Job summary
- Main area
- Adult Psychiatry
- Grade
- NHS Medical & Dental: Specialist Grade
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 40 hours per week (10 sessions)
- Job ref
- 100-MED-SG-006
- Employer
- Hywel Dda University Health Board
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Gorwelion Day Hospital
- Town
- Abertystwyth
- Salary
- £100,870 - £111,442 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 20/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Specialist Grade General Adult Psychiatry
NHS Medical & Dental: Specialist Grade
Our Hywel Dda values reflect who we are and how we behave. We continuously work together to be the best we can be as we strive to develop and deliver excellent services, putting people at the heart of everything we do. Throughout our recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you would demonstrate these values in the way that you work with us.
If you are registered Health Care professional considering relocating to the Hywel Dda area in West Wales please don’t hesitate to contact our recruitment campaigns team directly via [email protected]
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Hywel Dda University Health Board reserve the right to close vacancies after 24 hours if a large number of suitable applications are received. We encourage early applications to ensure consideration for a post.
Please be advised that there is a temporary top up for Bands 2 and 3 to reflect the incorporation of the top up to the living wage of £12.60 per hour - £24,638 per annum.
This temporary top up will be in place until the annual pay uplift for 2025/26 is confirmed.
Job overview
We are looking for a Specialist Grade Doctor within General Adult Psychiatry within our Health Board in North Ceredigion. Our Mental Health Service has an excellent track record and has won national prizes from the Royal College of Psychiatry (RCPsych) award for its dedication to improve adult mental health services in mid and west Wales.
We work hard Transforming Mental Health Services within the Health Board and our core purpose is to work with people and lead communities in improving their mental and physical health and wellbeing for a better life; through delivering excellent and responsive prevention, diagnosis, early intervention, treatment and care.
We offer a structured portfolio pathway designed to support doctors seeking specialist registration through non-traditional routes. This pathway provides comprehensive advice, mentorship, and guidance. This is more than a process— it is a commitment to career development. Providing a route to becoming a substantive consultant within the service.
You will work in a dynamic service that will offer an excellent opportunity to further enhance your knowledge and experience in the assessment and emergency treatment for patients with severe and enduring mental illness. We provide excellent teaching and training, with a robust induction into the NHS procedures.
Main duties of the job
· Be responsible for the assessment and management of community patients and relevant CMHT inpatients.
· Be expected to remain closely involved with the care of those admitted to the associated wards.
· Provide effective clinical leadership and fully participate in the multidisciplinary team.
· Acts as an expert decision maker independently.
· Taking clinical responsibility.
· Communicate with other staff to ensure effective patient care.
· Promote evidence-based clinical practice.
· Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and carers, placing them at the centre of the care pathway.
· Manage patients with complex needs.
· Able to work as a member of the MDT as appropriate.
· Conduct thorough assessments.
· Participate in the development of teaching, training and research within the organisation.
· Actively participate in regular audit and research meetings and postgraduate teaching sessions held by the appropriate department.
· To contribute senior clinical input to the modernisation, development and ongoing operational management of General Adult Psychiatry.
· Able to demonstrate initiative & resilience to adapt in rapidly changing circumstances.
· Able to use logical/lateral thinking to solve problems and make decisions.
· Undertake responsibility for leading and supervising a team.
· Excellent interpersonal skills and team-working skills.
Working for our organisation
Hywel Dda University Health Board is the planner and provider of NHS healthcare services for people in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and its bordering counties. Our 11,000 members of staff provide primary, community, in-hospital, mental health and learning disabilities services for around 384,000 people across a quarter of the landmass of Wales. We do this in partnership with our three local authorities and public, private and third sector colleagues, including our volunteers, through:
· Four main hospitals: Bronglais General in Aberystwyth, Glangwili General in Carmarthen, Prince Philip in Llanelli and Withybush General in Haverfordwest;
· Seven community hospitals: Amman Valley and Llandovery in Carmarthenshire; Tregaron, Aberaeron and Cardigan in Ceredigion; and Tenby and South Pembrokeshire Hospital Health and Social Care Resource Centre in Pembrokeshire;
· 48 general practices (four of which are managed practices), 47 dental practices (including three orthodontic), 99 community pharmacies, 44 general ophthalmic practices (43 providing Eye Health Examination Wales and 34 low vision services) and 17 domiciliary only providers and 11 health centres;
· Numerous locations providing mental health and learning disabilities services;
· Highly specialised and tertiary services commissioned by the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee, a joint committee representing seven health boards across Wales.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For full details of the role requirements please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for this vacancy.
Discussions around working pattern will take place during initial job planning, where preferences, requirements and options can be discussed and explored in full.
What we do - Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Directorate
HDUHB is currently actively engaged in an innovative Mental Health Transformation programme and a proactive member of the International Mental Health Collaborating Network. In 2015 HDUHB established a new International Twinning Collaboration Convention with Trieste Mental Health Service Department in Italy.
