Consultant Psychiatrist - ARMS (At Risk Mental State) Service

Job overview

We are recruiting a part-time Consultant Psychiatrist to join the Oxfordshire Prevention & Early Detection (OPEN) Service for At Risk Mental States (ARMS) . This is a brilliant opportunity to shape and lead a newly established, community-based specialist service for young people aged 14–35 years at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P), in line with NICE guidance and NHS England Access and Waiting Time standards.

Based at the Slade Hospital site in Oxford, the post offers 8 PAs (6 DCC, 2 SPA) with no inpatient responsibility and a focused consultant caseload centred on complexity, risk, and transitions to first-episode psychosis. The role combines high-quality clinical practice with service development within a Trust recognised nationally for research and innovation in early intervention.

Oxford Health hosts a NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and has strong links with the University of Oxford, offering unique opportunities for academic collaboration, digital innovation and experimental therapeutics. This is a rare chance to contribute to preventive psychiatry within a progressive and research-active mental health Trust.

Main duties of the job

• Provide senior clinical leadership within the OPEN ARMS service, leading the weekly multidisciplinary team meeting and overseeing assessment, formulation and treatment planning for young people and adults identified as being at clinical high risk for psychosis.
• Undertaking specialist psychiatric assessments, contributing to diagnosis and formulation, prescribing where indicated, and ensuring appropriate physical health monitoring.
• Responsibility for clinical risk assessment and management, including leading on transitions to the Early Intervention in Psychosis service where required.
• Provide expert advice and consultation to multidisciplinary colleagues, support psychologically informed interventions delivered by the wider team, and hold a focused caseload of the most complex cases.
• Close partnership working with CAMHS, Adult Mental Health Teams, Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams, inpatient services and primary care to ensure safe, timely and coordinated care.
• Supervise LED and resident doctors where allocated, participate in the Oxfordshire adult on-call rota, and contribute to clinical governance, quality improvement and continuing professional development activities within the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This substantive 0.8 WTE post has been established to consolidate and develop the OPEN ARMS service following a successful pilot year. This role will not act as care coordinator and has no inpatient responsibility. The role involves leading CAARMS-informed reviews, providing expert diagnostic clarification and formulation in complex and evolving presentations, and supporting decision-making under conditions of clinical uncertainty.

The team expects to receive on average 2–3 new referrals per week, generating an annual caseload of 70–91 CHR-P patients. Referrals are triaged at a weekly multidisciplinary meeting, where they are reviewed and allocated for assessment. Assessments are delivered using the Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental States (CAARMS) alongside psychiatric, cognitive, and physical health screening.

You'll contribute to service development, including digital detection pathways and integration with electronic health record–based risk tools, while ensuring compliance with national standards and audit requirements. Working closely with the Service Lead and Clinical Director, you will support the continued development of Oxfordshire’s preventive psychiatry pathway and strengthen integration with Early Intervention services and wider system partners.