Specialty Doctor - First Response Service | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in Winwick

The Trust is seeking to recruit a full‑time Specialty doctor for First Response Service (FRS) across Mid Mersey. We are looking for an enthusiastic, proactive colleague to provide dynamic leadership to the service and the Trust as a whole. This is a new full‑time post based in Hollins Park Hospital. The post holder will work collaboratively with the Operational Manager, Clinical Service Manager and the FRS Specialty doctor based in Clock View to deliver an excellent, responsive, high‑quality service and to develop a special interest in a relevant clinical area that meets the Trust objectives. You will enjoy working as part of a highly skilled and motivated team to deliver excellent care.

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across the region and is also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands. We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support 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 that offer high secure mental health facilities.

• Overall assessment and management of patients presented to FRS in Mid Mersey, working closely with the multidisciplinary team.
• Collaborate with the clinical service manager, advanced clinical practitioner, clinical lead, operational managers (Band 8A), dual diagnosis practitioners, mental health practitioners, assistant practitioners, assistant clinical psychologist, clinical psychologist, social workers and support workers.
• Conduct urgent reviews for patients and chair management planning meetings involving families, community and social care services.
• Facilitate Medic Assessments during office hours (Monday‑Friday 09:00‑17:00) – they are first triaged by the clinical leads.
• Speak to the medic on site or by phone to discuss acceptance of service users.
• Facilitate urgent assessments directly with the medic and via secretary on 0151 330 7204.
• If an MHAA is required, discuss it with the clinical lead and ensure all opportunities to support contact with the service user (telephone contacts, home visits, discussions with family or carers, prior to careline application) are actioned to gain as much clinical or collateral information as possible.
• Carry out comprehensive psychiatric assessments and provide treatment for patients referred to FRS as outpatient and community assessment.
• Support FRS staff to manage psychiatric emergencies.
• Conduct patient reviews, mental health act assessments and attend multi‑professional meetings.
• Maintain a high standard of clinical work during assessments.
• Ensure compliance with the clinical governance framework, motivate colleagues, champion service user safety and dignity, and drive continuous improvement.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families and carers to design and develop future services together. We are currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.