Consultant Psychiatrist - Acute Assessment Unit

Consultant Psychiatrist - Acute Assessment Unit

The closing date is 31 March 2026

Are you a consultant psychiatrist looking to join a dynamic and inspiring inpatient service? We have an exciting opportunity for a consultant psychiatrist to join Seaview Ward and work within the wider inpatient services in St Ann's Hospital, Poole to deliver safe and effective care for acutely unwell service users requiring the support of the hospital environment.

This role is offered on a LTFT basis (8PA/week) and will work alongside a substantive consultant colleague on Seaview Ward, the Acute Assessment Unit (AAU).

As the consultant psychiatrist you’ll work productively as part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver medical intervention (RC) and leadership input into the AAU ward. There will be a requirement for you to contribute towards the training and development of peers, resident doctors in training (to include formal clinical supervision) and for an array of professionals in training who are temporarily placed to the ward.

Quality improvement and service development will be a core part of the role with current emphasis placed on optimizing length of stay as part of the peri‑hospital transformation workstream.

We are committed to flexible and welcome discussions on how this could be achieved for you. For any questions and the opportunity to discuss the role please contact Dr Paul Walters, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at Dorset County Hospital;

As the consultant psychiatrist you will work within the Acute Assessment Unit (Seaview Ward) which provides the initial assessment and treatment planning for all patients admitted to St Ann's hospital. Seaview Ward is a busy, high‑turnover unit. Approximately half of service users complete their treatment episode on the ward and are discharged home, while the remaining patients transfer to longer‑stay treatment wards for ongoing care.

You’ll work alongside a full‑time consultant colleague and within a multidisciplinary team to deliver excellent patient care for 14 service users in a mixed gender ward. You will play a lead role in the daily review of workload and capacity of the inpatient team, which will include liaison with colleagues in home treatment and community mental health teams.

You will be expected to ensure that a senior medical review of the care of each person and a lead a care plan that aims to support targets set for inpatient services in relation to purposeful admission and length of admission, balancing the needs of the service with patient advocacy.

This role reports directly into the Inpatient Medical Lead and is supported by the Associate Medical Director for Inpatient services.

You’ll be invited to take part of the on call rota. The on call rota is Dorset wide and paid at 3% on call availability plus additional 0.75PA for full time participation.

The post attracts 10 days per year of study leave and an annual study leave budget of up to £1000.

At Dorset Health Care we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined‑up healthcare services. We’re a dynamic, forward‑looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here – it’s one of the reasons the CQC rated us ‘outstanding’ in 2019. It’s also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you’re looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000‑strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We’re all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We’re an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to…