Health and Community Services

Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist - All Adult Ages

This job is now closed

Job summary

Wanting a change from the NHS but not wanting to travel too far afield. Come to Jersey in the Channel Islands!

We are working through a major redesign of services to try to provide the best mental health care a small island can offer. Come and be part of our success.

We offer a great work/life balance, beautiful beaches, a lower taxation rate and a warmer climate than mainland UK. Come and try it for yourself!

Jersey is a prosperous Island with our own health care system that is quite different from the NHS. In recent years we have invested significantly in mental health services.

We have a number of exciting job opportunities on offer, and are happy to discuss different combinations of the roles. We are especially interested in candidates who can expand our range of specialist expertise and are interested in shaping the future of mental health care on the Island. Even if your exact job is not below get in touch and have a discussion about possibilities as we have more expansion planned.

Main duties of the job

Responsibility for the investigation, diagnosis, and management of psychiatric disorders in a general hospital setting for patients aged over 18yr
Providing clinical leadership, support, and advice to the Liaison team.
Supporting the general hospital ward staff to provide excellent care for the mental health needs of their patients through education, participating in policy writing for medications and care, participating in 13 ward meetings, liaising 1:1 with staff, helping with ward initiatives to improve care and auditing outcomes of interventions in collaboration with the General Hospital.
Participating in Mental Health Law assessments in the Emergency Department To grow links with General Hospital Outpatient departments to provide a Liaison Psychiatry OP clinic 1PA/ week.
Fulfilling the role of Responsible Officer for detained patients in the General Hospital, working closely with the Mental Health law Office to ensure timely delivery of tribunal reports and other documentation linked to Jersey Mental Health Law.
Working collaboratively with service users, families, carers, and the voluntary sector.
To record clinical activity accurately and contemporaneously on the electronic patient record system and send letters to GPs. Participating in the in-house teaching programme.

We would like the appointee to take up the post within 3 months of appointment but are open to discussion if this is difficult to achieve.

About us

Jersey has its own health service that is separate from the NHS. The Islands integrated, taxation-funded health and care system is largely free at the point of delivery and is run by the Health and Community Services Department. Jersey has begun a comprehensive programme to transform health and social care, supported by significant investment in community and hospital services. Funding has been secured to build a new 300 bed General Hospital and a new mental health inpatient unit. All the components of a health and social care system are here to work with, in an environment where there is closer interaction with political processes than in the UK. This is an excellent opportunity to be part of developing a genuinely integrated care system.

Living in Jersey is also financially attractive. We have a flat rate of income tax which compares favourably to the U.K., and we offer a generous public sector pension scheme, which is not subject to U.K. lifetime or annual contribution restrictions. The Jersey Consultant Contract is similar to the U.K. but with a higher level of increments. Subject to satisfactory performance, incremental progression is automatic for between points 1 to 17 on the pay scale. Formal applications are required for points 18 to 20.

Date posted

30 January 2024

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£102,090.28 to £152,196.88 a year Salary dependant on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

K0011-24-0053

Job locations

Jersey General Hospital

Gloucester Street

St Helier

Jersey C.I.

JE1 3QS

Job description

Job responsibilities

Jersey health and social care services are undergoing a major redesign with a move towards more community focussed, patient centred provision. We are also redesigning our offer to the General Hospital.

In the past Jersey has had a Liaison service provided by members of the CMHT and Consultants on a rolling rota and a separate older adults Liaison service. This has meant a lack of consistency of care for people in the General Hospital with mental health needs. There has also been a lack of teaching and liaison with General Hospital staff leading to some serious incidents. Although the original service did achieve PLAN accreditation and there were areas of good practice there is a lot of scope for improvement. This is a new post for a motivated Liaison Psychiatry Consultant to come in and help shape an excellent service for Jersey Hospital.

