Location: Beech Ward, Bowmere Hospital, Chester, CH2 1UL
Salary: £113,565 to £150,569 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Closing date: 18 August 2026

Job summary
Bowmere Hospital has successfully completed a comprehensive improvement programme designed to create safer, more therapeutic, recovery-focused environments. As part of this improvement journey, Bowmere has strengthened its foundations in:

• Quality improvement and innovation
• Service development and redesign
• A compassionate, values-driven culture of care
• Ward accreditation and clinical excellence
• Strong, collaborative MDT leadership
• Significant investment in Nursing, support worker and medical roles
• Effective treatment pathways resulting in reduced lengths of stay for our patients, enabling them to transition back into their communities

Your voice will genuinely shape how the service grows -- from clinical standards to care pathways to the culture we build together.

We are looking for a Consultant Psychiatrist who is energised by change, motivated by high standards, and passionate about creating environments where patients and staff can thrive. This is an opportunity to join Beech ward in Bowmere Hospital at a pivotal stage in service development, contributing both clinically and strategically to the future of acute inpatient care within Cheshire and Wirral partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Beech Ward is a purpose-built acute adult inpatient unit caring for people aged 18 and over with a range of mental health presentations, including psychosis, affective disorders, and personality disorders.

Main duties of the job

• Provide psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for patients admitted to Beech Ward working along with Nurse consultant and Speciality doctor
• Act as the Responsible Clinician (RC) for detained patients under the Mental Health Act.
• Lead the multidisciplinary team (MDT) including junior doctors, psychologists, OTs, nurses, and pharmacists to deliver high-quality, evidence-based care.
• Work collaboratively with the Ward Manager to ensure safe and effective clinical practice, robust risk management, and delivery of key performance and quality targets.
• Participate in ward rounds, Mental Health Act work, and clinical reviews, ensuring effective communication with community and Home Treatment teams to maintain continuity of care.
• Provide clinical leadership for governance and quality improvement initiatives, learning from incidents, patient feedback, and audits.
• Support medical trainees and multidisciplinary colleagues through teaching, supervision, and mentorship.
• Participate in the West Cheshire consultant on-call rota (1:13, low frequency) and contribute to wider service development across acute inpatient care.
• Contribute and lead research initiatives to further improve inpatient care pathways

About us
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.

We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.

Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.

As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.

All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction / initial training requirements of the role.

Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you'll find something to suit you at CWP.

Job responsibilities
Please download a copy of the job description (see documents to download section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.

At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.

CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trusts Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trusts Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.

An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: cwp.recruitment@nhs.net or by calling 01244 393100.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon!

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• MB BS or equivalent medical qualification.

Desirable

• Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.
• MRCPsych
• Additional clinical qualifications.

ELIGIBILITY
Essential

• Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.
• Included on the GMC Specialist Register OR within six months
• Approved clinician status OR able to achieve within 3 months of appointment
• Approved under S12 OR able to achieve with 3 months of appointment

Desirable

• In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice

CLINICAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
Essential

• Excellent knowledge in specialty
• Excellent clinical skills using bio-psycho-social perspective and wide medical knowledge
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Able to manage clinical complexity and uncertainty
• Makes decisions based on evidence and experience including the contribution of others
• Able to meet duties under MHA and MCA

Desirable

• Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service

Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Liji Premlal, liji.premlal@nhs.net