Specialty Doctor

We are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic Specialty Doctor to join our Female Secure Services team at the Hollins Park site. This is a full-time position offering the opportunity to work within a well-established, supportive multidisciplinary team (MDT).

The successful candidate will work alongside Consultant Psychiatrists who hold Responsible Clinician roles for:

Up to 16 patients in Chesterton Low Secure Unit

Up to 8 patients in Tennyson Step Down Service

Key responsibilities include:

Providing medical input to ward rounds

Contributing to the Care Programme Approach process

Supporting admission and discharge planning

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a secure mental health setting, with excellent support and opportunities for professional development.

The post holder will support the management of an inpatient caseload of up to 16 patients on the Chesterton Unit, which provides care for women admitted acutely from prisons or other mental health services, those stepping down from medium secure settings, and individuals preparing for discharge to community or other services. The unit operates within a robust model of care and maintains close links with other services across the secure division.

Key Responsibilities

Oversee the day-to-day clinical management of patients on the ward

Attend and contribute to multidisciplinary meetings, risk assessments, and liaison with external agencies

Prepare and present clinical reports for CPA meetings and ward rounds

Participate in referral assessments to the service

Provide written and oral evidence for Manager's Hearings, Mental Health Tribunals, and potentially for Court proceedings

Service Structure

The female forensic pathway includes pre-admission assessments, inpatient care, coordinated care planning, and discharge support. MDT meetings on the Chesterton Unit are held twice weekly, with patients divided into four clinical teams of four. Each week, two teams are reviewed, ensuring that every patient is discussed fortnightly.

Additional responsibilities include:

Discharge planning and liaison with receiving services

Attendance at pre-tribunal, renewal of detention, pre-manager's hearings, and pre-discharge meetings as required

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Service details

The inpatient low secure service at Hollins Park site Winwick, Warrington has a 16 bedded female low secure unit, an 8 bedded female step-down service (Tennyson), a 15 bedded male low secure unit (Marlowe unit) and a 10 bedded male step-down service (Auden unit – previously Reed Lodge). The Low Secure inpatient service is part of a wider network of low secure care across the Northwest region.

The physical health care of patients is managed by the secure physical health care team who work across the division and provide GP, nursing, physiotherapy and other services. The A&E services and acute general hospital services are located at Warrington General Hospital.

Local working arrangements

The Trust is seeking to recruit a full-time Specialty Doctor for the female secure service based at the Hollins Park site. The post holder will work alongside the Consultants who have RC responsibility for up to 16 low secure female patients in Chesterton Low Secure Unit. The post holder will work as part of the MDT and will provide medical input to ward rounds, the CPA process and admission and discharge planning. Their primary role will be to oversee the day-to-day management of the patients on the ward as well as attending relevant meetings, risk assessment and liaison with other agencies. The post holder will be expected to complete reports for CPA meetings and ward rounds. There will also be the opportunity to undertake assessments of referrals to the service and to provide written and oral evidence at Manager's Hearings and Tribunals and potentially to the Courts.

The female forensic pathway includes pre-admission assessments, inpatient pathways, care planning and co-ordination of on-going care and discharge. MDT meetings on the Chesterton Unit are held twice weekly. The patients are divided into 4 clinical teams each consisting of 4 patients. Every week patients from 2 teams are discussed so the patients are reviewed fortnightly. Discharge planning and liaison with the receiving service is also undertaken. Pre-tribunal, renewal of detention, pre-managers hearings, discharge planning and pre-discharge meetings will also be scheduled as required. The general weekly timetable will involve attendance ward round meetings and CPA meetings and as required, HCR20 / other risk management meetings, pre-admission meetings etc

There is an average of approximately 1 – 2 referrals to the service and 1 admission monthly. The majority of admissions come from medium or other secure services, prisons, or local services. Patients are discharged either to step-down or directly into 24-hour supported housing community placements on supervised discharge. All assessments for admission are considered by the LSU admissions panel which meets weekly. The postholder will be expected to undertake assessments and attend the panel meeting to discuss their assessments.

The postholder with be professionally accountable to the Dr Thomas, Chief Medical Officer. Line management will be provided by Dr Holt, Deputy Clinical Director, and clinical supervision by the Consultant for the service.

Team Staffing Composition

The Chesterton Unit has a well-established fully complemented multidisciplinary team including ward manager, deputies, staff nurses, social worker, occupational therapist, clinical psychologist, healthcare assistants, secretaries and ward clerks. The service also has access to specialist services such as speech and language therapy and physiotherapy. The unit has a dedicated Responsible Clinician (Consultant forensic Psychiatrist) and CT doctor.

