation to clinical reviews and timelines. The timetable is indicative only. A formal job plan will be agreed between the post holder and the lead consultant & Clinical Director three months after commencing the post and at least annually thereafter. There is some flexibility in finalising the timetable however any agreed timetable must take account of the needs of service users and coherence of the team. Each of the clinic sessions consists of 5 slots with 1 new patient and 4 follow ups. There is, however, flexibility with this. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday AM AM AM AM AM Admin / MHRT work DCC Academic meeting & Consultant meeting SPA Urgent reviews and admin DCC CPA / non CPA clinic DCC MDT 2-4 DCC SPA activity PM PM PM PM PM CPA / non-CPA clinic urgent slots DCC DCC CPA / Non CPA clinic CPA / Non CPA clinic DCC Clinical Admin/ junior doctor supervision etc DCC CPD / audit / team performance SPA each clinic can accommodate approximately 5 review slots, in line with the Community Mental Health Framework there will be less reliance on the outpatient model, in favour of full MDT working, so a flexible approach is expected in line with the national directives. The post holder will have access to allocated office space at Hartley Hospital with a computer with Internet access. A smart phone and laptop will be provided. Other specific technical support can be negotiated. The post holder will have access to a dedicated 0.5 WTE band 4 medical secretarial and dedicated 0.5 WTE band 3 transcriptionist support in post. The Trust insists on participation in the CPD programme of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the postholder must join a local CPD peer group. Consultants are encouraged to take their study leave entitlement in line with learning objectives identified in personal development plans. Newly recruited consultants will attend the Essential Mandatory Trust Induction and be provided with a local induction by their Medical Manager. Induction includes training on the Trusts clinical information system. A mentoring scheme exists for medical staff in the Trust and is available to all doctors, including consultants, for guidance and support for as long as they feel the need for it. This is actively encouraged for all newly appointed colleagues in their first Consultant post. Job planning is conducted annually and led by the post holders Lead Consultant with support from the Clinical Director and Chief Operating Officer as necessary. Individual job plans will be aligned to Trust, Division, Service Line and personal objectives respectively. The post holder will receive any necessary training as provided by HENW in order to achieve Level One trainer status, which will allow them to act as a clinical supervisor to trainees. Once approved the post holder will have the opportunity to take on the role of clinical and educational supervisor responsibility for the trainees based with the team. The post holder will regularly attend the Tuesday morning Virtual postgraduate programme as part of their weekly SPA sessions. This is well attended by consultants and is a lively meeting. It includes case conferences, journal presentations, mandatory training slots and guest speakers. The Consultant Group has one lunchtime continuing professional development meeting each month. This involves presentations by invited speakers on topics agreed by the Consultant group, or discussions of clinical cases primarily intended for peer support. There is a well-resourced and expanding clinical effectiveness, research and resource library developed within the Trust. It has a dedicated space at Rathbone Hospital site where there is access to various databases both locally held and Internet based. Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust has an active audit culture and the post holder will be involved in audit and supervising junior Doctors audits. As part of its new Perfect Care strategy the Trust is keen to expand and develop existing research opportunities for interested Consultants. Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and University of Liverpool have teamed up to create the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC). A ground-breaking research facility based in Liverpool that will impact directly on NHS mental health services. The Trust actively supports its consultant staff who may wish to undertake roles outside the Trust that are of benefit to medical practice at regional, national and international level, and recognises the value of such roles for the reputation and standing of the Trust. Consultants should however undertake such duties only after discussion with colleagues and with the agreement of the Clinical Director or Deputy Medical Director and should be sensitive to the increased workload undertaken by colleagues in support. From time to time, it may be necessary for the postholder to carry out such other duties as may be assigned, with agreement, by the Trust. It is expected that the postholder will not unreasonably withhold agreement to any reasonable proposed changes that the Trust might make. The post holder will be included in the daily on-call rota for South Liverpool. There is usually always a higher trainee ST4-6 first on call at night. On-call availability supplement is 1% - Band B low frequency, low intensity and has been consistent for many years. The rota is currently shared with approximately 15 FTE colleagues, from adult, addictions and learning disability services. The post will be covered by the terms and conditions of service for Hospital Medical and Dental staff (England and Wales) as amended from time to time. Contracts have been agreed with the BMA local negotiators, but individuals may wish to discuss this further before acceptance. Mersey Care is committed to the principles of Equality and Human Rights. The Trust promotes health equalities for our colleagues, patients, service users, carers, volunteers and visitors to the trust. Person Specification Qualifications Essential MB BS or equivalent medical qualification. Desirable Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management. MRCPsych OR MRCPsych equivalent Additional clinical qualifications. Eligibility Essential Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment. Included on the GMC Specialist Register OR within six months. Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment Approved under S12 OR able to achieve with 3 months of appointment Desirable In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice Transport Essential 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 Clinical Skills, Knowledge and Experience Essential Excellent knowledge in specialty of General Adult Psychiatry 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 Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others Desirable Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service Academic Skills and Lifelong Learning Essential Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA Ability to work constructively in and to lead a multidisciplinary team Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training Participated in continuous professional development Participated in research or service evaluation Evidence of achievement in education, research Has actively participated in clinical audit Desirable Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this Post Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation. Audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications Has led clinical audits leading to service change Person Specification Qualifications Essential MB BS or equivalent medical qualification. Desirable Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management. MRCPsych OR MRCPsych equivalent Additional clinical qualifications. Eligibility Essential Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment. Included on the GMC Specialist Register OR within six months. Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment Approved under S12 OR able to achieve with 3 months of appointment Desirable In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice Transport Essential 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 Clinical Skills, Knowledge and Experience Essential Excellent knowledge in specialty of General Adult Psychiatry 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 Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others Desirable Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service Academic Skills and Lifelong Learning Essential Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA Ability to work constructively in and to lead a multidisciplinary team Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training Participated in continuous professional development Participated in research or service evaluation Evidence of achievement in education, research Has actively participated in clinical audit Desirable Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this Post Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation. Audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications Has led clinical audits leading to service change Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Employer details Employer name Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Address Hartley Hospital 1B Curzon Road Southport PR8 6PL Employer's website https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)