Job summary
We welcome applicants to apply for a consultant psychiatry post at CNTW trust in the Regional Affective Disorders Service (RADS) service. RADS is a tertiary level specialist service that has been in existence for over 30 years. Its primary clinical function is to provide assessment, advice and management for difficult to treat mood disorders and related conditions. The service continues to be at the forefront of innovation, enabled by the service's links with Newcastle University and the role that clinical academic links play within the service.

RADS is one of a limited number of specialist/tertiary level affective disorders services in the UK providing both outpatient and in-patient care for patients with difficult to treat mood disorders. RADS clinicians are members of the Northern Centre for Mood Disorders (NCMD), which is a collaboration between Newcastle University and CNTW NHS Foundation Trust. NCMD provides public and professional education around mood disorders and supports a wide range of research. Patients attending RADS may be approached about ongoing research opportunities.

Please note we can not sponsor GMC for this role.

Please note this vacancy will close once sufficient applications have been received.

For further details / informal visits contact:
Name: Dr Stuart Watson, consultant
Email: stuart.watson@newcastle.ac.uk

Main duties of the job
The service works with patients aged 18 and over in secondary care with complex and/or treatment resistant affective disorders including patients in older peoples' services. RADS occasionally engage in the assessment and management of treatment refractory conditions complicated by an affective component e.g., obsessive compulsive disorder with associated depression. It is expected that patients referred to RADS will have failed to respond to, or not tolerated, interventions recommended for use in routine secondary care mental health services by current guidelines (NICE and BAP). A RADS assessment includes case formulation, diagnostic opinion, risk assessment, symptom severity rating and recommendations for future treatment. Treatment recommendations fall into 5 broad categories:

• treatments within existing guidelines
• treatments out-with guidelines but within secondary care competency (e.g.,agomelatine, lurasidone, maintenance ECT)
• treatments out-with guidelines and beyond normal secondary care practice (e.g., pramipexole, anticholinergics, self-regulation CBT, (es)ketamine, clomipramine/bupropion combination)
• treatments that are only provided by tertiary level services such as RADS. These include novel pharmacological treatments, rTMS, VNS and specialist multidisciplinary inpatient assessment and treatment (see in-patient services below)
• treatments provided by quaternary services (e.g., DBS, cingulotomy).

About us
Why us?

• Up to £8k relocation package
• 30 days study leave (every 3 years)
• Flexible working opportunities created with you involved in your job plan
• Remote working available as suits service needs
• Dedicated and protected SPA time
• Focus on creating a healthy workforce by investing heavily in health and wellbeing accessible support including emotional, physical, social, psychological financial and career well being
• Teaching and research opportunities available
• Stimulating CPD sessions and programs including mentoring, medical leadership, and coaching
• Teaching opportunities in our brand-new state of the art Medical Education Centre
• Employee Excellence awards
• Plus, lots more employee benefits including discounts. Find out more at www.thriveatcntw.co.uk

As an added bonus, the Trust is located in the Northeast of England and Cumbria which is an area of outstanding natural beauty, containing national parks, ancient heritage sites and major cities supported by excellent national and international transport links. The area is predominantly rural and contains the Lake District National Park which is considered one of England's finest areas of natural beauty.

Details
Date posted
07 August 2026
Pay scheme
Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade
Consultant
Salary
£113,565 to £150,569 a year
pro rata for part time
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Part-time,
Flexible working
Reference number
263-SS26-004
Job locations
St Nicholas Hospital
Gosforth
NE3 3XT
United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
The post-holder will contribute to the delivery and ongoing development of RADS, with the expectation of supporting and enhancing the neuromodulation offer. They will be based in the outpatient team. Some specific roles:

• The appointed consultant will be expected to contribute to cross-cover arrangements for the RADS inpatient ward (Gibside), alongside the other outpatient consultants. This typically involves providing remote support for clinical queries and time-sensitive issues when the designated inpatient consultant is unavailable. Dedicated resident doctor cover will often be present on Gibside to support and action plans.
• Provide specialist advice, formulation and treatment-planning support to colleagues within and outside CNTW regarding difficult-to-treat mood disorders. Advice regarding patients not directly assessed by the post-holder will be provided as professional-to-professional consultation.
• Lead, with multidisciplinary colleagues, the RADS clinical pathway for implanted vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in difficult-to-treat depression, including suitability assessment, liaison regarding funding and surgical referral processes, device programming and optimisation, long-term follow-up, shared-care advice to referrers and community mental health teams, and governance of the VNS caseload including arrangements mandated by NICE for research and clinical audit.
• Work with the other RADS consultants in supporting the care of inpatients specifically on the moods-disorder ward/Gibside, as required, through planned cross-cover arrangements

With our population we need to ensure that the treatments that we offer are optimally combined. It is also important that we support colleagues in the delivery of biological and psychological treatments. Most patients referred have already had treatments in category 1, and we most often recommend treatments in categories 2-4.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details.

Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential

• MBBS (or equivalent)
• Included on GMC Specialist Register (Adult Psychiatry) or eligible for inclusion, or a trainee within six months of CCT
• Approved under Section12(2) of the Mental Health Act 1983
• Approved Clinician Status

Desirable

• MRCPsych or equivalent qualification
• Postgraduate qualifications in a relevant field
• Has undergone training in educational supervision

Knowledge
Essential

• Up to date knowledge in the field of Psychiatry
• Awareness of current issues and controversies in service provision, mental health policy and legislation
• Expert mood disorders assessment and knowledge
• An area of special interest relevant to the post as demonstrated by publications or presentations to learned societies

Desirable

• Higher clinical/academic degree like MD, PhD in the field of psychiatry/mood disorders

Experience
Essential

• Experience of multidisciplinary team working
• Experience of working in a specialist mood disorders service
• Experience of Clinical Audit
• Experience in the management of patients for and with vagus nerve stimulator treatment

Desirable

• Experience in multiagency work especially with service user, carer and voluntary agencies
• Experience in service management or development

Skills
Essential

• High level of clinical skills
• Able to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Proven competence in diagnosis and management of psychiatric disorders in Adult Psychiatry
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent teaching skills
• Expertise in diagnosis and management of mood disorders patients
• Demonstrate the ability to work in a time efficient manner

Desirable

• Established record of clinical leadership
• Established ability as a clinical teacher
• Training in specific and relevant treatment skills eg a brief form of psychological therapy

Personal Characteristics
Essential

• Able to sustain self and support others
• Trustworthiness
• Able to meet the mobility requirements of the post
• Maturity, openness and flexibility
• Recognition of the need to balance home and work commitments

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 details
Employer name
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust
Address
St Nicholas Hospital
Gosforth
NE3 3XT
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.cntw.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Assistant Medical Director
Dr Revin Thomas
revin.thomas@cntw.nhs.uk

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.