Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist - Rathbone Low Secure Unit

Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist - Rathbone Low Secure Unit

The Trust is seeking to recruit a full-time Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist based at Rathbone Low Secure Unit in Liverpool. The service has 32 male beds across two wards and provides assessment and management for patients from North and South Liverpool, South Sefton (up to Southport), and part of Kirkby. The population covered is approximately 1/3 million. The service provides low secure forensic care for detained patients with a mental disorder who present a significant risk of harm to others and cannot be managed in a non-secure environment. The service forms part of the secure services pathway within Mersey Care.

The vacancy is an established permanent post which has arisen due to retirement. The post holder will join a comprehensive MDT with good trainee medical support including a full-time substantive staff grade doctor and core trainee. There is also a full-time substantive Physician Associate. They will manage a caseload of 16 male inpatients and will maintain responsibility for the patient throughout his journey through the unit. There is a second substantive consultant who has responsibility for the other inpatients.

The post currently attracts a 10% R&R payment which will be reviewed in 2025.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will act as Responsible Clinician within a multidisciplinary team. They will lead on the management of a caseload of 16 male inpatients, including preadmission planning, MDT meetings, CPA reviews, and discharge planning. The post will require liaison with other agencies, including the Ministry of Justice, police, probation, social care, and other mental health services. They will exercise statutory responsibilities for patients detained under Restriction Orders, including completing statutory reports to the Ministry of Justice. For both non-restricted and restricted patients under their care, they will be responsible for providing reports regarding Consent to Treatment and attending Tribunals and Managers' Reviews.

The post holder will lead on the assessment of individuals referred for admission from various sources, including other secure services, general adult services, courts, or prisons. These are discussed at the weekly referral meeting. They will participate in weekly panel meetings reviewing referrals for admission to low secure and forensic step-down beds across Merseyside and Cheshire.

The post holder will participate in service management, attend clinical team meetings, and provide supervision to junior doctors and Physician Associates in the service.

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical and mental health services in the North West, serving over 1.4 million people across our region, with services also covering North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services supporting physical and mental health, including specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction, and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK offering high secure mental health facilities.

Our core commitment is to 'perfect care'-safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable, and efficient. We support our staff to excel and work collaboratively with service users, families, and carers to develop services. We are currently implementing organizational and service transformation to improve quality and reduce costs.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will manage the care and treatment of 16 male inpatients across Allerton and Childwall wards, including preadmission planning, MDT meetings, CPA reviews, and discharge planning. They will liaise with agencies such as the Ministry of Justice, police, probation, social care, and mental health services.

They will lead assessments for admission from various sources, with an average of 2-3 referrals per month, and exercise statutory responsibilities as a Responsible Clinician under the Mental Health Act 1983 (Amended 2007), including completing reports and attending tribunals. They should be approved under Section 12(2) of the MHA or able to achieve this within three months of appointment, and be an Approved Clinician.

The post involves participating in service management and attending relevant meetings.

Note: Please see the full job description for detailed responsibilities.

Person Specification Qualifications

• MB BS or equivalent medical qualification.
• Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research, or management.
• Additional clinical qualifications.
• Fully registered with the GMC with a license to practice at the time of appointment.
• Included on the GMC Specialist Register or within six months.
• Approved clinician status or able to achieve within three months.
• Approved under S12 or able to achieve within three months.
• In good standing with GMC regarding warnings and conditions.

Transport

• Holds a valid UK driving license or provides evidence of proposed alternative.

Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Excellent knowledge in the specialty.
• Strong clinical skills using a bio-psycho-social perspective and broad medical knowledge.
• Excellent communication skills in English.
• Ability to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty.
• Decision-making based on evidence and experience, including contributions from others.
• Ability to meet duties under MHA and MCA.
• Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist NHS or comparable experience.

Academic Skills & Lifelong Learning

• Ability to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training.
• Leadership and teamwork skills.
• Commitment to shared leadership and collaborative improvement.
• Experience in research or service evaluation.
• Participation in CPD.
• Ability to appraise clinical evidence.
• Experience in clinical audits and quality improvement.
• Planning and delivering teaching relevant to the post.
• Reflective practice on CPD activities.
• Experience in clinical research or service evaluation.
• Achievements in education, research, audit, or service improvement, including awards or prizes.
• Leadership in clinical audits leading to service changes or improved patient outcomes.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 (Exceptions Order 1975). A Disclosure check will be required to identify any previous convictions.

Salary range: £105,504 to £139,882 per annum plus 10% R&R (non-contractual) and on-call allowance.