Consultant Psychiatrist – Assertive Outreach Team Oxford

Job summary

Are you ready to take the next step on your career and be our leading Consultant Psychiatrist for the newly established Assertive Outreach Team?

This is full time position based in Oxford where you will lead on delivering a specialised services to vulnerable adults with severe and enduring mental disorders following NHSE guidance to enhance intensive and assertive community mental health care.

Working alongside a newly formed team you’ll be delivering a service to meet the needs of around 90 patients across Oxford city who have severe and complex psychosis, multiple comorbidities, high rates of hospital admission, present with significant risks and find it hard to engage with mental health services. Assertive engagement, evidence-based bio psycho social treatment plans, collating and sharing information with system partners, carers and families, risk formulation and safety planning will be at the heart of the service’s therapeutic approach.

This is a unique opportunity to build a service that will make a lasting impact to mental health care and patient recovery outcomes. We’re looking for applicants who have full GMC registration and are on the Specialist Register or within six months of CCT. You’ll need to be eligible for Section 12 Approval/Approved Clinician status or willing to apply for this once in post.

If you’re a ready for a challenge and want to work for one of the UK’s leading mental health Trusts, we would be delighted to receive your application.

Main duties of the job

• Provide clinical leadership and medical input to the team in delivering responsive, effective and inclusive mental health community services to the designated catchment area.
• Provision of evidence-based bio-psychosocial interventions to promote recovery and social inclusion, including integrative working with external agencies to ensure community engagement.
• Responsibility for those patients seen by himself/herself, together with those patients seen by medical staff directly supervised by them.
• Provide expert assessments informed by evidence for referred individuals with severe and enduring mental health difficulties and complex needs.
• Have responsibility for the clinical governance of the team as one of the clinical leads for the team.
• Actively liaise with other mental health teams to ensure continuity of care and appropriate information sharing.
• Provide RC responsibility for outpatients under the provisions of the MHA.
• Communicate and liaise with patients, families, relatives, carers and any other agencies as appropriate.
• Play an active role in training for team members as well as in the programme and wider Trust, including teaching medical students, Resident doctors and members of the MDT.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Medical degree
• Fully registered with the General Medical Council
• 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
• Additional clinical qualifications

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Experience of clinical work in specialty at SpR, SAS/Specialist grade 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

Desirable

• Experience of service development and introducing new services in mental health
• Experience of working at consultant level in an Assertive Outreach Team

Teaching

Essential

• Experience in teaching resident doctors
• 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 and Audit

Essential

• Experience of research work and/or ability to interpret research findings and apply them to clinical practice.

Desirable

• Experience of grant-funded project work

Closing Date: 18 August 2026