Job summary
- Main area
- Old Age Psychiatry
- Grade
- Consultant
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 10 sessions per week (Plus 1 PA for professional development)
- Job ref
- 371-D6772
- Employer
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Prospect Park Hospital
- Town
- Reading
- Salary
- £109,725 - £145,478 pro rata per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 12/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Consultant Psychiatrist Older People’s MH Service - 11 PAs
Consultant
Job overview
Are you looking for a Consultant Psychiatrist role with excellent opportunities to lead, shape services, and pursue your clinical interests?
Join our Older People’s Mental Health inpatient team at Prospect Park Hospital, part of Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. We are a CQC Outstanding Trust, Global Digital Exemplar, and ranked third nationally among Mental Health and Community Trusts in the NHS league tables.
The role offers 11 PAs, including up to 2 PAs to pursue a special interest in developing leadership, research, teaching or clinical skills that are aligned with the Trust objectives and support individual’s professional growth.
£15,000 Recruitment and Retention premium is available for external applicants and £8,000 Relocation allowance where applicable.
You will be the consultant psychiatrist for Orchid Ward (20 bed functional conditions ward) at Prospect Park Hospital. You will work alongside 1.5 SAS doctors, 3 resident doctors and a nurse consultant, providing excellent medical and nursing support to enable you to discharge your duties as a senior medical leader.
Berkshire Healthcare consistently tops NHS staff survey scores and is ranked among the best NHS trusts to work for, with high engagement and strong focus on staff health and wellbeing.
Based in Reading, enjoy a diverse and vibrant town with excellent schools, countryside, culture, and transport links.
Main duties of the job
- Provide medical leadership to the ward multidisciplinary team, collaborating to deliver a high standard of care.
- Take clinical responsibility for assessment and ongoing management of patients, including psychiatric and physical health needs.
- Participate in multidisciplinary meetings, ward rounds, and patient reviews.
- Liaise with other professionals, Trust departments, social services, GPs, ICB, and voluntary agencies to ensure smooth transitions to care after discharge.
- Liaise with families to provide information, guidance, and support.
- Ensure timely completion of clinical records, discharge summaries, and reports on RIO.
- Act as an Approved Clinician and take on statutory responsibilities under the Mental Health Act, MCA, and DoLS legislation.
- Contribute to out-of-hours on-call rota for General Adult/Older People services.
- Provide clinical and educational supervision to junior medical staff and trainees.
- Participate in service evaluation, local/national audits, and quality improvement projects.
- Attend relevant Trust meetings, including Medical Staff Committee, to support governance, planning, and development.
Applications for this role will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as vacancies may close early
Working for our organisation
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust site
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We welcome applications from candidates who are:
- On the Specialist Register of the GMC
- Demonstrable excellence in Older People’s Mental Health clinical practice
- Proven MDT leadership and communication
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact Rose Hombo, Service Director Inpatient Service, on 01189605000 or [email protected] or Nav Sodhi, Deputy Medical Director, on 01189605000 or [email protected]
Please note, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- MB BS or equivalent medical qualification
Desirable criteria
- Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management
- MRCPsych
- Additional clinical qualifications
Eligibility
Essential criteria
- Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment
- Included on the GMC Specialist Register OR within six months
- Approved Clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment
Desirable criteria
- In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
Clinical Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Excellent knowledge in specialty
- Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
- Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty
- Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others
- Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA
Desirable criteria
- Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
Academic Skills & Lifelong Learning
Essential criteria
- Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
- Ability to work in and lead team
- Demonstrate commitment to shared leadership & collaborative working to deliver improvement
- Participated in continuous professional development
- Participated in research or service evaluation
- Able to use and appraise clinical evidence
- Has actively participated in clinical audit and quality improvement programmes
Desirable criteria
- Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this post
- Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
- Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation
- Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: awards, prizes, presentations and publications
- Has led clinical audits leading to service change or improved outcomes to patients
Transport
Desirable criteria
- Holds and will use valid UK driving licence OR provides evidence of proposed alternative
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Nav Sodhi
- Job title
- Deputy Medical Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01189605000
- Additional information
or alternatively contact Rose Hombo, Service Director on:
01189605000 or [email protected]
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