The International Twinning Collaboration has enabled the development of formal Action Learning Sets, staff exchange programmes (that include the wider stakeholders, Service Users and Carers), mentoring and support to each Service, including joint training, seminars and conferences.
The Health Board provides Mental Health and Learning Disabilities services to people across West Wales. In recent years Consultant Psychiatrists have re-organised along “New ways of working” structures. Mental health services include conventional CMHT and inpatient units, Assertive Outreach Teams, Crisis Resolution Teams and developing Liaison Services. Within Wales the Health Board has a high profile in developing psychological approaches with a specialist Personality Disorder Service, Early Onset Psychosis and an Eating Disorder Community Service. Additionally, there are Health Board wide Substance Misuse and Community Forensic Services. Admission units are based within District General Hospitals and specialist services in Hafan Derwen, Carmarthen. Clinical services on the Hafan Derwen site include an Intensive Care Unit, and a Low Secure Unit (Cwm Seren). The in-patient units for LD are situated alongside Cwm Seren.
The Team
We are an extremely friendly and dynamic unit! The staff are welcoming and supportive, both in and out of the workplace.
Our junior doctors are expected to attend and participate in the weekly teaching sessions which are run in-house, as well as take advantage of the wider range of learning opportunities outside of the ED. We strongly encourage our staff to attend various support courses such as Advanced Life Support (ALS), European Paediatric Life Support (EPLS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses etc.
In Psychiatry we are the flagship for Portfolio Pathway and central to our approach is a ‘grow our own’ philosophy. Many of our current senior medics have successfully completed the portfolio pathway and now serve as substantive consultants and medical leaders within Psychiatry. Their success stories reflect the strength and sustainability of our model.
We have supported over 8 doctors in Psychiatry through this pathway over several years and therefore have a breadth of experience and knowledge to mentor you through this process. We are privileged to have all sub-specialty core curriculum covered in the service including Psychotherapy, which means that you do not have to undertake modules outside of the Health Board to complete the curriculum.
We offer a robust support system led by an experienced consultant who serves as both a Portfolio Pathway Lead and a Royal College Pathway Assessor. Two further senior medical leaders dedicated to providing focused clinical support for the pathway complement this leadership. Additionally, service leads contribute to the framework, ensuring comprehensive oversight. Dedicated time for pathway activities is also embedded within job planning, reinforcing our commitment to structured and sustainable support.
Why work for us?
If you are looking to work with a friendly and supportive team, dealing with a wide variety of Mental Health Conditions, in a beautiful rural location with a good work-life balance, then please get in touch. Come and join our team today!
The post holder will be based at one of our sites to be discussed and agreed with the successful applicant. The post holder will have the opportunities to actively contribute to the service developments across the MH&LD Directorate
This post is Full Time 40 hours per week (10 sessions with 8 DCC’s and up to 2 SPA’s (one for continued Professional Development and one for Clinical Effectiveness)
Job Plan will be agreed with the successful applicant upon commencement.
You will be expected to be Section 12 approved working towards AC Approved Clinician status with at least 12 years postgraduate experience, 6 years of which should be in Psychiatry.
Please see the below links for useful videos relating to this vacancy:
Hywel Dda in three Counties:
https://youtu.be/RUMDpjtu1sY
Medical Leadership in Hywel Dda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLioZyqIpwk&t=33s
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Full registration and a License to Practice with the General Medical Council
- Valid Certified Advanced Life Support ATLS / ALS / PALS
- MRCPHYSCH or equivalent Higher Qualification in specialty
- Section 12 Approval
- The appointed candidate into this role will be expected to obtain AC Approved Clinician status within 12 months of starting
Desirable criteria
- Additional clinical qualification(s)
- AC Approved Clinician Status
Clinical Experience
Essential criteria
- Minimum of 12 years’ experience since primary medical qualification with a minimum of 6 years within the specialty area.
- Evidence of leading a team.
- Able to demonstrate core competencies and clinical skills relevant to the post
- Evidence of change management, quality improvement or audit
- Capacity to work effectively in multi-professional teams
- Previous experience of working in the NHS
Teaching
Essential criteria
- Ability to critically assess learning requirements for self and others
- Evidence of organising programmes and teaching of all staff groups.
- Willingness to teach all grades of professional multidisciplinary staff.
Desirable criteria
- Higher teaching qualification
Research & Scholarship
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates knowledge of current research and best practice in the specialty area
- Evidence of keeping up to date with current research and best practice
- Evidence of locating and using clinical guidelines appropriately
- Evidence of communicating and interpreting research evidence in a meaningful way
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of engagement in research
Clinical Governance
Essential criteria
- Participation in clinical audit (or quality improvement project) and understanding role of audit in improving medical practice
- Engagement in annual job planning/appraisal review process
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of risk management.
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.
Welsh language skills are desirable
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Warren Lloyd
- Job title
- Associate Medical Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01267 674124
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