Specialty Doctor - Forensic Psychiatry

We are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic Specialty Doctor to join our Female Secure Services team at the Hollins Park site. This is a full-time position offering the opportunity to work within a well-established, supportive multidisciplinary team (MDT). The successful candidate will work alongside Consultant Psychiatrists who hold Responsible Clinician roles for:

• Up to 16 patients in Chesterton Low Secure Unit
• Up to 8 patients in Tennyson Step Down Service, providing medical input to ward rounds
• Contributing to the Care Programme Approach process
• Supporting admission and discharge planning
• Oversee the day-to-day clinical management of patients on the ward
• Attend and contribute to multidisciplinary meetings, risk assessments, and liaison with external agencies
• Prepare and present clinical reports for CPA meetings and ward rounds
• Participate in referral assessments to the service
• Provide written and oral evidence for Manager's Hearings, Mental Health Tribunals, and potentially for Court proceedings
• Discharge planning and liaison with receiving services
• Attendance at pre-tribunal, renewal of detention, pre-manager’s hearings, and pre-discharge meetings as required

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a secure mental health setting, with excellent support and opportunities for professional development. The post holder will support the management of an inpatient caseload of up to 16 patients on the Chesterton Unit, which provides care for women admitted acutely from prisons or other mental health services, those stepping down from medium secure settings, and individuals preparing for discharge to community or other services.

The unit operates within a robust model of care and maintains close links with other services across the secure division.

The female forensic pathway includes pre-admission assessments, inpatient care, coordinated care planning, and discharge support. MDT meetings on the Chesterton Unit are held twice weekly, with patients divided into four clinical teams of four. Each week, two teams are reviewed, ensuring that every patient is discussed fortnightly.

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and is also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands. We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services.

Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities. At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together.

We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.