Job Title

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation TrustConsultant Psychiatrists - Adult Mental Health Inpatients The closing date is 16 April 2026This is a replacement post and is one of the four posts (4 WTE) supporting adult acute care in the North Durham Locality (Adult Mental Health Directorate) of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. This includes 3 WTE Consultant Psychiatrists working into the inpatient unit and 1 WTE Consultant Psychiatrist covering the Durham & Darlington Adult Crisis Team.The population covered within the North Durham locality is 250,000. The main population centres include Durham, Chester-le-Street, Consett and Seaham and include areas with relative affluence; areas with significant levels of deprivation and more rural areas.The main inpatient beds for the North Durham Locality are located at Lanchester Road Hospital. There are two twenty bedded wards (Tunstall Unit for female patients & Farnham Unit for male patients) admitting patients with acute mental health problems at Lanchester Road Hospital. There are 3 WTE Consultant Psychiatrists for these 2 wards. Average length of stay is around 25 days, some individuals stay are longer but good working relationships with Community Teams and Crisis Teams keep the length of stay at a minimum often less than 25 days. Inpatient admissions happen at approximately 5 or 6 per week per ward. The proportion of detained and informal admissions is approximately 50/50. Out of catchment area admissions account for approximately 10% of total admissions.This post is for a Consultant Psychiatrist on Tunstall Ward, female inpatients.Main duties of the job The principal duty of this Consultant post is to support the In-patient team. Currently the post holder will be expected to provide consultant input for 10 - 12 beds, between the two wards (Farnham & Tunstall Units). New admissions are allocated between consultants on a 1 in 3 rota on each ward. There is a limit of 10-12 patients per each consultant to ensure equity. Currently the average length of stay excluding over 90 days is 20 days in Farnham Ward (Male Ward) and 28 days in Tunstall Ward (Female Ward) while the combined average in the locality is 31 days.Clinical duties will include:Daily attendance at Report Out meetingsCompletion of 24hr initial reviews of patients admitted to the unitChairing of formulation, review and discharge planning meetingsContribution to the collective leadership of the teamMHA work including completion of MHA assessments on the ward, tribunal reports and giving oral evidence at first tier tribunals, CTO assessment and initiation, SOAD requests and review of consent to treatmentSupport to broader multi-disciplinary teamContribution to risk management on the wardAbout us We are one of the largest specialist mental health and learning disabilities trusts in the country, with an annual income of £320m and a workforce of some 6,700 staff operating from around 100 sites in Durham, Teesside, North Yorkshire and York and Selby. We provide a range of inpatient and community services to 2m people living in County Durham, the Tees Valley, Scarborough, Whitby, Ryedale, Harrogate, Hambleton and Richmondshire. We also provide additional specialist services to other parts of Northern England.We are a multi-award winning trust and are included within the Health Service Journals Best 100 Places to Work. The trust takes a positive and proactive approach to support staff in their personal development and has embedded the Talent Management approach within the Trust.Psychiatrists are essential contributors to the majority of our mental health teams. Service users expect and are justified to expect collaborative relationships with dedicated psychiatrists who work consistently as part of effective services. Our medical staffing shortage puts strain on services and puts strain on workforce wellbeing and costs extend beyond the financial. The Medical Directorate and Medical Development Team are striving to improve medical workforce recruitment and retention in a variety of ways and the cornerstone of these efforts is The TEWV Charter for the Medical Workforce.The Trust welcomes a conversation about flexible working.Job responsibilities Please see the attached job description for further information on this post. Please note this post has not been approved by The Royal College.Person Specification Clinical Knowledge & SkillsExcellent knowledge in specialtyExcellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledgeExcellent oral and written communication skills in EnglishAble to manage clinical complexity and uncertaintyMakes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of othersAble to meet duties under MHA and MCAWide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable serviceAcademic Skills and Lifelong LearningAble to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and trainingParticipated in continuous professional developmentParticipated in research or service evaluation.Able to use and appraise clinical evidence.Has actively participated in clinical audit.Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this postReflected on purpose of CPD undertakenExperienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications.Has led clinical audits leading to service change.LeadershipReflects on own performance and behaviour, seeking and acting on feedback.Able to influence and persuade to improve servicesAble to take on leadership role in multidisciplinary team.Knowledge of structure and management of the NHS and the Trust.Shows commitment to quality through knowledge of quality improvement and lean thinking methodology OR able to achieve within one year of appointmentAble to adapt to and lead service change.Able to take on a leadership role outside the multidisciplinary team.Understanding of NHS & wider health economy and its implications for the work of the Trust.Trained to standard equivalent to level 2 in TEWV Trust Quality improvement systemQualificationsMB BS or equivalent medical qualification.Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.ExperienceFully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.Included on the GMC Specialist Register for General Psychiatry OR included within six months.Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointmentApproved under S12 OR able to achieve with 3 months of appointmentIn good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practiceExperienceDescribe your clinical experience relevant to this job roleAny other experience that may be applicableDisclosure 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.Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust#J-18808-Ljbffr