Consultant Psychiatrist - CAMHS Recovery and Support Pathway

Job overview

We are recruiting for a full-time Consultant Psychiatrist to join our Buckinghamshire CAMHS  Recovery and Support Pathway and work with a well-established multi-disciplinary team in the Sue Nichols Centre, Aylesbury and Saffron House, High Wycombe.

You'll provide psychiatric clinical input and leadership within a recently redesigned service delivering targeted mental health care to children and young people with predominantly emotional disorders, including neurodivergent young people.

The Recovery Teams are structured to support two cohorts: young people who benefit from Focussed Intervention and Recovery Support (FIRS) and Specialist Intervention and Recovery Support (SIRS). These teams are a core part of Buckinghamshire CAMHS providing support for young people who are experiencing a moderate to severe mental health condition such as depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and bipolar disorder.

You'll work 10 programmed activities with a job plan typically comprising 75% direct clinical care and 25% supporting professional activities, in line with Royal College of Psychiatrists’ guidance. Opportunities are available to develop interests in service development, quality improvement, and teaching and training within a well-established, supportive multidisciplinary team and consultant peer group.

Join us in shaping brighter futures for children and young people at one of the UK’s leading mental health Trusts; we would be delighted to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• Provide senior psychiatric clinical input to the Buckinghamshire CAMHS Recovery Teams, holding and managing a defined consultant-level caseload and contributing to new psychiatric assessments and internal case allocations.
• Offer specialist advice and clinical leadership for complex and high-risk cases, including guidance on risk assessment and risk management, and will actively participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, post-assessment discussions, and service planning forums.
• Work collaboratively with consultant colleagues and the wider MDT, providing flexibility and cross-cover as required to support a fair and equitable allocation of work and to maintain the team’s established culture of peer support
• Contributing to service development, quality improvement and evaluation initiatives, as well as participating in teaching and training activities for medical students and medical trainees. Supporting Professional Activities will be undertaken in line with Royal College of Psychiatrists’ recommendations and agreed service priorities.

Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The newly formed FIRS and SIRS teams are a core part of Buckinghamshire CAMHS providing support for young people who are experiencing a moderate to severe mental health condition such as depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and bipolar disorder.

FIRS offers a range of psychological interventions and psychiatric management focussed on a specific condition, such as OCD or generalised anxiety, with support workers available if needed for additional pieces of work, such as school liaison and psychoeducation. There is also a risk support group available for cases needing support with safety planning, and access to consultations with specialist pathways. It is aimed to treat children and young people who do not require broader MDT support.

SIRS offers more integrated multidisciplinary interventions and can offer systemic therapy and psychotherapy as well as a qualified keyworker to support the treatment of complex cases. This is designed to allow an MDT approach with flexibility according to need. The aim is that young people can move fluidly between SIRS and FIRS teams depending on the complexity of their needs.

As the team has recently been redesigned (from one larger Getting More Help team), there is a focus on quality improvement and feedback from families to ensure population needs are being met. The postholder will be expected to contribute to quality assurance and support the evaluation process of the new pathway design.    The post holder will work 10 programmed activities. Within the teams they will have responsibility of a caseload, contribute to new assessments (allocated pro rata), provide clinical support for complex cases including support with risk management, and contribute to team leadership. They are expected to work collaboratively with team members as well as medical colleagues, providing cross cover and being flexible about allocations when needed as the peer group currently takes this collaborative and supportive approach towards each other and it is important to the team and us that we maintain this culture.

The overall split of the programmed activities is 75% to be devoted to direct clinical care and 25% to supporting professional activities (as per the Royal College of Psychiatrists recommendation). The timetable below is indicative only; a formal job plan will be agreed between the post holder and associate medical director or clinical manager three months after commencing the post and at least annually thereafter. The postholder will work across SIRS and FIRS, but the proportions can be tailored through job planning according to postholder preference and service need.