Consultant Medical Psychotherapist

Job summary

The Maudsley Medical Psychotherapy Service (MMPS) is situated in Southwark but receives referrals from Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham and Croydon.

The Maudsley Medical Psychotherapy Service (MMPS)) offers psychological therapies for complex non-psychotic mental illness. These service users have symptoms of a severity, chronicity and/or complexity that have been insufficiently responsive to step 1 (IAPT) or step 2 (PCMHT) interventions or are considered to be unsuitable for these.

An increased focus on close working with other colleagues including referrers and psychological therapists based in neighbourhood teams is essential to reduce fragmentation of service input and provide the stable attachment figures required for treating these service users.

The consultant in this role will be responsible for assessment, flow, liaison with colleagues and supervision of treatments by resident doctors. They will also more generally support with service provision, governance and service development.

Main duties of the job

The consultant in this role will be responsible for assessment, flow, liaison with colleagues and supervision of treatments by resident doctors. They will also more generally support with service provision, governance and service development.

About us

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of mental health, learning disability and substance misuse services for people living in four local Boroughs in South London, Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon, as well as providing a range of national specialist services.

The Trust is committed to managing and developing a range of mental health services, working closely with users and carers, our four partner local authorities, CCGs and NHS hospitals. Services are primarily focused on people with severe and enduring mental illness. However, it also promotes good mental health, early intervention to prevent more serious problems and provide support to primary care in dealing with people with less severe problems. The trust has a strong community focus and our services are provided in a wide range of settings including people's own homes, GP practices, day centres, residential and nursing homes, prisons and hospitals. The Trust's core value states that 'everything we do is to improve the experience of people using our services and to promote mental health and wellbeing for all'.

Job responsibilities

To provide enthusiastic, and flexible, clinical leadership and consultant input into the team

To take Consultant responsibility for patients

To undertake assessments as routine part of work

To take a lead on support with flow and referrals

To actively provide medical psychotherapy support to other services and colleagues

To work flexibly and creatively promoting informed risk taking and anti-discriminatory practice

To liaise with external placement providers on the care of patients in the borough

To liaise with Consultant Psychiatrists working in the community and inpatient units

Where appropriate Liaison with General Practitioners concerning physical health, CPA and discharges

To support with expert risk assessment and management

To ensure excellence in the delivery of evidence-based treatments

To keep up-to-date with all relevant developments in research and treatment

To develop strong working relationships with other services

Regulalry attend and co-lead clinical Governance meetings for the service and any relevant team meeting

Offer reflective practice for resident doctors as part of Wednesday academic programme

Engage with Southwark Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) and Southwark Community Development meeting

On call commitments as Consultant Psychiatrist

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• Full registration with the General Medical Council with a licence to practice
• Included on the GMC Specialist Register with a CCT in Medical Psychotherapy
• Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment

Desirable

• Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management
• Membership or Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
• Higher degree related to psychotherapy
• Dual accreditation in general adult psychiatry, or other sub-specialty such as CAMHs, Forensic Psychiatry
• Accredited training in dynamic interpersonal therapy, cognitive analytic therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, mentalisation based therapy, group analytic therapy, or systemic therapy
• BPC accreditation or qualification in intensive psychoanalytic (three times weekly) or analytic group work
• Experience in similar role (A, I)

Experience and clinical skills

Essential

• Wide-ranging knowledge and clinical expertise in medical psychotherapy assessment and management with emphasis on psychodynamic skillset
• Expert knowledge and experience in a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches
• Appreciation and understanding of ethnic minority issues and a commitment to developing culturally sensitive practices
• Understanding of social factors relevant to psychiatry
• Significant experience in risk assessment and management including positive risk taking
• Able to manage complexity and uncertainty
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to deliver and supervise a range of psychological therapies to individuals and groups
• Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge

Desirable

• Experience of service development and introducing new services in mental health
• Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
• Experience working psychotherapeutically with young adults
• Experience of work in different cultural contexts and evidence of sensitivity to issues of equity and diversity

Personal Skills

Essential

• Ability to work in multidisciplinary team and provide leadership for the team
• Self-motivating
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Willingness to innovate and problem-solve service issues
• Working collaboratively with colleagues across the trust and across modalities and professions

Organisational and management skills

Essential

• Ability to manage complex workloads and support others to do that
• Commitment to working with service users on service development
• Commitment to Clinical Governance
• Demonstrate commitment to shared leadership & collaborative working to deliver improvement (

Desirable

• Formal leadership and management training
• Experience of team /service leadership

Research and Audit

Essential

• Participation in Medical Audit and Quality Improvement initiatives
• Commitment to research informed care and service development

Desirable

• Publications in peer-reviewed journals in relevant academic fields

Teaching and supervision

Essential

• Experience of supervising junior medical staff in psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Experience running case based discussion groups for junior doctors
• Experience of teaching at either undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Desirable

• Approval to supervise psychiatric trainees
• Experience of running case based discussion groups or reflective practice for MDT
• Formal training or qualification in supervision
• Medical education qualification

Other Qualities

Essential

• Commitment to developing user-focused services
• Ability to get on with colleagues across disciplines and specialties
• Ability to appraise own performance

Desirable

• Experience of active involvement in service user initiatives