Trac proudly powers the recruitment for
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
About
We provide NHS care and treatment for people living in south east England. Our mental health services provide care and treatment for people with conditions such as psychosis, depression, anxiety, dementia and personality disorder. Our vision is to provide outstanding care and treatment you can be confident in.
Contact
- Address
- Swandean
- Arundel Road
- Worthing
- West Sussex
- BN13 3EP
- Contact Number
- 01903 843000
Specialist Grade Psychiatrist (£35k RRP Package)
Accepting applications until: 19-Nov-2025 23:59
Vacancy status: Open
Accepting applications until: 19-Nov-2025 23:59
Key details
Location
- Site
- Meadowfield Swandean Hospital
- Address
- Arundel Road
- Town
- Worthing
- Postcode
- BN13 3EP
- Major / Minor Region
- West Sussex
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 10 sessions per week
Salary
- Salary
- £100,870 - £111,441 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Grade
- (NHS Medical & Dental: Specialist Grade)
Specialty
- Main area
- Medical and Dental: General Adult Psychiatry
Come and join us
We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.
At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.
We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.
We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may choose to use it to help prepare your application. We welcome innovation but ask that anything you submit reflects your own abilities, experience and voice. AI can support how you describe your skills and experience, but it should never replace your own words as we want to get to know you.
We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.
Job overview
We are seeking to recruit a highly motivated substantive Specialist Doctor to join Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at our Adult Inpatient Mental Health Wards, Rowan and Maple, located in Meadowfield Hospital, Worthing, West Sussex.
Our adult mental health wards are 17-bed mixed inpatient facilities for working-age adults experiencing mental health crises and requiring acute hospital admission. Both teams have a full-time substantive consultant, as well as Core trainees and GPSTs.
Psychiatrists are integral for driving change and influencing service development. As a Trust we welcome positive transformation and using each other's experiences to shape this. The Trust has ambitious aims to continuously improve for the good of our patients and we welcome clinical and non-clinical views in order to achieve this together.
This job attracts a Recruitment and Retention payment of £35,000 structured over a three-year period as follows:
-
- £10,000 on recruitment
- £10,000 at 12 months
- £7,500 at 24 months
- £7,500 at 36 months
Advert
The position requires full GMC registration, and we are looking for candidates with at least 6 years' experience at specialty grade in general adult psychiatry to work across 2 acute psychiatric wards for inpatients. The post-holder will be part of a medical team of each ward consisting of a substantive Consultant Psychiatrist and up to two Trainee Doctors. The post-holder will contribute to and help the Trainees with their development as well as contribute to cover when one the consultants is on leave, with the other Consultant providing support and completing RC duties.
The Inpatient care is delivered by an integrated multi-disciplinary team with a shared sense of ownership for the ward environment as well as the clinical services provided. The post-holders will adopt a pragmatic leadership style as a way of promoting this type of ward environment, thus ensuring collaborative working both at a clinical and an operational level.
The wards operate with a well-established multidisciplinary team (MDT), including an Occupational Therapist, Activity Workers, Clinical Psychologist, nursing staff, and experienced Ward managers.
Working for our organisation
We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.
You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.
As a Trust we are committed in making a difference. Your development is important to us, so don't forget to ask us during interview what opportunities we can offer. We can offer fully funded lifelong learning opportunities such as an apprenticeship from GCSE to Masters level.
If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Applicants should have experience of team working, good organisation skills and be able to work on their own initiative. Effective communication and empathic skills are essential.
The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, energetic, and committed to delivering high-quality care to patients with acute and chronic psychiatric conditions. They will ensure that assessments and interventions are provided in a sensitive, accessible, and culturally appropriate manner. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with consultants and senior Managers to contribute to local service development.
SPFT is committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented.
Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.
SPFT takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk very seriously. We expect all staff and bank workers to share this commitment and complete the relevant safeguarding training for their role.
If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. However, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed as we know how much time and care goes into applying for a role.
In the event of a high number of applications, we may close this vacancy early.
Applicant requirements
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- MBBS or equivalent medical qualification.
- Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.
- In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
- Completed a minimum of 12 years’ medical work (either continuous period or in aggregate) since obtaining a primary medical qualification
- A minimum of six years should have been in a relevant specialty in the Specialty Doctor and/or closed SAS grades. Equivalent years’ experience in a relevant specialty from other medical grades including from overseas will also be accepted.
Desirable criteria
- Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.
- MRCPsych
- Additional clinical qualifications.
Eligibility
Essential criteria
- To be section 12(2) MHA 1983 approved (or achieve within 6 months of appointment), if not have Approved Clinician (AC) status/approval and be on the AC register.
Transport
Essential criteria
- Holds and will use valid UK driving licence OR provides evidence of proposed alternative.
Professional Values and Behaviours, Skills and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates the underpinning subject-specific competences i.e. knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to the role setting and scope.
- Critically reflects on own competence, understands own limits, and seeks help when required.
- Communicates effectively and is able to share decision-making with patients, relatives and carers; treats patients as individuals, promoting a person-centred approach to their care, including self-management.
Desirable criteria
- Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
Leadership and Teamworking
Essential criteria
- Awareness of their leadership responsibilities as a clinician and demonstrates appropriate leadership behaviour; managing situations that are unfamiliar, complex or unpredictable and seeking to build collaboration with, and confidence in, others
- Develops effective relationships across teams and contributes to work and success of these teams – promotes and participates in both multidisciplinary and interprofessional team working.
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
Essential criteria
- Collaborates with multidisciplinary and interprofessional teams to manage risk and issues across organisations and settings, with respect for and recognition of the roles of other health professionals.
- Implements quality improvement methods and repeats quality improvement cycles to refine practice; designing projects and evaluating their impact.
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Tom Barton
- Job title
- Lead Psychiatrist Coastal West Sussex
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01243 791898
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