Consultant in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Location: Lancashire

Position Type: Permanent, Full-Time (10 Programmed Activities / Sessions per week)

Pay Grade: Consultant (YC72)

Accountable to: Chief Executive

Reports to: Divisional Director

DBS Check: Enhanced with Children’s and Adults’ Barred List check

Role Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, skilled, and dedicated Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist to join a supportive, forward-thinking Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) based in Lancashire.

The service sits within the Community Division and provides comprehensive, specialist community mental health services to children and young people up to the age of 18 whose psychological wellbeing significantly impacts their day-to-day lives. The post-holder will provide strong clinical leadership within a highly collaborative Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), holding responsibility for managing complex psychiatric cases, conducting multi-agency consultations, and working in close partnership with team leaders and service managers to shape service development.

Key Responsibilities & Clinical Duties

Clinical Excellence & Caseload Management

• Provide clinical leadership and expert psychiatric care to children and young people (0–18 years) presenting with moderate to severe mental health disorders.

• Support young people with mild-to-moderate learning disabilities and ADHD, working closely alongside the dedicated ADHD service.

• Conduct comprehensive psychiatric assessments, regular multi-disciplinary case reviews, and formulate evidence-based treatment plans.

• Provide specialist medical advice and urgent psychiatric input for children and young people admitted to the paediatric ward (e.g., following episodes of self-harm or acute mental health crises).

• Share reciprocal cross-cover arrangements with fellow Consultant Child Psychiatrists during planned annual leave, study leave, and short-term absences.

Service Improvement & Clinical Governance

• Take an active role in designing service pathways, developing clinical protocols, and participating in local CAMHS partnership groups.

• Lead and actively participate in clinical audit, quality improvement initiatives, and clinical governance frameworks to ensure evidence-based care.

Teaching, Training & Research

• Contribute to the undergraduate and postgraduate education of medical students (from regional partner universities including Liverpool, Lancaster, and UCLan), foundation doctors, trainee nurses, and psychologists on placement.

• Take advantage of extensive regional links with academic institutions and clinical research networks (such as the NIHR portfolio and regional health research collaborations) to support or lead research and clinical trials.

On-Call Commitment

• There is currently no formal out-of-hours on-call commitment attached to this post (subject to future service review in discussion with commissioners).

Indicative Weekly Job Plan (10 PAs)

The proposed job plan comprises 7.5 Direct Clinical Care (DCC) sessions and 2.5 Supporting Professional Activities (SPA). The final job plan will be agreed upon appointment and reviewed within the first six months:

Day

Morning (AM)

Afternoon (PM)

Monday

MDT Clinical Work

MDT Clinical Work

Tuesday

MDT Clinical Work

Assessment / Review

Wednesday

Clinical Work / Urgent Cases

MDT Clinical Work

Thursday

MDT / Clinical Work

Supporting Professional Activities (SPA)

Friday

SPA / Clinical Supervision

SPA / Service Development

Core SPA includes time for continuous professional development (CPD), revalidation, annual appraisal, mandatory training, and clinical governance/audit.

Person Specification

1. Legal & Professional Registration

• Essential: Full registration with a licence to practise with the General Medical Council (GMC).

• Essential: Inclusion on the GMC Specialist Register in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, or eligible for entry within 6 months of the interview date.

2. Qualifications & Education

• Essential: MB ChB, MBBS, or equivalent primary medical qualification.

• Essential: MRCPsych or recognised equivalent postgraduate qualification.

• Desirable: Higher academic degree (e.g., MD, PhD, or equivalent).

• Desirable: Formal qualification in medical education (or currently working towards).

3. Clinical Experience, Leadership & Management

• Essential: Comprehensive clinical training and experience in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

• Essential: Thorough understanding of NHS management responsibilities, clinical governance, and consultant-level accountability.

• Essential: Evidence of leadership skills, including decision-making and multidisciplinary team leadership.

• Essential: Participation in formal management training courses.

• Essential: Experience in healthcare service development, quality improvement, and managing change.

4. Teaching, Audit & Research

• Essential: Proven track record of delivering effective clinical teaching and supervision.

• Essential: Active commitment to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and clinical audit.

• Desirable: Track record of self-directed research and publications in peer-reviewed journals.

5. Interpersonal Skills & Values

• Essential: Outstanding communication, interpersonal, and consultation skills (both written and oral).

• Essential: Demonstrated ability to work sensitively, collaboratively, and effectively across multidisciplinary and multi-agency settings.

• Essential: Alignment with core organisational values: Caring, Safe, and Respectful.

Working Environment & Core Values

• Core Values: We are dedicated to delivering care that is Caring (open, compassionate, supportive), Safe (learning, high-quality, accountable), and Respectful (treating every person with dignity and equity).

• Zero Tolerance Commitment: We maintain a strict zero-tolerance stance against bullying, harassment, discrimination, and sexual misconduct in accordance with the NHS Sexual Safety Charter.

• Professional Support: New consultants receive structured induction, access to leadership and management development programmes, and executive coaching/mentorship.

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