Specialty Doctor - Forensic Service (HMP Pentonville)

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 61,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare trust in London is seeking a Specialty Doctor to join their mental health team at HMP Pentonville. The role involves providing psychiatric care to patients and assessing individuals with mental illnesses. Candidates should be fully registered with the GMC and possess strong clinical skills. A commitment to improving mental health care and interaction with multidisciplinary teams is essential. This position offers a competitive salary and part-time working hours, with a supportive work environment.

Qualifications

• Must have Full Registration with the General Medical Council at intended start date.
• Clear thoughts on service-user involvement in service development.
• Up to date knowledge of recent DH documentation and NICE Guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Assess and manage patients with mental illness.
• Make referrals to hospitals for prisoners requiring transfer.
• Collaborate with other services including CMHTs and probation.

Skills

Excellent clinical skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to provide medical leadership

Familiarity with theoretical and clinical approaches

Education

Full Registration with the General Medical Council

Postgraduate qualification in psychiatry

Job description

Overview

The post is based in His Majesty's Prison Pentonville where the specialty doctor will join an established multidisciplinary team in providing psychiatric care to patients on ordinary location and in the prison healthcare wing. This post is especially desirable for those wishing to pursue a career in Forensic Psychiatry or General Psychiatry, including Addictions Psychiatry. The successful candidate will be joining a Mental Health Team (MHT) in a Category B remand prison (with a prison population of around 1200) in North London. The MHT is multidisciplinary, consisting of 1 WTE consultant (2 half-time consultants), 1.6 WTE specialty doctors, CPNs/RMNs, social workers, occupational therapists, psychologists and speech and language therapists. The MHT works with other providers including primary care, Building Futures (addictions service), and prison staff.

Main duties

The specialty doctor will have clinics, in which to assess and manage patients with mental illness, and will also have input into the patients on the Healthcare wing. They may also need to see prisoners on the wings. They will make referrals to hospital for those prisoners requiring transfer and liaise with other services including CMHTs, the courts and probation. The specialty doctor will share an office with the other psychiatrists and there is a team administrator to assist with some administrative tasks.

About us

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Five-Year Strategy

• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
• We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

Details

• Date posted: 18 December 2025
• Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
• Grade: Specialty Doctor
• Salary: £61,542 to £99,216 a year Plus £2,162 of London Zone Weighting per year
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Part-time
• Reference number: 455-NLFT-0540
• Job locations: North London Forensic Service, HMP Pentonville, Caledonian Road, London, N7 8TT

Job responsibilities

For more details please see the JD / Person Spec attached for the Specialty Doctor - Forensic Service (HMP Pentonville) role at Chase Farm Hospital.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Essential: Full Registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) with a current licence to practise from the GMC at intended start date

• Desirable: Postgraduate qualification in psychiatry.
• Desirable: Section 12 Approved or eligibility for it.

Clinical Experience

Essential

• Excellent clinical skills
• Excellent communication skills both verbally and written
• Familiarity with a wide range of theoretical and clinical approaches
• Ability to provide medical leadership to the multidisciplinary team and to function as an active member of the multidisciplinary team

• Desirable: Clear thoughts on how to involve service users in service development and to provide a service which is experienced as being "service-user friendly"
• Desirable: Practical experience in a short-term psychological therapy

Knowledge

Essential

• Good knowledge of the biological, psychological and social determinants of adult mental disorders and evidence based management interventions.
• Up to date knowledge of recent DH documentation and NICE Guidelines.

• Desirable: Evidence of change management skills

Disclosure and DBS

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information note that UK Visas and Immigration guidance applies. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see the NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer: North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address: North London Forensic Service, HMP Pentonville, Caledonian Road, London, N7 8TT

Employer's website: https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/