Consultant Psychiatrist - Specialist Community Forensic Team

Job overview

We are inviting applications from Consultants in Forensic Psychiatry or General Adult Psychiatry with an interest in forensic psychiatry/assertive outreach psychiatry. Forensic psychiatry experience is not essential, particularly if the applicant has experience of working in community settings with complex patients or has experience of Forensic Psychiatry as a Trainee or SAS doctor.

This is a 9 PA Consultant Psychiatrist post, created following an internal service re-organisation. The post holder will work as part of the Specialised Community Forensic Team (SCFT) multidisciplinary team, in close collaboration with the local Low Secure Unit Consultant colleagues and inpatient MDT.

There is the possibility to agree a 10 PA job-plan on appointment, incorporating an additional Trust-wide responsibility.

This role can be linked with the Consultant Psychiatrist - Psychiatric Intensive Care and ECT Service; if you would like to be considered for both roles please state this on your application - there is no need to apply for both roles.

Main duties of the job

The Consultant Psychiatrist will lead on the provision of high-quality care to the service users referred to the SCFT. The team is commissioned to provide care coordination for up to 1 year for patients discharged from secure services, prior to transferring their care to community teams/other specialised services. A very small number of patients will be kept on for longer for the purposes of care coordination.

The post holder will carry no direct responsibilities for inpatients but will support inpatient teams in planning discharge from early in the admission journey, as part of the Care Pathway Management Service. This translates into offering views regarding their pathways and attending multiprofessionals meetings or CPAs. The number of patients this is required for will vary, but the total number of patients the Consultant has some involvement with should not exceed 45 at any one time (including the community ones for whom they hold RC responsibility). Exact caseload sizes and the balance between outpatients and inpatients will vary across time. The post holder will conduct and where appropriate delegate the assessment and delivery of services to members of the multi-disciplinary team alongside members of the management team. The post holder will conduct/oversee access assessments for admission to secure services, alongside the inpatient consultants. The volume varies, but it is anticipated to be around 1/month.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• T     The post holder will Act as a Responsible Clinician for the patients discharged from secure settings under active Tier 4 care coordination; this will include involvement and oversight of all aspects of their management: assessment and diagnosis, management plans which include relevant pharmacological and psychological interventions, MHT and Managers’ Hearings (written and oral evidence), outpatient reviews, CPAs, ASRs, liaison with all relevant agencies such as the MoJ, MAPPA, Police, FIND, FPDS, accommodation providers, etc.

T    To provide clinical leadership to the SCFT and have responsibility to provide input into the care, treatment and risk management for patients under the care coordination of the SCFT.

• The Consultant will have direct involvement in the assessment and transition of patients in secure settings back into the community, from both NHS and private provider settings.
• The post holder will be involved, alongside the other senior clinicians in the team, in the screening of referrals coming to the Gloucestershire secure directorate and ascertain which referrals progress to access assessment stage. They will share, together with the current inpatient consultants, a role in assessing or overseeing the assessment of patients referred for admission. Relevant training for the role is regularly provided via the SWPC (DUNDRUM training).
• The post holder, with other members of the team, will provide consultation, advice and support to local community teams, PICU and open wards who are referring to the secure directorate for specialist guidance, for all patients accepted onto Tier 1, 2 and 3.
• The post holder will provide clinical leadership to the SCFT and work collaboratively with inpatient teams caring for Gloucestershire patients in secure settings.
• The post will offer the opportunity to develop a wider leadership role within the South West Provider Collaborative.
• Represent the Trust, as required, in forensic relevant multi-agency forums e.g. MAPPA.
• The postholder will keep medical records and reports up to date as per the organisations policy for all patients.
• Participate in the on-call rota, which is currently 1 in 20 and attracts 0.5 PA payment (0.25 for on call and 0.25 PA for section 12 work availability).