Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist - Acute Hospital Liaison Service

NHS; Darlington; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent NHS health service in Darlington is seeking a Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist for its Acute Hospital Liaison Service. The role involves providing specialist clinical input for older patients, managing mental health needs, and collaborating with various health professionals. Ideal candidates must have excellent clinical skills and relevant qualifications. The position offers a supportive work environment with opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Support for personal development

Involvement in clinical research

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist clinical input in older people's mental health.
• Work with the acute-hospital liaison team.
• Provide follow-up appointments for previously assessed patients.
• Support acute hospital teams in managing mental health needs.
• Be involved in mental health act assessments.
• Work with other clinical leads to develop services.

Skills

Excellent knowledge in specialty

Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty

Able to make decisions based on evidence and experience

Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA

Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience

Education

MB BS or equivalent medical qualification

Qualification or higher degree in medical education

Job description

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist - Acute Hospital Liaison Service

The closing date is 19 September 2025

The Durham and Darlington Liaison service is one of the largest liaison services in the North East and Cumbria. It covers acute hospital services in Durham and Darlington, which are provided by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT). The service encompasses patients of all ages.

The Durham and Darlington Liaison service operates on a 24/7 basis and works to national targets to see ED referrals within 1 hour and ward referrals within 24 hours.

The Liaison service offers a single seamless service across Adult Mental Health and Mental Health Services for Older People and provides mental health support to patients in both the Emergency Departments and on the wards. There is a single point of referral for patients of any age who are in the general hospitals. In order that the differing needs of working-age patients and older patients are recognised, referrals are allocated within the Liaison team to clinicians who have the appropriate training and skills.

For this post, this means that the patients allocated to this post holder would be those who are appropriate for an Old Age Psychiatry service. The large majority of patients will be over the age of 65 years, although as the criteria are based on need rather than age, some younger adults (for example with early onset dementia or severe frailty) may be allocated to the post holder.

The service operates at Enhanced level with comprehensive features

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work with the acute-hospital liaison team to provide specialist clinical input in older peoples mental health including seeing patients in County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust, providing specialist input to the team, and providing teaching and training for acute Trust colleagues.

The post holder will provide follow up appointments for patients that have previously been assessed in the ED, work with the ward-based teams providing assessment, treatment and discharge planning.

Provide specialised advice on capacity and risk issues, and support the acute hospital teams in recognising and managing mental health needs for patients within the acute Trust.

Support some of the community work around the shorter term follow-up of patients with delirium post-discharge and hold a small caseload of such patients.

Work closely with the local community and inpatient mental health services in order that people leaving the acute hospital are provided with the most appropriate follow-up and support.

Be involved in mental health act assessments within the acute trust and perform the role of Responsible Clinician for patients detained within the acute trust.

Work with the Liaison Operational Service Manager and other clinical leads to plan and develop the services in line with the Trust Integrated Business Plan.

Work with the acute trust to deliver the Treat as One agenda to ensure parity for patients with physical and mental health conditions.

About us

We are one of the largest specialist mental health and learning disabilities trusts in the country, with an annual income of £320m and a workforce of some 6,700 staff operating from around 100 sites in Durham, Teesside, North Yorkshire and York and Selby. We provide a range of inpatient and community services to 2 million people living in County Durham, the Tees Valley, Scarborough, Whitby, Ryedale, Harrogate, Hambleton and Richmondshire. We also provide additional specialist services to other parts of Northern England.

We are a multi-award winning trust and are included within the Health Service Journal’s Best 100 Places to Work. The trust takes a positive and proactive approach to support staff in their personal development and has embedded the Talent Management approach within the Trust.

Psychiatrists are essential contributors to the majority of our mental health teams. Service users expect and are justified to expect collaborative relationships with dedicated psychiatrists who work consistently as part of effective services. Our medical staffing shortage puts strain on services and affects workforce wellbeing and costs extend beyond the financial. The Medical Directorate and Medical Development Team are striving to improve medical workforce recruitment and retention in a variety of ways and the cornerstone of these efforts is The TEWV Charter for the Medical Workforce - see attached Supporting Document.

The Trust welcomes a conversation about flexible working.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description for further information on this post. Please note this post has been approved by The Royal College.

Person Specification

Clinical Knowledge & Skills

• Excellent knowledge in specialty
• Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty
• Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others
• Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA
• Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service

Academic Skills and Lifelong Learning

• Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
• Participated in continuous professional development
• Participated in research or service evaluation.
• Able to use and appraise clinical evidence.
• Has actively participated in clinical audit.
• Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this post
• Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
• Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.
• Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications.
• Has led clinical audits leading to service change.

Leadership

• Reflects on own performance and behaviour, seeking and acting on feedback.
• Able to influence and persuade to improve services
• Able to take on leadership role in multidisciplinary team.
• Knowledge of structure and management of the NHS and the Trust.
• Shows commitment to quality through knowledge of quality improvement and lean thinking methodology OR able to achieve within one year of appointment
• Able to adapt to and lead service change.
• Able to take on a leadership role outside the multidisciplinary team.
• Understanding of NHS & wider health economy and its implications for the work of the Trust.
• Trained to standard equivalent to level 2 in TEWV Trust Quality improvement system

Qualifications

• MB BS or equivalent medical qualification.
• Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.
• Experience
• Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.
• Included on the GMC Specialist Register for Old Age Psychiatry OR included within six months.
• Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment
• Approved under S12 OR able to achieve with 3 months of appointment
• In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice

Experience

• Describe your clinical experience relevant to this job role
• Experience in Liaison Psychiatry.
• Any other experience that may be applicable

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust