Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Consultant Psychiatrist HMP The Verne & HMP Portland

The closing date is 10 November 2025

Job summary

This is an excellent opportunity for a Consultant Psychiatrist to join our team of diverse, talented healthcare professionals to deliver care that is not only efficient but deeply centred on the patient.

This post will require working across two category C prison's, HMP Portland & HMP The Verne. Both sites house sentenced prisoners and due to the stability of their populations, there is scope for some transformational work in service users lives within a team and prison setting structured to deliver this. The prison population is complex from a Mental Health perspective with SMI, neurodevelopmental disorders, substance misuse, trauma and personality disorder all significantly overrepresented in relation to the general population.

The post will be divided as follows;

o 2 days HMP Portlando 1 day HMP The Verne

The post holder will have 1 SPA allocated in their job plan for undertaking activities that support the professional role such as teaching, training, clinical management, clinical governance, service development and other relevant activities.

We are keen to accommodate flexibility and encourage interest from applicants with varied availability - we are open to working patterns, days, and number of PA's

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work across HMP Portland and HMP The Verne and provide medical leadership to the mental health in-reach teams at each site. There is significant input from psychology to work with trauma and personality disorders prevalent in the prison population and the teams work to a model of trauma informed care. The mental health services work alongside a dedicated substance misuse service provided by Change Grow Live. The role of the Consultant Psychiatrist is thus in particular to assessment and management of those conditions requiring pharmacological input, most commonly chronic psychotic illness, mood disorders and ADHD. The work takes place in the wider context of rehabilitative work delivered by the prison who deliver a variety of Offending Behaviour Programmes and interventions at these sites.

Much of the clinical work involves seeing patients within a healthcare department of the prison on an Outpatient basis. Patients are case worked by the In-reach team, analogous to a CMHT. Occasionally a prisoner may require transfer from prison to hospital under the Mental Health Act and if a prisoner becomes extremely unwell it may be necessary to assess them on the prison wing. The Consultant Psychiatrist will be expected to maintain s12(2) approval lead on transfers under the Mental Health Act.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

o We're Kindo We're Fairo We Listeno We Care

Details

Date posted

29 October 2025

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£109,725 to £145,478 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

277-7547201-LR

Job locations

HMP The Verne & HMP Portland

Portland

DT5 1EQ


Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical duties of post holder

The post holder will be eligible for inclusion in the Specialist Register in Forensic Psychiatry, General Adult Psychiatry, Learning Disability Psychiatry or Addictions Psychiatry. The primary duties of the post holder will include Consultant Psychiatrist leadership for the Mental Health In-reach Team at the prisons. Assessing and reviewing prisoners; and working in collaboration with MDT and prisoners to formulate management plans that is then incorporated into individualised care plans. Actively involved or lead MDT meetings within the service. To ensure treatment of patients in accordance with acceptable and established standards, protocols and guidelines (including NICE, Royal College of Psychiatrists and the General Medical Council Availability to act as Section 12(2) approved doctor for the purpose of Mental Health Act Assessments if indicated. Liaising with services outside the prison to arrange CPAs, aftercare plans or transfers to hospital and when required with other agencies such as via Mappa or with police and probation colleagues. Providing expert advice and guidance for individuals with complex mental state and risk Identifying and advocating for needed resources including staff as necessary Any other care which could reasonably be expected of a consultant acting in an in-reach capacity in a prison

Wider Duties include

Taking part in administrative/management duties within the teams, directorate and the Trust as a whole Participating in clinical governance, clinical audit, various medical advisory committees and other committees as may be necessary To comply with the Trusts agreed policies and procedures and always to practice in line with the Royal College of Psychiatrists Good Psychiatric Practice and the General Medical Councils Good Medical Practice To ensure that he/she participates in Continuing Professional Development through registration with the Royal College of Psychiatrists CPD Programme, regular peer group meetings and attendance at appropriate professional/academic meetings. Also, to ensure that he/she receives job planning and appraisals annually

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical duties of post holder

The post holder will be eligible for inclusion in the Specialist Register in Forensic Psychiatry, General Adult Psychiatry, Learning Disability Psychiatry or Addictions Psychiatry. The primary duties of the post holder will include Consultant Psychiatrist leadership for the Mental Health In-reach Team at the prisons. Assessing and reviewing prisoners; and working in collaboration with MDT and prisoners to formulate management plans that is then incorporated into individualised care plans. Actively involved or lead MDT meetings within the service. To ensure treatment of patients in accordance with acceptable and established standards, protocols and guidelines (including NICE, Royal College of Psychiatrists and the General Medical Council Availability to act as Section 12(2) approved doctor for the purpose of Mental Health Act Assessments if indicated. Liaising with services outside the prison to arrange CPAs, aftercare plans or transfers to hospital and when required with other agencies such as via Mappa or with police and probation colleagues. Providing expert advice and guidance for individuals with complex mental state and risk Identifying and advocating for needed resources including staff as necessary Any other care which could reasonably be expected of a consultant acting in an in-reach capacity in a prison

Wider Duties include

Taking part in administrative/management duties within the teams, directorate and the Trust as a whole Participating in clinical governance, clinical audit, various medical advisory committees and other committees as may be necessary To comply with the Trusts agreed policies and procedures and always to practice in line with the Royal College of Psychiatrists Good Psychiatric Practice and the General Medical Councils Good Medical Practice To ensure that he/she participates in Continuing Professional Development through registration with the Royal College of Psychiatrists CPD Programme, regular peer group meetings and attendance at appropriate professional/academic meetings. Also, to ensure that he/she receives job planning and appraisals annually

Person Specification

Registration

Essential

  • GMC Registered

Registration

Essential

  • AC status

Experience

Essential

  • Relevant Experience
Person Specification

Registration

Essential

  • GMC Registered

Registration

Essential

  • AC status

Experience

Essential

  • Relevant Experience

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).

Additional information

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP The Verne & HMP Portland

Portland

DT5 1EQ


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP The Verne & HMP Portland

Portland

DT5 1EQ


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Director

Harneet Hundal

h.hundal@nhs.net

01322297152

Details

Date posted

29 October 2025

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£109,725 to £145,478 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

277-7547201-LR

Job locations

HMP The Verne & HMP Portland

Portland

DT5 1EQ


Supporting documents

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