Consultant Psychiatrist – Addictions, Bedford: Sponsorship Available

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

The post holder will support the multidisciplinary team in the management of patients with a dual diagnosis. The post-holder will work with an MDT including pharmacy, psychology, social work, CPN colleagues, and trainees.

Path to Recovery (P2R) is an innovative community drug and alcohol service offering interventions to residents in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire. P2R is an East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) service and forms part of a network of addictions services within the Trust.

There is an opportunity to be the visiting psychiatrist to the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) service.

Closing date: 29-Apr-2026

Interview date (AAC panel): TBC

Main duties of the job

  • Provide consultant leadership and support continued development of the Addictions services with an opportunity to be a visiting FDAC psychiatrist.
  • Provide regular clinical input to the service through conducting specialist clinics that offer assessment and evidence-based treatment interventions for dual diagnosis patients (open to both CMHT and addiction services) and patients under addiction services (P2R).
  • Provide a key role as the senior specialist clinician within the team and will support the wider work of the multi-disciplinary team.
  • Provide a clinical assessment, including relevant psychiatric and physical investigation.
  • Take an active part in the implementation, adherence and development of internal and external clinical governance procedures.
  • Provide clinical advice and guidance to primary care physicians to manage patients in the least restrictive environment.
  • Work with the Team manager to ensure the KPI targets are met.
  • Develop the service to achieve HTAS accreditation
  • Work closely with colleagues from other specialist teams to provide a collaborative approach to the care of patients who are jointly under the care of these services.
  • Provide appropriate clinical supervision and training for junior medical staff and lead the multidisciplinary team.
  • Take part in mandatory Trust audit programmes and also develop local relevant audit cycles to improve the function of the team.
  • Actively participate in the Trust’s clinical and strategic development.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Fully Registered with GMC
  • Eligible for inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register (or Specialist Registrar within 6 months of gaining CCT at time of interview)
  • Membership or Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent qualification (in accordance with Royal College of Psychiatrists guidelines)
  • Eligible for Section 12 Approval (Mental Health Act)/ Approved Clinician or willing to apply for such approval once in post.

Desirable

  • A higher degree such as MD or PhD

Knowledge Experience

Essential

  • Experience of clinical work in Adult Psychiatry at SpR, SASG or Consultant level within the last 3 years
  • Excellent working knowledge and experience of the application of the Mental Health Act
  • Appreciation and understanding of ethnic minority issues and a commitment to developing culturally sensitive practices
  • Understanding of social factors relevant to psychiatry
  • Robust experience of working with severe and enduring mental illness and risk assessment, management

Desirable

  • Experience of service development and introducing new services in mental health
  • Experience of working at consultant level with physical health interface.

Organisation Skills / Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to manage complex workloads and support others to do that
  • Leadership skills
  • Ability to work as a part of multidisciplinary, multi-model team
  • Consultation skills to services, teams and individuals
  • Commitment to working in multidisciplinary setting
  • Commitment to working with service users on service development

Desirable

  • Formal leadership and management training
  • Experience of team /service leadership
  • Experience of organisational development work
  • Project management ability

Clinical & Supervision Skills

Essential

  • Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team and provide leadership for the team
  • Self-motivating and innovative
  • Expertise in risk assessment
  • Confident in therapeutic risk taking
  • Commitment to clinical governance

Desirable

  • Experience in supervising trainee doctors and SAS doctors

Teaching

Essential

  • Experience in teaching junior staff
  • Good teaching and communication skills
  • Experience of teaching medical undergraduates and postgraduates
  • Experience of teaching non-medical mental health professionals

Desirable

  • Medical education qualification

Research & Audits

Essential

  • Experience of research work, or be able to interpret research findings and apply them to clinical practice.
  • Audit experience

Desirable

  • Experience of grant-funded project work
  • Publications in peer-reviewed journals in relevant academic fields

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.

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 visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Closing Date: 27 November 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.