Consultant Psychiatrist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Crisis) Cambridge

This innovative post seeks to integrate Tier 4 inpatient care and crisis response predominantly in the acute trusts North of the county. To provide care with the other inpatient consultant to the 12 beds at the Darwin centre and offer support to the nurse led crisis team. There is also an existing home treatment service under another consultant and this forms part of our acute care pathway - Crisis, Home treatment, Tier 4 and a dedicated liaison team at Addenbrookes. This role is to support the tier 4 and crisis elements specifically. The job will be approximately a 60/40 split between the Darwin and Crisis service.

The Darwin Centre for Young People is part of the East of England provider collaborative and accepts referrals for young people needing a General Adolescent Unit admission from Trusts across the region. In line with the NHS 10-year plan, it aims to improve continuity, effectiveness, and efficiency of care and treatment for young people presenting with high-risk and acute mental health needs, and their families. The successful applicant will observe local and national employment directives regarding managed medical personnel and ensure adherence to appropriate NHS and Trust policies.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will primarily provide consultant psychiatric leadership in the ongoing development of an effective, efficient and evidence-based crisis and assessment team. They will work in collaboration with multi-disciplinary colleagues to provide needs-led and child and family centered psychiatric assessment and treatment to young people in acute crisis, and those subsequently requiring Tier 4 intervention. Provide crisis input to Hinchingbrooke Hospital and Peterborough City Hospital (and occasionally cover to Addenbrookes). There will be a need for onsite assessments, including Mental Health Act assessments, both in acute hospitals. Due to the geographical area covered, the successful applicant will be expected to drive as part of the role, and remote working and flexibility of base will be required.

On the days they are based at the Darwin, onsite crisis work will be covered by the day time psychiatry rota which is already in place. The dual aspect of this new role means they will be able to provide ongoing Consultant Care for individual young people from crisis presentation to Tier 4 discharge, providing consistency across these transitions and integrating inpatient and community services. They will lead network organizations, integration, risk formulation and management, discharge and contingency planning, and ensure care and treatment is delivered within appropriate legal frameworks, and in accordance with national guidance.

About us

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life. Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development. To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications. Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

Details

• Date posted: 14 September 2026
• Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
• Grade: Consultant
• Salary: £113,565 to £150,569 a year Per Annum
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
• Reference number: 310-MEDE-7895580-C
• Job locations: Elizabeth House, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5EF, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

Main Duties of the Post: The successful applicant will provide medical leadership to the CAMH-Crisis team and contribute to the medical leadership of The Darwin Centre for Young People. They will work closely and collaboratively with their consultant and MDT colleagues. Work collaboratively with team, ward and service managers to ensure robust clinical governance activities are maintained including appropriate CPD slots to support team practice and development, supervision, audit, and service-evaluation work. Develop and strengthen relationships across the directorate and with partner organizations to improve crisis care, develop crisis and admission avoidance pathways, promote alternatives to admission, and facilitate timely discharges.

Training of Core, Specialty and GP trainees including as their Consultant Supervisor. The Darwin Centre is a placement for CPFTs Core Training scheme and Specialty Trainees in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry who are on the East of England Higher Training Scheme. Work alongside Community Consultant colleagues and ensure Consultant cover is available as needed for the duty CAMHS practitioners and Paediatric wards for urgent assessments and advice. Participate in the Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist out of hours on-call rota (currently 1 in 8) paid at Band A, 5% supplement. Providing Consultant Child Psychiatry, non-residential, on call advice/supervision to doctors in training grades and duty CAMH practitioners. This is a Trust-wide Rota covering all of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the three Tier 4 units and the three acute hospitals. Advice may need to be provided to the 24/7 nurse led all age telephone crisis service and 9-9pm CAMHS crisis service. There is an expectation that phone calls will be responded to promptly and that on occasion consultants may be required to attend a hospital site to assess patients. There is current review of remuneration for on-call through a diary exercise.

Contribute to the teaching and training of STs, CTs, medical students and MDT members. CTs and STs work within the department as part of their psychiatric rotations. There will be an opportunity to undertake the role of Clinical and Educational Supervisor for these doctors in training. Access to admin support is proportionately through the Crisis team and Darwin Centre Admin Hubs. Provide consultation to multi‑agency colleagues working with children and young people and attend to any safeguarding needs that arise in accordance with local and national best practice standards. Maintain high quality clinical records and otherwise participate in the administrative duties associated with patient care and the running of the services. Collaborate with medical colleagues to maintain the service in the absence of departmental colleagues due to annual leave, study leave and short‑term sickness. There will be an expectation to work collaboratively to provide flexible cross‑cover across Tier 4 services as required. This could include providing Consultant input to the Home Treatment Team.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualifications

• Essential: Full GMC registration and licence to practice
• MRCPsych or equivalent qualification/certification
• Section 12 Approved Psychiatrist or willingness to obtain training
• Approved Clinician Status or willingness to obtain training

Entry criteria for the grade

• Essential: Specialist Registration in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry or CESR or within 6 months of attainment of CCT /CESR at time of interview. Shall have equivalent experience and competencies as recognised by GMC

Experience

• Essential: Proven experience of good working relationships
• Experience of multi-disciplinary working
• Experience of training doctors in training.
• Desirable: Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experiences relevant to this post

Skills/Ability/ Knowledge

• Essential: Excellent knowledge in specialty
• Decision-making and problem solving skills including children and young people
• Management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to take a clinical lead.
• Able and willing to represent department at Trust wide meetings.
• Able to work and build relationships with others.
• Desirable: Training/skills in a relevant therapeutic modality e.g. CBT, Family Therapy, parenting programmes
• Experience in clinical management of Learning Disability presentations.

Academic skills, lifelong learning abilities

• Essential: Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
• Participated in continuous professional development
• Participated in research or service evaluation
• Able to use and appraise clinical evidence
• Desirable: Published on a relevant subject in a peer reviewed journal
• Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
• Participated in quality/service improvement initiative
• Led a clinical audit leading to significant change

Qualities/ Attributes

• Essential: Able to demonstrate reflective practice.
• Approachable and flexible.
• Reliable.
• Ability to demonstrate/develop an understanding of service within the wider context of the changing NHS and Mental Health Services.
• Able to tolerate clinical complexity, uncertainty and change
• Desirable: Experience of developing services in a constantly changing environment within tight budgetary restraints

Equality

• Essential: Demonstrate understanding of acceptance and commitment to the principles underlying equal opportunities.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

Employer details

Employer name: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Elizabeth House, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5EF, United Kingdom

Employer's website: https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact: Associate Clinical Director for CYPF, Robyn McCarron, robyn.mccarron@cpft.nhs.uk