Specialty Doctor in Adult Psychiatry – Community Mental Health: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

We are recruiting for two part-time Specialty Doctor posts for our Didcot and Wantage South Oxon Adult Community Mental Health teams.

You’ll undertake comprehensive psychiatric assessments, deliver evidence-based treatment, and work collaboratively with patients and their families to support recovery. You will manage a varied caseload, providing care for routine, urgent, and emergency referrals, while working closely within a multidisciplinary team under Consultant supervision.

The role offers a diverse clinical experience, including conducting mental state examinations, prescribing in line with NICE guidance, contributing to triage and Mental Health Act assessments, and delivering three clinics per week (new and follow-up patients). You will also liaise with referrers, provide timely clinical documentation, and contribute to service development, clinical governance, audit, and quality improvement initiatives.

This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a supportive team that values teaching, professional development, and innovation in line with national mental health strategies. Section 12 approval (or eligibility) is desirable.

Join us and play a key role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred mental health care in the community.

Main duties of the job

• Undertaking assessments, providing treatment and working with patients and their families. The specialty doctor is expected to work closely with other members of the team and to provide a range of assessment and treatment services.
• Provide assessment and liaison with the referrer, including consulting to the referrer as required, management and treatment of patients under the supervision of a consultant. This includes: psychiatric evaluations and mental state examinations and prescription of appropriate treatments in line with NICE guidance. Work is undertaken with the multidisciplinary team and includes both routine, urgent and emergency referrals.
• Providing timely written correspondence to relevant professionals documenting assessments, ongoing management, progress, and discharge letters using Trust IT and clinical records system – training will be provided where needed.
• Help triage referrals and attend MHA assessments and therefore S12 approval (or the ability to apply for it) is important.
• Referrals and caseloads vary depending upon the intensity of the work. There are approximately 65-90 referrals each month to the two teams. The specialty doctor will have three clinics a week with an approximate ratio of new patients: 5 follow ups per clinic.

We have two vacancies each offering 6 sessions per week with a DCC: SPA ratio of 5:1.Please see attached job descriptions for further details.

Person Specification

Qualification and Registration

Essential

• General medical qualification
• Full GMC registration

Desirable

• Some or all parts of MRCPsych or equivalent

Training

Essential

• At least four years’ full-time Postgraduate training (or its equivalent gained on a part-time or flexible basis) at least two of which will be in a specialty training programme in a relevant specialty or as a fixed term specialty trainee in a relevant specialty or shall have equivalent experience and competencies

Desirable

• Section 12 (2) approval: Mental Health Act, 1983

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Held appointments in psychiatry at SHO/CT or equivalent

Desirable

• Experience at ST or SD level or equivalent

Closing Date: 31 August 2026