Job Advert
NHS Dumfries & Galloway provides mental health services to a total population of 150,000 in a beautiful rural area of South West Scotland. We are seeking to recruit a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist who will be responsible for provision of specialist psychiatric input to the Forensic Mental Health Team (mainly in the community, with a small number of inpatients) and senior medical input to the Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit (Balcary ward) at Midpark Hospital. In addition, alongside forensic team colleagues, the appointee will provide psychiatric support to the criminal justice service in Dumfries & Galloway and will link with services out of region providing specialist care and treatment for patients from our area. On call is shared across the consultant group on a 1 in 10 basis (pro rata) with prospective cover.
The Mental Health Service includes in-patient beds at Midpark Hospital, Dumfries, which is a state of the art, purpose-built hospital opened in 2012, and community services across the region provided by five generic locality community mental health teams and specialist teams for addictions and intellectual disability psychiatry. There are no dedicated forensic beds locally but this is an area for intended development. There are additional services for primary care mental health, general hospital liaison, perinatal mental health and eating disorders, as well as forensic psychiatry. There is strong multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working across the service. The post-holder will be based at Midpark, but the clinical work will be in various locations with the option of some remote working. An indicative job plan is included in the job pack but will be finalised by negotiation with the successful candidate.
Midpark Hospital is the centre for local audit, research and teaching activities. Strong academic links exist between the Hospital and universities in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. NHS Education for Scotland and the Scotland Postgraduate Deanery oversee core and higher specialist training in psychiatry, with psychiatric and GP trainees and Foundation doctors placed within the service. Medical students are attached from Dundee, Edinburgh and the Scottish Graduate Entry (ScotGEM) medical programmes.
Dumfries & Galloway is an area of outstanding natural beauty with considerable local amenities. Although a pleasant rural area, Edinburgh and Glasgow are each only 75 miles from Dumfries town. The climate is generally the mildest and most pleasant in Scotland.
The applicant should have full GMC registration including specialist registration and a licence to practise, MRCPsych and the ability to travel independently of public transport.
The Mental Health Services Directorate supports home working where practicable for both the organisation and the staff member, and this is intended to continue as we recover from the pandemic, reducing travel time and encouraging applicants from out with Dumfries and Galloway to apply for posts.
This post is offered due to retirement and is available from May 2023.
For further details or to talk about the post, please contact:
Dr Nicholas Walker, Associate Medical Director - Mental Health
Telephone: 01387 244007
Email: Nicholas.Walker@nhs.scot
Or: Jena Davis, Specialist Forensic Mental Health Team Leader
Telephone: 07342 067349
Email: Jena.Davis@nhs.scot