Consultant Psychiatrist in WAA, Northumberland and North Tyneside CRHT

Job overview

Northumberland and North Tyneside CRHT is a 24/7 service for the working age adult population and is based at St Georges Park Hospital, Morpeth. It is a well-established and experienced team which provides crisis assessment and home treatment for patients experiencing acute mental health problems which can be managed in the community with intensive mental health support, without the need for hospital admission. You will join a skilled CRHT multi-disciplinary workforce, including 2 consultant psychiatrists ( one currently on long term absence) a Specialty doctor, a core trainee,  a nurse consultant, non- medical prescribers, a pharmacist, specialist nurses, a clinical psychologist and a medical assistant.

The WAA CRHT is part of a wider Universal Crisis team (UCT) which works across the age span incorporating Older and Young Persons teams.

The team covers a large geographical area which includes the areas of outstanding natural beauty such as the  North Northumberland Coast and National Parks as well as vibrant market towns such as Morpeth, Alnwick, Hexham and Blyth. There are positive interfaces and relationships  with Community Treatment Teams across the locality, and we are currently seeking to enhance those with Impatient services to promote patient flow.

There are regular weekly Trust wide CPD meetings held via TEAMS on a variety of topics to promote continuous professional development as well as weekly locality teaching based at St Georges Park.

Main duties of the job

From January 2024 - to January 2025 there were 1822 referrals to the WAA CRHT.  Most are seen initially by B6 Crisis Team assessors prior to discussion at MDT and consideration of requirement for medical review. Medical staff generally undertake 2 reviews per day. The frequency of Mental Health Act assessments obviously varies dependent on clinical caseload, but averages at 2-3 per week for the team. You will also support with assessments in the 136 suite at St George’s park.

As a medical leader in the service you will typically provide  senior clinical supervision and caseload oversight those patients taken on for Home Based treatment,  reviewing their progress as part of the MDT.  This will involve meeting with carers to support their roles. You will also provide  supervision and support to trainees/ visiting medical students on an ad-hoc basis. Your role will involve liaison with GP’s and other multi-agency staff where appropriate.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To keep up to date with, evidence-based interventions for patients under the service’s care.
• To collaborate with GPs, Community Teams and primary care clinicians on follow-up arrangements for patients assessed or treated within the service.
• To provide leadership, consultation, advice and guidance within the multi-disciplinary team, including for the Access and Triage components of the service.
• To work collaboratively with colleagues in other specialist mental health teams and develop proactive links with the community services; particularly with a view to developing more robust pathways into appropriate follow-up care once discharged
• To take a lead role with the Team/ Clinical Manager and other colleagues in service establishment, development and innovation/ improvement.
• To contribute to the ongoing training and development programme within the team.
• To train and supervise junior medical staff, medical students and other allied professions.
• To lead, collaborate and advise on research and quality improvement projects in the team, within the clinical governance agenda.
• To complete administrative tasks necessary for the fulfilment of the post- including timely communication with GP’s and other professionals.
• To assess and provide medical input for patients with mental health crises taken on for home-treatment with the Northumberland and North Tyneside Crisis Team.
• To provide psychiatric assessment, diagnosis and formulation to adult patients presenting to the CRHT

As an added bonus, the Trust is located in the Northeast of England and Cumbria which is an area of outstanding natural beauty, containing national parks, ancient heritage sites and major cities supported by excellent national and international transport links. The area is predominantly rural and contains the Lake District National Park which is considered one of England’s finest areas of natural beauty.