Specialty Doctor - Willow Ward (Forensic Psychiatry)

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust; Abbots Langley; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Willow Ward at Warren Court, Abbots Langley, is seeking a Specialty Doctor in Forensic Psychiatry to join the NHS Medical & Dental team. The role involves assessment, medical reviews, and treatment planning within a low secure forensic setting for adult males with learning disabilities.

The post requires GMC registration, MRCPsych, and substantial psychiatry experience, with opportunities for clinical governance and professional development in a supportive Trust environment.

Qualifications

• MB BS or equivalent medical qualification.
• MRCPsych or equivalent approved by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
• GMC registration with licence to practise at the time of appointment.
• Section 12/Approved clinician approval.
• Minimum 4 years post-graduate training, with at least 6 months in forensic/LD psychiatry.
• Excellent communication and teamwork in multidisciplinary settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychiatric assessment and medical review under supervision.
• Support admission assessments and formulation of treatment plans.
• Conduct regular ward reviews and physical health assessments.
• Prescribe, monitor and review psychotropic medication.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and clinical reviews.
• Prepare reports for Mental Health Tribunals and CPA reviews.
• Maintain electronic patient records and comply with Trust policies.

Skills

Clinical skills

Communication

Teamwork

Audit experience

Medical knowledge

Driving licence

Education

MB BS or equivalent

MRCPsych or equivalent

GMC registration

Section 12/Approved clinician

Job description

Specialty Doctor - Willow Ward (Forensic Psychiatry)

NHS Medical & Dental: Specialty Doctor

Main area Forensic Psychiatry Grade NHS Medical & Dental: Specialty Doctor Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 10 sessions per week Job ref 367-HPFT-MEDICAL-557

Site Warren Court, Eric Shepherd Forensic Services Town Abbots Langley Salary £63,696 - £102,689 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 28/09/2026 23:59

Values Based Screener

At Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust we are looking for people to join us who share our values and those of the NHS. Before your application can be considered please take part on our online values questionnaire, which you can find below. When you have finished you will be sent a 'completion code' by email, which will be valid for 6 months and required to submit your application form.

Warren Court Secure Services provides a secure treatment pathway for people with Intellectual Disabilities (Learning Disability) offering treatments including specialist psychological, psychiatric and behavioural therapies and complex specialist rehabilitation, to people detained under the Mental Health Act, to allow people to return to life in society.

Main duties of the job

Willow Ward is a 10-bedded Low Secure Unit based within Warren Court, Forensic Services. The ward provides assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for adult males with intellectual disabilities who require care and treatment within a low secure environment under the Mental Health Act.

The service supports individuals who are stepping down from medium secure services, including Warren Court Medium Secure Unit, or being repatriated from out-of-area placements. The aim is to provide a recovery-focused pathway that promotes rehabilitation, positive risk management, skill development and successful progression towards community living where appropriate.

The multidisciplinary team delivers specialist forensic, psychiatric, psychological, nursing and occupational therapy interventions that support recovery while maintaining the safety of service users, staff and the wider community. The service works closely with commissioners, community forensic services, local authorities, MAPPA partners and community teams to facilitate safe discharge planning and continuity of care.

Working for our organisation

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. Feedback from our staff about working for the Trust is very positive and, in the NHS national staff survey, we regularly see a high percentage of staff saying their role makes a difference to our service users and that they would recommend the Trust as a place to work. Our people tell us they feel supported through a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional so that together we provide great care and great outcomes for our service users and carers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide psychiatric assessment and medical review of all service users on Willow Ward under the supervision of the Responsible Clinician/Approved Clinician Prescriber.
• Support admission assessments and formulation of treatment plans.
• Conduct regular ward reviews and physical health assessments.
• Prescribe, monitor and review psychotropic medication.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and clinical reviews.
• Prepare reports for Mental Health Tribunals, Hospital Managers' Hearings and CPA reviews.
• Provide medical input into risk assessments and risk management plans.
• Respond to urgent clinical concerns and medical emergencies on the ward.
• Liaise with community teams, commissioners, GPs, carers and partner agencies.
• Contribute to clinical governance, audit, quality improvement and teaching activities.
• Maintain accurate electronic patient records and comply with Trust policies and professional standards.

Person specification

Qualifications

• MB BS or equivalent medical qualification.
• MRCPsych OR MRCPsych equivalent approved by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
• 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.
• Section 12/Approved clinician approval.

Knowledge

• A minimum of 4 years’ full time post graduate training (or it’s equivalent gained on a part time of flexible basis) at least two years of which to be within a psychiatry training programme or as fixed term Specialty Trainee within psychiatry; or have equivalent experience and competencies.
• Minimum of 6 months experience within forensic/LD psychiatry
• Ability to work well in multidisciplinary teams
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent clinical skills using bio-psychosocial perspective and wide medical knowledge.
• Clinical experience in a range of services within Psychiatry.
• Excellent degree of medical knowledge in relation to management of people with forensic history.

Skills

• Ability to demonstrate clinical problem solving in interdisciplinary areas
• Possession of good organisational skills
• Be able to actively listen and have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Holds a full valid driving license and access to a car (Unless you have a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995).
• Has actively participated in clinical audit.
• Clinical experience in a range of services within Psychiatry.

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.

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Work in the UK .

It is vital that you provide full and accurate details of your current immigration status on the application form. Overseas applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .

Not everyone needs a 'Skilled Worker' visa. If you are applying for a vacancy in health or adult social care, check if you’re eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It’s cheaper to apply for and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see applying from overseas .

About us

HPFT supports people with mental ill health, learning disabilities and autism across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and Essex. We employ around 4,500 people who deliver these services within the community and in inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services and medium and low secure learning disabilities services. We have operated as a NHS Foundation Trust since our authorisation in August 2007.

If you would like to join a team to be proud of and you share our values and passion for great care and outcomes for our service users and carers, we would love to hear from you.

Additional Information

HPFT is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and in order to reflect the diversity of its population, positively encourages applications from all areas of the community. We aim to be a representative organisation with regards to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, beliefs and sexual orientation and are fully committed to equality, diversity and human rights and encourage applications from all sections of the community including users of mental health services.

The Trust is committed to helping staff balance work and home life and welcomes applications from candidates wishing to work part-time or under flexible working arrangements.

Infection Control

All our staff will need to comply with current Infection Prevention and Control measures which could include wearing a mask on all our Trust sites and in all roles

AI Usage Guidance

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) can aid you in completing your application, these tools cannot fully grasp the context of requirements of the job you’re applying for, nor can they accurately reflect your skills, knowledge and experience. Please ensure you have tailored your application before submitting it.

For further information, please refer to the Trust's guidance on AI usage document which can be found below.

Visa, Immigration and Sponsorship

As a Trust we do not offer sponsorship unless you are offered a role requiring professional registration. Unfortunately, if you apply for a role that does not require professional registration, your application will not be considered. If you hold a different visa type, you must have a minimum of 2 years on your current visa to be considered for a role unless you are on a graduate visa where we will accept a minimum of 18 months left on your visa.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.