Consultant Psychiatrist in Forensic Psychiatry

NHS; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000

Job description

Consultant Psychiatrist in Forensic Psychiatry

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Join our dynamic established team working across our low-secure George Mackenzie ward and community forensic teams in the picturesque regions of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. As a consultant forensic psychiatrist, you will play a pivotal role in providing continuity of care and clinical leadership within our innovative and supportive environment.

In this role, you will share Responsible Clinician (RC) duties with two experienced forensic consultants at our low secure unit in Cambridge. You will lead the treatment of a defined community caseload, conduct specialist evaluations, and collaborate with a comprehensive multidisciplinary team. Our close ties with the prestigious University of Cambridge offer ample opportunities for service development, research, and teaching.

We are committed to fostering a culture of excellence and compassion, and we encourage informal enquiries to our Forensic Clinical Lead, Dr. Alan Smith ([e-mail]).

Main duties of the job

Your primary responsibilities will include delivering specialist forensic psychiatric evaluations and advice for individuals referred by various agencies, including general psychiatric services, hospitals, prisons, probation, and multi-agency public protection panels. You will develop strong links with other forensic service providers, criminal justice, and voluntary agencies.

In this role, you will lead the forensic community mental health teams, providing clinical leadership and overseeing the treatment and risk management of a caseload of patients. You will support multidisciplinary team members in conducting assessments, facilitating accurate diagnoses, and implementing evidence-based interventions to improve mental health and risk management.

You will maintain Section 12(2) and Approved Clinician status, ensuring comprehensive knowledge of relevant legislative frameworks. As the RC, you will oversee the care of inpatients detained at George Mackenzie House and community patients subject to statutory supervision.

Additionally, you will play a key role in the provider collaborative arrangements, facilitating patient repatriation and reducing the need for hospital admission and length of stay. You will actively contribute to multidisciplinary and formulation meetings, working closely with team members, care coordinators, and other CPFT services to ensure continuity of care and timely patient progress.

About us

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Job responsibilities

This post provides continuity of care with clinical duties in the Cambridge and Peterborough forensic community mental health teams and inpatient consultant responsibilities at the George Mackenzie House, Low Secure Unit, Fulbourn Hospital. The post is based in Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge with duties in Cambridge and Peterborough.

Working alongside forensic consultant colleagues, the postholder will provide clinical leadership to the forensic community mental health teams and exercise consultant responsibility for the treatment and risk management of a case load of patients registered with the service.

The postholder will provide specialist forensic psychiatric evaluations and advice concerning individuals referred by agencies including general psychiatric services, other hospitals, prisons, probation and multi-agency public protection panels.

The community forensic service caters for adults with mental disorder (mental illness and personality disorder) and has recently expanded to include a small caseload of patients with learning disability and/or autism.

Working alongside two existing inpatient forensic consultants, the postholder will be the Responsible Clinician for a caseload of patients at the low secure facility, George Mackenzie House, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

• Full GMC registration and licence to practice
• MBBS or equivalent
• Approved Clinician Status or eligible to attend training
• MRCPsych or equivalent

Entry Criteria for the grade

• Specialty Registration in Forensic Psychiatry
• CCT in Forensic Psychiatry or within 6 months of attainment of Higher Training CCT at time of interview.
• Shall have equivalent experience and competencies recognised by GMC

Experience

• Proven experience of good working relationships
• Experience of multi-disciplinary working
• Experience of teaching and supervision of doctors in training
• Publications in the field of psychiatry

Skills/Knowledge/Ability

• Knowledge of policy and legislation relating to mental health
• Decision making and problem solving skills
• Ability to take a clinical lead

Qualities/Attributes

• Ability to demonstrate/develop and understanding of service within the wider context of NHS Mental Health Services and PCTs.
• Experience of developing services in a constantly changing environment within tight budgetary restraints

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.