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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Consultant Psychiatrist in the Psychiatry of Old Age to join a well-established Older People's Mental Health service in Northern Ireland.

This full-time Consultant post offers the opportunity to provide expert psychiatric care and clinical leadership within a mature and highly supportive Community Mental Health Team for Older Adults. The successful candidate will work within a collaborative multidisciplinary environment supporting older adults with functional and organic mental health disorders across community pathways.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

The Consultant Psychiatrist will:

• Provide consultant-led psychiatric assessment and treatment for older adults
• Deliver clinical leadership within the Older People's Community Mental Health Team
• Manage complex functional and organic mental health presentations
• Conduct outpatient clinics and community assessments
• Support memory assessment and dementia pathways
• Participate in Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity assessments
• Supervise and support junior medical staff and trainees
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and CPA reviews
• Support crisis management and urgent community reviews
• Contribute to service development, audit, and governance activities
• Participate in the senior consultant on-call rota (approximately 1 in 18)
• Provide teaching and educational supervision for undergraduate and postgraduate trainees
• Support carers and families through collaborative care planning

Service Overview

The Older People's Mental Health Service includes:

• Community Mental Health Teams for Older Adults
• Memory Assessment Services
• Dementia assessment and management pathways
• Liaison Psychiatry services
• Inpatient Older Adult Psychiatry services
• Acute mental health support pathways
• Community-based multidisciplinary interventions

The multidisciplinary team includes:

• Consultant Psychiatrists
• Associate Specialist Doctors
• Psychiatry Trainees
• Community Mental Health Nurses
• Occupational Therapists
• Clinical Psychologists
• Healthcare Support Workers
• Administrative and secretarial staff

The service works closely with:

• Memory clinics
• Liaison Psychiatry teams
• Acute inpatient psychiatry services
• Community mental health pathways
• Dementia and neuropsychiatry services
• Primary care teams
• Crisis and urgent care services

Leadership, Teaching & Development

The role offers opportunities in:

• Clinical leadership within Older Adult Psychiatry
• Service redesign and development
• Dementia and memory service development
• Undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching
• Educational supervision and mentoring
• Clinical governance and audit
• Research and quality improvement initiatives
• Leadership and management development

The department actively supports:

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• Consultant mentorship and appraisal
• Research and academic involvement
• Leadership development programmes
• Educational and teaching opportunities
• Peer supervision and consultant support networks

Person Specification

Requirements

Essential

• Full GMC Registration with Licence to Practise
• MRCPsych or recognised equivalent qualification
• Approved Clinician status
• Section 12(2) approval
• Eligible for inclusion on the Specialist Register or within 12 months of CCT
• Minimum 1 year NHS experience
• Excellent clinical skills in Old Age Psychiatry
• Experience managing functional and organic psychiatric disorders in older adults
• Strong multidisciplinary team working ability
• Excellent communication and leadership skills
• Knowledge of Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity legislation

Desirable

• Higher degree (MD, MSc, PhD or equivalent)
• Experience in dementia or memory services
• Research and publication experience
• Leadership or management training
• Teaching and educational supervision experience
• Service development and quality improvement involvement
• Specialist interests within Older People's Mental Health
Apply now