
Job overview
Come and join us
We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve.
This is an exciting opportunity for a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist to join the mental health liaison team at Worthing General Hospital. Are you an experienced psychiatrist with an interest in the complex interplay between mental and physical health, and the energy to drive change and develop services? In this role you will provide expert psychiatric assessment, formulation and collaborative care of adults of all ages in the emergency department and general hospital wards. You will be working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment supported by highly skilled liaison nurses and rotational doctors in the team. The service is busy with increasing complexity of cases, providing intellectual stimulation, and the opportunity for innovation, development and growth of services.
This job attracts a Recruitment and Retention payment of £45,00 (is pro rata for part time employees), in addition to (up to) £8000 relocation allowance. The RRP payment is paid in the following instalments:
- £15,000 payable upon successful recruitment
- £10,000 payable at 12 months’ service
- £10,000 payable at 24 months’ service
- £10,000 payable at 36 months’ service
For further information please contact our Medical HR Team - [email protected]
Main duties of the job
As a Consultant Psychiatrist in the team your main duties will be:
- Daily handovers, triaging of referrals and complex case discussion
- Provide specialist medical and psychiatric assessment, collaborative care and treatment planning, and liaison for people aged 18 and above referred to the Mental Health Liaison Team from the Emergency Department and the inpatient wards
- Have expertise in adult mental illness, neuropsychiatric conditions, functional disorders, addictions, the interplay between physical and mental health problems and management of psychiatric emergencies
- Manage clinical complexity and uncertainty
- Multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and partnership working with other organisations involved in a person's care
- Develop detailed care plans and treatment formulations, following principles of person-centred care and evidence-based medicine
- Section 12 approved and hold Approved Clinician status
- Opportunity to participate in planning and development of local mental health services and to contribute constructively to improving the standards of mental health care offered by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
- Clinical and educational supervision for resident doctors and teaching medical, nursing and paramedic students on placement
- Providing education to colleagues working in the acute hospital
- Clinical and medical leadership within the team and across liaison services across Sussex
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The successful candidate will work as part of the wider MDT and demonstrate:
- Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge;
- A wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service;
- The ability to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty;
- Commitment to shared leadership & collaborative working to deliver improvement;
- The ability to work in a participatory way so that shared decision making and conversations around formulation/ diagnosis and ongoing care are a collaborative endeavour with the people who access our service.
Please see the Job description/ person specification for more details about this post and the organisation.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- MB BS or equivalent medical qualification
Desirable criteria
- Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management
- MRCPsych
- Additional clinical qualifications.
Eligibility
Essential criteria
- 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
Desirable criteria
- In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
CLINICAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria
- Excellent knowledge in specialty
- Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
Desirable criteria
- Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
SPFT is committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented.
Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.
SPFT takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk very seriously. We expect all
staff and bank workers to share this commitment and complete the relevant safeguarding training for their role.
If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. However, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed as we know how much time and care goes into applying for a role.
In the event of a high number of applications, we may close this vacancy early.
Person specification
Transport
Essential
- Holds and will use valid UK driving licence OR provides evidence of proposed alternative.
Eligibility/Qualifications
Essential
- MB BS or equivalent medical qualification
- 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.
- In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
- Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment
Academic Skills & Lifelong Learning
Essential
- Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
- Ability to work in and lead team
- Demonstrate commitment to shared leadership & collaborative working to deliver improvement.
- Participated in continuous professional development
- Participated in research or service evaluation.
- Able to use and appraise clinical evidence.
- Has actively participated in clinical audit and quality improvement programmes
- Ability to work in a participatory way so that shared decision making and conversations around formulation/diagnosis and ongoing care are a collaborative endeavour with the people who access our service.
Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Excellent knowledge in specialty
- Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
Desirable
- Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist - Worthing MHLT (£45k RRP) with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Worthing, South East, England. It is listed as a Consultant Medical doctor Psychiatry role. The advertised salary is £113,565 - £150,569 pa. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 09 Jul 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (18 Jun 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHS job search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
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