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Job summary

Main area
Adult Community Mental Health
Grade
NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 40 hours per week
Job ref
363-MRLB7300951
Employer
East London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Dunstable CMHT
Town
Dunstable
Salary
£105,504 - £139,882 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
31/08/2025 23:59
Interview date
13/08/2025

Employer heading

East London NHS Foundation Trust logo

Consultant in Adult Psychiatry - Dunstable CMHT

NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant

ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job overview

Dunstable Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) has undergone a process of transformation/ redesign in order to focus on providing prompt assessment and intervention at the point of need. By separating out some of the functions of a traditional CMHT, the new structure will additionally allow more of a focus on recovery for those with enduring mental health problems and those accessing CPA, within a linked recovery service.

 

Community mental healthcare will increasingly be provided closer to home, within primary care networks.

 

Dunstable CMHT has the following structure:

 

Closing date: 27th July 2025

Interview date (AAC panel): 13th August 2025 

Front-end blended teams with triage function + Providing care for complex patients not on CPA (PCN Case load)

Managing recovery-focused care of individuals on CPA. (Recovery Case load)

ADHD Case Load

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will provide clinical leadership to a community mental health team serving adults with acute and severe mental illness. Key responsibilities include:

  • Leading the Dunstable team and weekly MDT meetings.

  • Conducting assessments, diagnoses, and treatment planning with a focus on recovery-oriented care.

  • Offering clinical guidance to GPs and collaborating with crisis, inpatient, and specialist teams to ensure continuity of care.

  • Fulfilling responsibilities under the Mental Health Act, including duties as an Approved Clinician and Section 12-approved psychiatrist.

  • Ensuring performance targets (KPIs) are met and working towards HTAS accreditation.

  • Supervising junior staff, delivering training, and leading quality improvement and audit activities.

  • Participating in the consultant duty rota and engaging in regular appraisal and job planning.

  • Candidates must be fully GMC registered with either a CCT or equivalent (Article 14), and have s12 approval.

Working for our organisation

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a detailed description of main duties and responsibilities please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Fully registered with the General Medical Council
  • Eligible for inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register (or Specialist Registrar within 6 months of gaining CCT at time of interview).
  • Membership or Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent qualification (in accordance with Royal College of Psychiatrists guidelines)
  • Eligible for Section 12 Approval (Mental Health Act)/ Approved Clinician or willing to apply for such approval once in post.
Desirable criteria
  • A higher degree such as MD or PhD

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of clinical work in Adult Psychiatry at SpR, SASG or consultant level within the last 3 years
  • Excellent working knowledge and experience of the application of the Mental Health Act
  • Appreciation and understanding of ethnic minority issues and a commitment to developing culturally sensitive practices
  • Understanding of social factors relevant to psychiatry
  • Robust experience of working with severe and enduring mental illness and risk assessment, management
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of service development and introducing new services in mental health
  • Experience of working at consultant level in a community environment

Organisational Skills/Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Leadership skills
  • Ability to work as a part of multidisciplinary, multi-model team
  • Ability to manage complex workloads and support others to do that
  • Consultation skills to services, teams and individuals
  • Commitment to working in multidisciplinary setting
  • Commitment to working with service users on service development
Desirable criteria
  • Formal leadership and management training
  • Experience of team /service leadership
  • Experience of organisational development work
  • Project management ability

Clinical Skills and Supervision

Essential criteria
  • Ability to work in multi-disciplinary team and provide leadership for the team
  • Self-motivating and innovative
  • Expertise in risk assessment
  • Confident in therapeutic risk taking
  • Commitment to clinical governance
Desirable criteria
  • Experience in supervising trainee doctors and SAS doctors

Teaching

Essential criteria
  • Experience in teaching junior staff
  • Good teaching and communication skills
  • Experience of teaching medical undergraduates and postgraduates
  • Experience of teaching non-medical mental health professionals
Desirable criteria
  • Medical education qualification

Research and Audit

Essential criteria
  • Experience of research work, or be able to interpret research findings and apply them to clinical practice.
  • Audit experience
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of grant-funded project work
  • Publications in peer-reviewed journals in relevant academic fields

Other Requirements

Essential criteria
  • UK driving licence
Desirable criteria
  • Car owner

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Capital Nurse, LondonCommitted to being an Inclusive EmployerApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveHSJ Best places to workArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerCare quality commission - OutstandingStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Baljit Upadhyay
Job title
Deputy Clinical Director
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07411966834
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