Consultant Psychiatrist

Job overview

This is a full-time WTE post in the Bridgwater Community Mental health service based in Glanville House, in the centre of Bridgwater.

There can be some flexibility in the working time equivalent depending on successful candidate’s requirements. Therefore, if an appropriate candidate who cannot work fulltime applies, their application will be considered by management. This post arises due to re-location of a previous psychiatrist and expansion of community psychiatry service. Some remote working can be considered.

Somerset Foundation Trust was formed due to a merger of mental health, community health and acute care trusts (Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District hospital). This has enabled more joined up care, better long-term planning for future healthcare in Somerset, stronger leadership and joint training.

This post provides senior psychiatric services to community mental health teams for three of the 12 GP surgeries in the Bridgwater and Burnham area. Patients will be under the care of the Bridgwater Adult Community Mental Health team (CMHT).

Main duties of the job

The core CMHT works closely with the wider community mental health service and is referred to as the Community Mental Health service. This consists of therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, mental health nurses, psychiatrists and four managers and a number of other staff with specific focuses. We work together especially in complex cases and where there is higher risk to support patients and colleagues. This working together includes within patient consultation, professionals’ meetings, care planning, referrals meetings and multi-disciplinary team meetings. We also have formal liaison meetings with inpatient services planning admissions and discharges. In 2023, the directorate replaced CPA with an electronic Dialogue plus which is followed by keyworkers within the CMHT and many parts of the organisation.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Community services have expanded across the Trust with concomitant expansion in staff as we have built up a new service called Open Mental Health in the last 4 years. This service works closely with primary care, the wider community and the voluntary sector. This service includes psychologists, assistant psychologists, liaison staff, eating disorder leads and support workers. This staff body is linked in closely with CMHTs through team meetings and supervision. This affords greater skill mix and appropriate input for patients depending on risk level, diagnoses and previous mental health treatment. This gives many more options for patients referred or being discharged from mental health services. Linked software and interface meetings ensure all referrals have a considered and appropriate offer with reduced repeated assessments. We are able to provide a more holistic service with greater satisfaction for staff and patients