Consultant Psychiatrist - Eating Disorders Outpatients - 10PAs and 6PAs - Fixed Term/7 Months

The Adult Eating Disorders Service within SLaM receives approximately 600 to 700 new referrals per annum, including local and national referrals. The out-patient, day-care, in-patient and step-up teams of the Eating Disorders service include psychiatrists, team leaders, clinical and counselling psychologists, psychiatric nurses, psychological therapists, dieticians, occupational therapists, and administrative staff. The medical staffing includes one NHS consultant, three senior clinical academics (one part time), and 3 trainee psychiatrists (2 CT1-3, one ST4).

The service covers the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. Our approach is largely bio-psycho-social. We embrace diversity and tackle stigma.

The Maudsley Eating Disorders Service is internationally renowned for its research, with close links to the IoPPN, and is at the forefront of treatment development, having generated much of the evidence underpinning contemporary eating disorder treatments.

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and committed consultant psychiatrist to work in a specialist eating disorders service, providing flexible clinical leadership and consultant responsibility and working closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team. The post holder will provide clinical work specifically in the outpatient unit of the Adult Eating Disorders Service in the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM).

The post holder will jointly work with consultants Dr Katie Au, Dr Felicity Callender, Dr Camilla Day, Dr Nikola Kern, and with academic consultants Professor Ulrike Schmidt, Professor Janet Treasure (part-time) and Dr Hubertus Himmerich. The post holder will provide cross cover and support the eating disorder day service.

The post holder will work to ensure that the outpatient service/ETT work to the standards set out by QED, the NICE guidelines and NHS England. The post holder will work with the team on quality improvement and service innovation projects (FREED – early intervention pathway; PEACE – ASD pathway) and on research studies.

The post holder must be approved or eligible for approval under the section 12(2) of the Mental Health Act.

The post holder will be expected to have a role in teaching of multidisciplinary staff within the eating disorders unit and across primary and secondary health care services.

Administrative support for the postholder’s clinical work is available at the Maudsley site. 

Working for your organisation

The outpatient service is based at the Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AZ.

Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide enthusiastic, and flexible, joint clinical leadership and consultant input for the Eating Disorders service, alongside other consultants and the team managers/clinical service leads.

2. To provide expert medical input in the Eating Disorders outpatient service as well as within the Enhanced Treatment Team. This includes outreach assessments of patients in acute hospitals or in the community

3. To take consultant responsibility for Eating Disorders patients, assessing or supervising assessment of patients and devising or helping to devise appropriate treatment plans and medication regimes and providing prompt medical response for those patients under your direct care and advising and work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team

4. To undertake responsibilities as an Approved Clinician under the Mental Health Act (1983) as needed in the Eating Disorders Unit.

5. To ensure excellence in the provision of medical and psychiatric assessments to all referred patients to the service including risk assessment protocols as directed by SLaM.

6. To ensure clinical activities are documented on the Trust electronic record system (ePJS) and assist in the collection of clinical outcome data.

7. To work flexibly with other teams across SLaM and other mental and physical health trusts, to ensure smooth transitions of care between the Eating Disorders outpatients, day care and the inpatient unit and other services.

8. To communicate clearly and effectively with staff of all major disciplines concerned with the provision of mental health care.

9. To appropriately signpost/refer onward those individuals who do not meet threshold for our service but present with other mental health needs

10. To develop strong working relationships with stakeholders, including local GPs, other teams at SLaM and other mental trusts, King’s Health Partners’ staff, and with the voluntary sector, to ensure good coordination of care.

11. To ensure excellence in the delivery of evidence-based treatments.

12. To act as a source of support, advice and information to current or prospective patients and their carers, referrers, team members and other professionals.

13. In conjunction with the Service Lead and other Team Consultants the post holder will help to represent the team at Directorate, CAG and care pathway meetings.

14. To provide reciprocal cross cover / Section 12 cover for Eating Disorders Consultant psychiatrists when they are on leave.

15. To keep up-to-date with all developments in Eating Disorders research and treatment

16. To deliver Service Line management of trainees in psychiatry (including special interest trainees) if any are working within the service and working with team leaders to do so

17. To contribute to teaching of medical students of King’s College London.

18. To contribute to the supervision, support and teaching for doctors in training in SLaM as required.

19. To contribute to clinical audit, clinical governance and if required clinical research within the team, directorates and Trust.

20. To contribute to the business planning and service development as required.

21. The post holder will carry a mobile during work hours and be contactable by members of the team.

For further details / informal visits contact: Dr Nikola Kern - Job title: Consultant Psychiatrist - Email address: nikola.kern@slam.nhs.uk - Telephone number: 07886 699 133