Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 354-FH-20640
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Hellingly Centre
- Town
- Hellingly
- Salary
- £49,387 - £56,515 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 26/08/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Physician Associate (or Physician Assistant) (PA)
NHS AfC: Band 7
Come and join us
We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.
At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.
We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.
We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.
Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page.
We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.
Job overview
We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Physician Assistant to join our busy forensic inpatient unit, the Hellingly Centre, supporting the delivery of high-quality, recovery-focused care for people with complex mental and physical health needs within a secure setting. Working as part of a skilled multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to patient assessment, physical health monitoring, team development and care planning, while building strong therapeutic relationships with service users. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is organised, compassionate and confident working in a dynamic clinical environment, with a strong commitment to collaborative practice, team training, risk awareness and improving physical health outcomes for patients. In return, we offer a supportive team, regular supervision, opportunities for learning and development, and the chance to make a meaningful contribution within a specialist forensic mental health service.
Main duties of the job
· The PA will support the effective functioning of the multidisciplinary team and wider service developments through developing knowledge of assessing and managing mental disorders, undertaking quality improvement (QI) work such as clinical audit, gaining knowledge about psychotropic medication and taking a lead role in the physical health of service users.
Working for our organisation
We provide NHS care and treatment to children, young people, adults and older people who have mental health problems, learning disabilities or neurodiversity needs.
We employ about 5,700 staff. Many of our services are provided in partnership with other organisations. We provide care in people’s homes, in specialist clinics, hospitals and GP surgeries.
As well as being a provider of services across Sussex we also commission specialist beds. Working with NHS and independent sector healthcare organisations across the South-East we are the lead provider in three Provider Collaboratives. These cover adult eating disorders, secure care and children and young people inpatient services.
Sussex Partnership was formed in April 2006 as an NHS Trust and established as an NHS Foundation Trust with teaching trust status in August 2008. We work closely with Brighton and Sussex Medical School, a partnership between the Universities of Brighton and Sussex. In 2015, we became a member of the Association of UK University Hospitals, the representative body for university hospitals with major teaching and research interests across the UK and internationally.
Our services are rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission and 'outstanding' for caring. We work closely with other health and care partners to provide the best possible care to our local populations. We have strengths in innovation, including our work in the field of research and development.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Assess and review service users’ physical and mental health needs, using appropriate clinical judgement and decision-making skills.
· Develop and support management plans in collaboration with the supervising Consultant and multidisciplinary team.
· Undertake agreed clinical procedures, including ECGs, venepuncture, interpretation of blood results, mental state examinations, psychiatric history taking and cognitive assessments.
· Maintain accurate and timely clinical records, reports, discharge summaries and outcome measures in line with professional and Trust standards.
· Communicate sensitive and complex information clearly and compassionately with service users, carers, families and professionals.
· Work collaboratively with internal teams, external providers, pharmacy and other agencies to support safe and effective care.
· Contribute to multidisciplinary meetings, care planning, case conferences and responses to urgent clinical situations.
· Provide health promotion, psychoeducation and physical health screening support for service users and carers.
· Support service development, audit, research, quality improvement, governance and implementation of policies and clinical standards.
· Contribute to education, training, supervision and development of PA students, newly qualified PAs, doctors in training and wider staff groups.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Undergraduate degree in a life science and/or a significant background in healthcare.
- PG Dip in Physician Associate Studies from a recognised UK training programme and evidence of successful completion of the UK National PA exam (or equivalent) or an MSc Degree (or equivalent) in Physician Associate Studies, Physician Associate Studies or Medical Sciences
- Registration with the General Medical Council
- Pass in Physician Associate Registration Assessment
- Evidence of ongoing CPD
Desirable criteria
- Membership of the Faculty of Physician Associates at the Royal College of Physicians.
Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working within a mental health environment
- Able to work with the clinical team to manage a caseload of service users with complex mental health needs
- Comprehensive knowledge of interventions specific to service area
- Knowledge of national and local guidance for the role of a Physician Associate
- Awareness of Trust policies and service specification
Skills
Essential criteria
- Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills with staff, service users, families, carers and professionals
- Able to establish links with other services and professionals
- Able to effectively manage risk
- To be able to provide highly specialised advice concerning the care or treatment of service users
- Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Syed Ali
- Job title
- Lead Consultant Psychiatrist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 304 1841
- Additional information
Debbie Barrington=Smith
Tel: 0300 304 2062
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