The Liaison service consists of a clinical nurse specialist and 3 nurse practitioners, and the service runs 8am-9pm 7 days a week. The nursing part of the service does not cover the Emergency Department, as all assessments are completed by the Crisis and Assessment Team, but the Consultant will be expected to contribute to medical cover to these assessments and support MH Law assessments in the Emergency Department in collaboration with the Crisis and Assessment Team medical staff. There is an article 36 suite being developed which will be ready in Autumn 2023 and this will take most MH Law assessments out of the Emergency Department.

The hospital has a role for a Clinical Health Psychologist who has supported the Liaison provision in the past, but the post is currently being advertised. There are good links with the Pain Clinic, Oncology and Neurology and in the recent past there was a psychological medicine outpatient clinic which the successful applicant can restart. Jersey has not been part of the National Dementia Audit so care for patients in hospital with dementia has not improved in the way it did in the UK. We are beginning the Dementia audit this year and Liaison Psychiatry will play a major role in helping the General Hospital to work towards great care for those with dementia on their wards. The General hospital are in the process of recruiting 2 consultants in Frailty who will also be vital in helping improve the care of older people in hospital.

As you can see the Liaison Service is in its infancy with great scope for improvement and support from the executive to see it grow and develop.

There is dedicated administrative support in line with RCPsych standards (0.5 wte medical secretary and team secretarial support). The Consultant will have a dedicated individual office at JGH. A mobile, PC and laptop are provided, and IT training and support are arranged on arrival with a 1:1 training session and ongoing support available as required.

Mental Health Law in Jersey is very similar to the law in England and Wales but full training will be given at the start of employment.

Responsibilities and Expectations of the Post holders

The successful applicant will be expected to provide medical expertise in the field of Liaison psychiatry and crisis care. The key responsibilities and expectations are:

Responsibility for the investigation, diagnosis, and management of psychiatric disorders in a general hospital setting for patients aged over 18yr

Providing clinical leadership, support, and advice to the Liaison team.

Supporting the general hospital ward staff to provide excellent care for the mental health needs of their patients through education, participating in policy writing for medications and care, participating in ward meetings, liaising 1:1 with staff, helping with ward initiatives to improve care and auditing outcomes of interventions in collaboration with the General Hospital.

To take an active role in the work to improve the care of people with dementia in the general hospital.

Providing Consultant cover for the Crisis and Assessment Team members assessing in the Emergency Department in collaboration with the other medical staff within the Crisis and Assessment Team.

Participating in Mental Health Law assessments in the Emergency Department

To grow links with General Hospital Outpatient departments to provide a Liaison Psychiatry OP clinic 1PA/ week.

To maintain close working relationships with other parts of the mental health care group.

Fulfilling the role of Responsible Officer for detained patients in the General Hospital, working closely with the Mental Health law Office to ensure timely delivery of tribunal reports and other documentation linked to Jersey Mental Health Law.

Working collaboratively with service users, families, carers, and the voluntary sector.

Liaising with primary care colleagues as required.

To record clinical activity accurately and contemporaneously on the electronic patient record system and send letters to GPs.

Participating in the in-house teaching programme.

Fulfilling the CPD requirements set by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and participating in a peer group

Participating in the development and delivery of training programmes for a variety of disciplines aimed at improving the level of expertise and the standard of care for adults with mental health needs within Health and Community Services.

Participating in the all-age 1:12 on-call rota for psychiatry and contribution to the day on call rota for MHLaw assessments.

Working with managers and professional colleagues to ensure the efficient running of the services and to share with consultant colleagues the medical contribution to the management of the service.

Complying with Health and Community Services agreed policies and procedures.

Working effectively with partner organisations who provide services to people with mental health problems and co-morbidity issues as appropriate.

Engagement in service development activities, audits and monitoring.

The above is intended to indicate the primary range and type of duties required. It is noted however that the duties of the post may alter to reflect changing practices and demands within the service.

Please see the attached job description for the full dimensions of the role.