Locum NHS Psychiatrist

Job overview

This is a 6-month fixed term locum opportunity to join the Tavistock First Step Plus Service for 2 PA’s taking place on Thursdays.

First Step Plus is a Tavistock specialist mental health service commissioned by the NCL ICB to support children in Haringey's care who experience or are at risk of placement instability. The service is in the Child and Family Unit and operates through a multidisciplinary team comprising Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Clinical Social Work, Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Systemic Family Therapy specialists.

The service supports children and young people in Haringey's care aged 0-17 years who are experiencing or at risk of placement instability and lack access to local mental health services. Children experiencing placement instability face high mental health needs due to pre-care trauma and ongoing placement disruption yet struggle to access consistent local mental health services due to frequent moves and disrupted therapeutic relationships. First Step Plus addresses this by providing direct specialist support within the NCL boroughs and within a 20-mile radius of Haringey, including direct assessments, evidence-based interventions and treatment. For placements beyond this radius, consultation support is offered to social workers, foster carers and children's networks, ensuring continuity of care for all children in Haringey's care.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will conduct high-quality, comprehensive psychiatric assessments, psychiatric risk reviews and medical reviews, and deliver evidence-based treatments and interventions. The role encompasses providing consultation and network support while supporting multidisciplinary team functioning and referral assessment processes. The position requires maintaining schedule flexibility to accommodate urgent or high-risk cases and facilitate network consultations when concerns arise.

The role is primarily based in our clinic at Bounds Green Health Centre but incorporates flexibility for community-based work. The post holder will conduct home visits and school-based assessments when clinically indicated and attend professional meetings in social work offices in Wood Green as required. The position involves collaborative working alongside the clinical service manager and the broader multidisciplinary team.

As the service is currently in transition and re-modelling, the post holder will work alongside the First Step Plus clinical service manager and participate in service development activities as required, assisting in building pathways and relationships with other services, particularly supporting transition planning into adult services and finding pathways into local CYPMH services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.

If the above sounds like you, please apply and / or contact us for any questions you might have about the post.

We are looking forward to hearing from you.