On Call Commitments

There is an optional on call (shift system) commitment with this post on the higher trainee rota, currently approximately 1 in 12. It is therefore desirable post holder has Section 12(2) approval or within 3 months or being in post gets this approval. On call covers both General Adult and Old Age patients. On calls are non-resident and the shift they will be covering is a full shift not an on-call. Remuneration will be 2 PA's and, enhanced hourly rates and time off as required in line with WTD.

Continuing professional development (CPD)

The individual doctor is responsible for maintaining their own CPD identified through Appraisal, in line with the Royal College of Psychiatrists requirements and Trust peer groups. This will be undertaken through study leave, the in-house teaching and individual study of journals, books, and relevant websites during the Supporting Programmed Activities (SPA) time allocated in the job plan.

All medical staff are encouraged to attend local and Trust wide teaching for case presentations, journal clubs and teaching on specific topics. All medical staff contribute to these sessions.

The Trust is committed to SAS doctors' development, specify if SAS charter has been accepted and implemented within the trust. SAS doctors will be supported to meet pay thresholds and access discretionary and optional points, as appropriate.

SAS doctors are encouraged to become involved with the management of the service. There also a Trust SAS lead; regular meetings and training and development opportunities.

The Trusts is committed to encouraging SAS to take on senior clinical and leadership roles and offers support and guidance relating to applying for Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR).

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is committed to supporting doctors who wish to pursue specialist registration with the GMC via the CESR (Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration) route.

The Trust will support applicants by ensuring they can develop a portfolio which fulfils the core and specialist requirements for a successful CESR application. Key portfolio areas that will be covered include the domains around safety and quality and clinical skills. We have an excellent research and audit department, and you will be well supported in attaining these required outcomes for your application.

Our psychotherapy service is well resourced, and any prospective applicants will have access to specialist support for supervision of psychotherapy cases which will be required for the CESR application.

Your job plan will ensure that you have adequate supporting professional activities to allow you to undertake any secondments that may be required as part of the application process. Our electronic job planning system will ensure that there is a suitable balance of clinical, academic, and professional activities.

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust has a very well organised electronic appraisal system with several experienced appraisers. You will be supported in completing multi source feedback as part of this process. This is an important component of any successful CESR application.

SAS doctors are encouraged to become medical appraiser and support recruitment to other SAS roles.

SAS doctors are able access time off for trade union duties in the same way as other colleagues and have an active role in the BMA Joint Local Negotiating Committee.

Appraisal and job planning

All doctors must maintain consistent high professional standards and act in accordance with the relevant code of professional conduct. The post holder would need to participate in an annual Appraisal with the Trust as well as Job Planning.

Teaching and training

In partnership with Mersey Deanery, the postholder will have access to library and education facilities across the Trust. The Trust has a Research, Audit and Clinical Effectiveness Team who support research and audit throughout the Trust.

The Trust runs a weekly teaching programme which all medical staff are encouraged to attend and participate in. this is currently run virtually and is very well attended. The postholder will be encouraged to attend and participate in this. Additional training events are also arranged.

There are medical students and trainee nurses placed within the Trust, and the post holder will have a role in informal supervision/teaching in their training.

SAS doctors will be encouraged and supported in exploring formal leadership roles in medical education and training.

Research

The post has no specific research responsibilities other than those which are inherent in clinical duties. There is however opportunity for clinical and other basic research through the Research Department for the Trust based at Hollins Park Hospital.

Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and DOLS

Due to the nature of the job, it is expected that the post holder will have a good working knowledge and skills in the use of the Mental Health Act, the Mental Capacity Act and DOLS. The Trust offers regular training sessions and various updates. Approval under Section 12 of the Mental Health Act would be preferred but is not essential.

Office Facilities and Base

The post holder will have his/her own dedicated office base with full IT facilities at Chesterton Unit. This part of the Trust has adopted RIO as the preferred IT vehicle for patient records management and every employee is given the relevant training.

The post holder will share designated band 4 secretarial support with the unit consultant. IT/informatics support is provided by a dedicated IT department.

The primary base is Hollins Park Hospital, Warrington. The post holder must be able to undertake local travel as required to undertake the duties of the post. Support will be given where required to undertake local travel, such as through the Access to Work Scheme.

Clinical governance and quality assurance

The clinical activity will be supported within the reporting arrangements of the Division Governance Committee, which itself will report to the Executive Director of Operations.