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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Consultant Psychiatrist in Older Adult Psychiatry to join a well-established and supportive community mental health service in South West England.

This full-time consultant post offers the opportunity to work within an experienced, multidisciplinary team that manages referrals for both functional and organic mental health disorders in older adults. The successful candidate will also have dedicated time to contribute to strategic service development, clinical leadership, and innovation across the wider care group.

Main Duties of the Job

Clinical Responsibilities

• Provide consultant leadership to Older Adult Community Mental Health teams.
• Assess and manage older adults with:
  • Functional psychiatric illness
  • Dementia and organic disorders
  • Complex mental health needs
• Conduct outpatient clinics, MDT reviews, home visits, and urgent assessments.
• Support community crisis pathways and admission avoidance services.
• Liaise with inpatient teams regarding admissions/discharges.
• Provide Mental Health Act assessments where required.

Leadership & Governance

• Participate in service redesign and strategic development.
• Attend consultant and leadership meetings.
• Support quality improvement, audit, and governance processes.
• Maintain high clinical standards and risk management oversight.

Teaching & Supervision

• Supervise junior doctors and MDT colleagues.
• Participate in undergraduate/postgraduate teaching.
• Support training aligned with Royal College standards.

Person Specification

Requirements

Essential

• MBBS or equivalent medical qualification
• Full GMC Registration with a licence to practise
• MRCPsych or recognised equivalent
• On the Specialist Register / within 6 months of CCT
• Specialist eligibility in Older Adult Psychiatry
• Section 12 Approved
• Approved Clinician (AC) status
• Minimum 1 year NHS experience
• Strong Older Adult Psychiatry clinical knowledge
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work under the MHA and MCA frameworks
• Effective MDT leadership experience

Desirable

• Higher degree in education/management/research
• Additional clinical qualifications
• Experience outside psychiatry (medicine / GP, etc.)
• Teaching experience
• Broad specialist or sub-specialist NHS psychiatry exposure
• Previous leadership or management experience
• Published audit/research work

Clinical Exposure

Successful candidates may gain experience in:

• Community Older Adult Psychiatry
• Memory disorders & dementia pathways
• Functional illness in later life
• Crisis psychiatry
• Home visits
• MDT leadership
• Service transformation projects
• Interface with inpatient and community teams

Personal Attributes

• Compassionate and patient-centred clinician
• Calm decision-maker in complex settings
• Excellent communicator with patients, carers, and teams
• Supportive leader and mentor
• Organised and dependable
• Committed to innovation and continuous improvement