Locally Employed Doctor - Treatment Resistant Psychosis

Job overview

We are recruiting for a full-time Locally Employed Doctor to join our Treating Unmet Needs in Psychiatry (TUNEUP) Service based at the Warneford Hospital for a 12-month fixed term contract working with patients who have treatment resistant psychosis.

In this role you'll contribute to clinical delivery, service development, outcome evaluation, and translational research. The TUNEUP service provides comprehensive state of the art clinical assessment, including the use of structured clinical and cognitive assessments to provide evidence-based management plans to adults of working age (18-65 years old) with psychotic disorders referred via Community Mental Health Teams.

You'll work under the supervision of Associate Professor and Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Rob McCutcheon and will take part in service improvement activities, with the opportunity to join an internationally renowned clinical research group focused on developing novel interventions and improving outcomes for individuals with psychotic disorders.

This is an ideal post for a motivated trainee with an interest in psychosis and a desire to develop their knowledge of advanced psychopharmacology, and gain exposure to research into novel treatments for psychosis. If you have full GMC registration with at least one year full-time post graduate training experience including working with individuals who have psychotic disorders, we’d be very keen to receive your application.

Main duties of the job

• Medical input to the Treating Unmet Needs in Psychiatry  (TUNEUP) team at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford including full comprehensive assessments including the use of structured interviews, standardised scales, cognitive assessments, physical examinations, assessment of adherence
• Play a key role in development and evaluation of this service
• Provide comprehensive state of the art clinical assessment, including the use of structured clinical and cognitive assessments.
• Production of clinical reports and maintenance of clinical databases
• Leading community clozapine initiations (registration with monitoring agencies, prescribing, side effect review and management, monitoring response).
• Provide comprehensive evidence-based management plans
• Monitor response to treatments and provide additional advice in case where adequate response not observed
• Work closely with existing AMHT and EIS teams within Oxford Health. These teams provide core mental health services in the community to adults of working age (between 18 – 65 years) with mental health problems.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Treating Unmet Needs in Psychiatry (TUNEUP) service is a novel care model developed to enhance the long-term health and social outcomes for individuals with psychotic disorders. A key focus of the service is reducing unnecessary delays in clozapine initiation and ensuring that treatment decisions are guided by a thorough understanding of the patient’s clinical and functional profile. The service provides a structured platform for comprehensive assessment and treatment planning, including evaluation of symptoms, comorbidities, and cognitive function.

Patients referred to TUNEUP will have an established diagnosis of psychosis and be under the care of a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). At entry, the service conducts a detailed baseline assessment that includes full psychiatric and medication history, standardised rating scales for symptom domains, and physical health assessment.

Following assessment, a personalised management plan is co-developed with the patient. This may include recommendations regarding clozapine initiation, medication rationalization (e.g. reducing anticholinergic load), psychological or behavioral interventions, and strategies to address comorbid issues impacting recovery.

The doctor appointed to the service will contribute to clinical delivery, service development, outcome evaluation, and translational research. They will be supervised by Associate Professor and Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Rob McCutcheon and will take part in journal clubs and service improvement activities.