Consultant Psychiatrist Dorset Prisons | Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in the United Kingdom is seeking a Consultant in Forensic Psychiatry to lead the Mental Health In-reach Team across multiple prison sites. The role includes clinical assessment and management of psychiatric conditions in a challenging environment. Candidates should be eligible for the Specialist Register. Competitive package offered.

Benefits

Structured mentoring for career development

Supportive team environment

Recognition as one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work 2023

Qualifications

• Must be eligible for inclusion in the Specialist Register in Forensic Psychiatry or General Adult Psychiatry.
• Experience in managing psychiatric cases in a prison setting is preferable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Mental Health In-reach Team at prisons.
• Assess prisoners in various healthcare settings.
• Liaise with external services for aftercare.

Skills

Consultant leadership

Mental health assessment

Clinical governance

Quality improvement initiatives

Education

Eligibility for inclusion in the Specialist Register

Job description

Role Overview

The post holder will be eligible for inclusion in the Specialist Register in Forensic Psychiatry or General Adult Psychiatry. The primary duties of the post holder will include consultant leadership for the Mental Health In-reach Team at prisons based in Dorset.

Employment Details

The post will be divided as follows;

• 1 FTE covering all 3 sites:
  • 2 days HMP Guys Marsh only
  • 2 days HMP Portland only
  • 1 day HMP The Verne only

The post holder will have 2.5 SPA allocated in their job plan for undertaking activities that support the professional role such as teaching, training, clinical management, clinical governance, service development and other relevant activities.

Flexible Working Options

• 1 FTE across all three sites (2 days Guys Marsh, 2 days Portland, 1 day Verne)
• 2 days – Guys Marsh only
• 2 days – Portland only
• 1 day – The Verne only
• 3 days – The Verne & Portland

Clinical Work

• Assessing prisoners in the house-blocks and in Healthcare
• Liaising with services outside the prison to arrange CPAs, aftercare plans or transfers to hospital
• Attending the inpatient unit to manage psychiatric cases.
• Any other care which could reasonably be expected of a consultant acting in an in-reach capacity in a prison
• Quality improvement initiatives, to be agreed with multidisciplinary colleagues and the service managers.

About Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

At Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, we offer a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people living in South-East London and to people in prison across England. Our wide array of services includes community health care, such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies.

Employer Brand

Oxleas is a great place to work. It has been recognised as one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work 2023 by the Sunday Times amongst very big employers. Our staff survey results show that we are in the Top 5 in England and the highest in London for staff experience amongst similar trusts.

Recruitment and Retention Strategy

Oxleas recruitment and retention strategy includes offering all Consultants and SAS doctors regular formal structured mentoring by professionally trained mentors.

Quote

"We are always delighted to welcome new colleagues to the Oxleas family. We care about making Oxleas a great place to work - it’s a big priority in our strategy. Come and join us - it’s a place where our values, teamwork, equity, and wellbeing matter and where you can really help to improve people’s lives."

Ify Okocha
Chief Executive

Support and Leadership

The post holder will be supported by the South West Prisons Consultant team and the Associate Clinical Director for South West Prisons, who will also act as Line Manager.

Clinical Responsibilities

The post includes an interesting and varied range of clinical responsibilities for prisoners with a wide range of clinical conditions, including acute and chronic mental illness, personality disorder and ADHD.

Workload

The in-reach team holds a caseload and within this caseload, a number of patients would be subject to CPA management. New assessments are normally slotted into the ward rounds (Inpatients) and into prearranged out‑patient clinics if the new assessments are generated from the referral system. All referrals are triaged by the In‑Reach Team. On rare occasions, assessments are requested as an emergency from the wings or segregation unit. This is variable but on average couple of times a week. Whilst there is flexibility in allocation of individual responsibilities, the overarching model is one of integrated working across the mental health multidisciplinary teams.

Base

This post-holder will have his or her base at HMP Guys Marsh, HMP Portland and HMP The Verne for the allocated PAs, where the mental health service comprises a full multidisciplinary team, including mental health practitioners, occupational therapists, Support Time and Recovery workers, and a psychology team, supported by administration and a service manager.

Closing Date

This advert closes on Monday 1 Dec 2025.