Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post-holder will provide high-quality psychiatric care as part of the Eastbourne Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team (CRHTT) and The Haven to support the clinical delivery of the service. This vacancy has arisen due to the previous post-holder moving to another post within the NHS, and the Trust sees this as a valuable opportunity for a Specialty Doctor to contribute meaningfully to the team's ongoing development.

This post adds to the medical establishment of the team providing a minimum of one whole time equivalent (WTE) consultant psychiatrist and one WTE SAS grade doctor for Eastbourne CRHT and Haven.

The post-holder will have a 9 PAs of direct clinical contact and a minimum of 1 PA of SPA time.

CRHTT

CRHTT typically receives around 25 new referrals weekly, including assessments for service users who are referred by their GP via the agreed 4-hour urgent referral pathway. CRHTT provide a gatekeeping function for all adult acute inpatient requests to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, ensuring that the least restrictive principles of care and treatment are achieved.

CRHTTs have a zoning system in place. This Red, Amber and Green (RAG) system is used to reflect assessed risk and associated intensity of CRHTT contact. All patients will be in the Red Zone for the first 72 hours and seen by qualified and senior staff. Those patients who are considered complex either by individual clinicians and/or raised during the handover are to be escalated immediately to medical staff.

The post-holder is expected to be present for weekly MDT meetings and weekly complex case discussions. They will also be available at short notice to review patients, respond to emergencies and provide advice to other team members. The consultant psychiatrist will be expected to undertake home visits to assess and follow up patients as part of their role. They will not carry their own case load or be required to act as care co-ordinator or key worker.

The post-holder is expected to collaborate with the wider MDT in overseeing risk assessment and formulation; approving key management decisions (e.g. discharge, medication changes, escalation to inpatient care); and ensuring that risk management plans are appropriate and effective.

Haven

The post-holder will assess and treat Haven patients who have been identified by the nursing team as needing medical input. As the Haven is a nurse-led unit, it is expected that the post-holder will work collaboratively with the nursing team. 

In addition, the post-holder will be expected to review any Extended Length of Stay Patients who have been in the Haven for over 24 hours and provide the necessary physical health assessment, VTE assessment and a formal drug chart.

The post-holder will work closely with other Sussex Partnership teams, including:

·       Assessment and Treatment Service (ATS)

·       Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) Teams

·       Learning Disability and Neurodevelopmental Services

·       Mental Health Liaison Services (MHLT)

·       Specialist Older Adult Mental Health Services (SOAMHS)

·       Crisis pathways including Blue Light Line, Rapid Response and the Sanctuary (a Crisis House in Hastings)

·       Sussex Partnership's Housing Team

·       Staying Well, a drop-in service providing out-of-hours crisis prevention services in Eastbourne. Open 7 days a week, this service provides evening and weekend recovery-focused support to help people manage their mental health, stay well and prevent crisis.