Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This is a 10 session post which is split into 7.5 sessions for Direct Clinical Care and 2.5 sessions for Supporting Professional Activities.

Clinical:

·       Consultant psychiatrist responsibility for their CMHT caseload.

·       To supervise and support team members who carry out assessments of patients referred to the team.

·       To carry out comprehensive psychiatric assessments and provide treatment for patients.

·       Supporting staff to manage psychiatric emergencies.

·       To conduct patient reviews and lead Multidisciplinary reviews, patient reviews and multi-professional meetings.

·       To be the responsible clinician for the purposes of the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007) and carry out duties in accordance with the code of practice.

·       To carry out comprehensive Risk Assessments and participate in Trust’s risk management processes such as Health Risk Assessment and Management Meetings (H-RAMM) and Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) Meetings.

·       To provide medical leadership to the team.

Liaison:

·       Maintain high level of effective communication with other parts of the Mental health service across the Trust.

·       Liaison with families / carers

·       Liaison with aspects of the Criminal Justice System regarding patients.

·       Liaising with other stakeholders and interested parties.

·       The post holder will be expected to maintain effective communication with Access services, community mental health teams, and primary care.

Governance:

·       Programmed activity time will allow for management and audit of the service and reporting of audit programmes.

·       Regular stakeholder meetings if required.

·       Partnership Forums involving service user representatives and advocacy.

·       Involvement with critical incident / serious untoward incident reporting and response

·       Protocol development.

·       Attendance at twice monthly Consultants meetings.

Training:

·       Direct supervision of junior medical staff

·       Role in in-house MDT training / education sessions

·       Education of other services / professions with relation to CMHT (including all stakeholders)

·       Participation in Research and Clinical Audit

·       Service development.

·       Work with CMHT transformation within the Trust.

Suggested draft timetable:

This is a 10 session post which is split into 7.5 sessions for Direct Clinical Care and 2.5 sessions for Supporting Professional Activities. The timetable is expected to be led by the consultant clinician, to adapt to the needs of the service. As we move towards Community Mental Health Framework, there will no longer be a distinction between CPA and non-CPA patients, and therefore clinics will be used flexibly for all patients. The post holder is expected to carry out clinical activity in line with best practice, and to adhere to the Trust’s key performance indicators in relation to clinical reviews and timelines.

The timetable is indicative only. A formal job plan will be agreed between the post holder and the lead consultant & Clinical Director three months after commencing the post and at least annually thereafter. There is some flexibility in finalising the timetable however any agreed timetable must take account of the needs of service users and coherence of the team. Each of the clinic sessions consists of 5 slots with 1 new patient and 4 follow ups. There is, however, flexibility with this.

*each clinic can accommodate approximately 5 review slots, in line with the Community Mental Health Framework there will be less reliance on the outpatient model, in favour of full MDT working, so a flexible approach is expected in line with the national directives.

The post holder will have access to allocated office space at Hartley Hospital with a computer with Internet access. A smart phone and laptop will be provided. Other specific technical support can be negotiated. The post holder will have access to a dedicated 0.5 WTE band 4 medical secretarial and dedicated 0.5 WTE band 3 transcriptionist support in post.

The Trust insists on participation in the CPD programme of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the postholder must join a local CPD peer group. Consultants are encouraged to take their study leave entitlement in line with learning objectives identified in personal development plans.

Newly recruited consultants will attend the Essential Mandatory Trust Induction and be provided with a local induction by their Medical Manager. Induction includes training on the Trust’s clinical information system. A mentoring scheme exists for medical staff in the Trust and is available to all doctors, including consultants, for guidance and support for as long as they feel the need for it. This is actively encouraged for all newly appointed colleagues in their first Consultant post.

Job planning is conducted annually and led by the post holder’s Lead Consultant with support from the Clinical Director and Chief Operating Officer as necessary. Individual job plans will be aligned to Trust, Division, Service Line and personal objectives respectively.

The post holder will receive any necessary training as provided by HENW in order to achieve Level One trainer status, which will allow them to act as a clinical supervisor to trainees. Once approved the post holder will have the opportunity to take on the role of clinical and educational supervisor responsibility for the trainees based with the team.

The post holder will regularly attend the Tuesday morning Virtual postgraduate programme as part of their weekly SPA sessions. This is well attended by consultants and is a lively meeting. It includes case conferences, journal presentations, mandatory training slots and guest speakers.

The Consultant Group has one lunchtime continuing professional development meeting each month. This involves presentations by invited speakers on topics agreed by the Consultant group, or discussions of clinical cases primarily intended for peer support.

There is a well-resourced and expanding clinical effectiveness, research and resource library developed within the Trust. It has a dedicated space at Rathbone Hospital site where there is access to various databases both locally held and Internet based.

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust has an active audit culture and the post holder will be involved in audit and supervising junior Doctors’ audits. As part of its new “Perfect Care” strategy the Trust is keen to expand and develop existing research opportunities for interested Consultants.

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and University of Liverpool have teamed up to create the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC). A ground-breaking research facility based in Liverpool that will impact directly on NHS mental health services.

The Trust actively supports its consultant staff who may wish to undertake roles outside the Trust that are of benefit to medical practice at regional, national and international level, and recognises the value of such roles for the reputation and standing of the Trust. Consultants should however undertake such duties only after discussion with colleagues and with the agreement of the Clinical Director or Deputy Medical Director and should be sensitive to the increased workload undertaken by colleagues in support. 

From time to time, it may be necessary for the postholder to carry out such other duties as may be assigned, with agreement, by the Trust. It is expected that the postholder will not unreasonably withhold agreement to any reasonable proposed changes that the Trust might make.

The post holder will be included in the daily on-call rota for South Liverpool. There is usually always a higher trainee ST4-6 first on call at night. On-call availability supplement is 1% - Band B low frequency, low intensity and has been consistent for many years. The rota is currently shared with approximately 15 FTE colleagues, from adult, addictions and learning disability services.

The post will be covered by the terms and conditions of service for Hospital Medical and Dental staff (England and Wales) as amended from time to time. Contracts have been agreed with the BMA local negotiators, but individuals may wish to discuss this further before acceptance.

Mersey Care is committed to the principles of Equality and Human Rights. The Trust promotes health equalities for our colleagues, patients, service users, carers, volunteers and visitors to the trust.