Job overview
We are looking for a Specialist Grade Doctor within General Adult Psychiatry within our Health Board in North Ceredigion. Our Mental Health Service has an excellent track record and has won national prizes from the Royal College of Psychiatry (RCPsych) award for its dedication to improve adult mental health services in mid and west Wales.
We work hard Transforming Mental Health Services within the Health Board and our core purpose is to work with people and lead communities in improving their mental and physical health and wellbeing for a better life; through delivering excellent and responsive prevention, diagnosis, early intervention, treatment and care.
We offer a structured portfolio pathway designed to support doctors seeking specialist registration through non-traditional routes. This pathway provides comprehensive advice, mentorship, and guidance. This is more than a process— it is a commitment to career development. Providing a route to becoming a substantive consultant within the service.
You will work in a dynamic service that will offer an excellent opportunity to further enhance your knowledge and experience in the assessment and emergency treatment for patients with severe and enduring mental illness. We provide excellent teaching and training, with a robust induction into the NHS procedures.
Main duties of the job
- Be responsible for the assessment and management of community patients and relevant CMHT inpatients.
- Be expected to remain closely involved with the care of those admitted to the associated wards.
- Provide effective clinical leadership and fully participate in the multidisciplinary team.
- Acts as an expert decision maker independently.
- Taking clinical responsibility.
- Communicate with other staff to ensure effective patient care.
- Promote evidence-based clinical practice.
- Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and carers, placing them at the centre of the care pathway.
- Manage patients with complex needs.
- Able to work as a member of the MDT as appropriate.
- Conduct thorough assessments.
- Participate in the development of teaching, training and research within the organisation.
- Actively participate in regular audit and research meetings and postgraduate teaching sessions held by the appropriate department.
- To contribute senior clinical input to the modernisation, development and ongoing operational management of General Adult Psychiatry.
- Able to demonstrate initiative & resilience to adapt in rapidly changing circumstances.
- Able to use logical/lateral thinking to solve problems and make decisions.
- Undertake responsibility for leading and supervising a team.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and team-working skills.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For full details of the role requirements please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for this vacancy.
Discussions around working pattern will take place during initial job planning, where preferences, requirements and options can be discussed and explored in full.
What we do - Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Directorate
HDUHB is currently actively engaged in an innovative Mental Health Transformation programme and a proactive member of the International Mental Health Collaborating Network. In 2015 HDUHB established a new International Twinning Collaboration Convention with Trieste Mental Health Service Department in Italy.
The International Twinning Collaboration has enabled the development of formal Action Learning Sets, staff exchange programmes (that include the wider stakeholders, Service Users and Carers), mentoring and support to each Service, including joint training, seminars and conferences.
The Health Board provides Mental Health and Learning Disabilities services to people across West Wales. In recent years Consultant Psychiatrists have re-organised along “New ways of working” structures. Mental health services include conventional CMHT and inpatient units, Assertive Outreach Teams, Crisis Resolution Teams and developing Liaison Services. Within Wales the Health Board has a high profile in developing psychological approaches with a specialist Personality Disorder Service, Early Onset Psychosis and an Eating Disorder Community Service. Additionally, there are Health Board wide Substance Misuse and Community Forensic Services. Admission units are based within District General Hospitals and specialist services in Hafan Derwen, Carmarthen. Clinical services on the Hafan Derwen site include an Intensive Care Unit, and a Low Secure Unit (Cwm Seren). The in-patient units for LD are situated alongside Cwm Seren.
The Team
We are an extremely friendly and dynamic unit! The staff are welcoming and supportive, both in and out of the workplace.
Our junior doctors are expected to attend and participate in the weekly teaching sessions which are run in-house, as well as take advantage of the wider range of learning opportunities outside of the ED. We strongly encourage our staff to attend various support courses such as Advanced Life Support (ALS), European Paediatric Life Support (EPLS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses etc.
In Psychiatry we are the flagship for Portfolio Pathway and central to our approach is a ‘grow our own’ philosophy. Many of our current senior medics have successfully completed the portfolio pathway and now serve as substantive consultants and medical leaders within Psychiatry. Their success stories reflect the strength and sustainability of our model.
We have supported over 8 doctors in Psychiatry through this pathway over several years and therefore have a breadth of experience and knowledge to mentor you through this process. We are privileged to have all sub-specialty core curriculum covered in the service including Psychotherapy, which means that you do not have to undertake modules outside of the Health Board to complete the curriculum.
We offer a robust support system led by an experienced consultant who serves as both a Portfolio Pathway Lead and a Royal College Pathway Assessor. Two further senior medical leaders dedicated to providing focused clinical support for the pathway complement this leadership. Additionally, service leads contribute to the framework, ensuring comprehensive oversight. Dedicated time for pathway activities is also embedded within job planning, reinforcing our commitment to structured and sustainable support.
Why work for us?
If you are looking to work with a friendly and supportive team, dealing with a wide variety of Mental Health Conditions, in a beautiful rural location with a good work-life balance, then please get in touch. Come and join our team today!
The post holder will be based at one of our sites to be discussed and agreed with the successful applicant. The post holder will have the opportunities to actively contribute to the service developments across the MH&LD Directorate
This post is Full Time 40 hours per week (10 sessions with 8 DCC’s and up to 2 SPA’s (one for continued Professional Development and one for Clinical Effectiveness)
Job Plan will be agreed with the successful applicant upon commencement.
You will be expected to be Section 12 approved working towards AC Approved Clinician status with at least 12 years postgraduate experience, 6 years of which should be in Psychiatry.
Please see the below links for useful videos relating to this vacancy:
Hywel Dda in three Counties:
https://youtu.be/RUMDpjtu1sY
Medical Leadership in Hywel Dda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLioZyqIpwk&t=33s
