Job summary
Biggleswade community mental health teams are undergoing a process of transformation/ redesign in order to focus on providing prompt assessment and intervention at the point of need. By separating out some of the functions of a traditional CMHT, the new structure will additionally allow more of a focus on recovery for those with enduring mental health problems and those accessing CPA.

Over the coming years, Community Mental Health services nationally are receiving an enhancement of funding. Community mental healthcare will increasingly be provided closer to home, within primary care networks.Biggleswade CMHT is in the process of transformation and moving towards the following structure:

• Front-end blended teams with triage function and providing care for complex patients not on CPA.
• Managing recovery-focused care of individuals on CPA.

Main duties of the job

• Provide comprehensive assessment, diagnosis and management of issues relating to mental and physical health for adults with acute and severe mental illness in the community (over 18 years) so that intensive and timely treatment can be delivered to prevent chronicity and dependency on psychiatric services.
• Attend and be the clinical leader of weekly MDT meetings, supported by the team operational lead.
• Provide clinical advice and guidance to primary care physicians to manage patients in the least restrictive environment
• Undertake all work in the context of the recovery approach which is emphasised across the Trust, placing the service user at the centre of planning and decision making.

About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Date posted: 17 July 2026
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Consultant
Salary: £109,725 to £145,478 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 363-MRBED7569093-C
Job locations: Biggleswade Hospital, Spring House, Spring House, Potton Road, SG18 0EL, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
For a more detailed review of the job description and person specification please refer to the attached JD&PS

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Fully registered with the General Medical Council
• Eligible for inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register (or Specialist Registrar within 6 months of gaining CCT at time of interview).
• Membership or Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent qualification (in accordance with Royal College of Psychiatrists guidelines)
• Eligible for Section 12 Approval (Mental Health Act)/ Approved Clinician or willing to apply for such approval once in post.

Desirable

• A higher degree such as MD or PhD

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Experience of clinical work in Acute Adult Psychiatry at SpR, SASG or consultant level within the last 3 years
• Excellent working knowledge and experience of the application of the Mental Health Act
• Appreciation and understanding of ethnic minority issues and a commitment to developing culturally sensitive practices
• Understanding of social factors relevant to psychiatry
• Robust experience of working with severe and enduring mental illness and risk assessment, management

Desirable

• Experience of service development and introducing new services in mental health
• Experience of working at consultant level in a community environment.

Organisational Skills / Abilities
Essential

• Leadership skills
• Ability to work as a part of multidisciplinary, multi-model team
• Ability to manage complex workloads and support others to do that
• Consultation skills to services, teams and individuals
• Commitment to working in multidisciplinary setting
• Commitment to working with service users on service development

Desirable

• Formal leadership and management training
• Experience of team /service leadership
• Experience of organisational development work
• Project management ability

Clinical Skills and Supervision
Essential

• Ability to work in multi-disciplinary team and provide leadership for the team
• Self-motivating and innovative
• Expertise in risk assessment
• Confident in therapeutic risk taking
• Commitment to clinical governance

Desirable

• Experience in supervising trainee doctors and SAS doctors

Teaching
Essential

• Experience in teaching junior staff
• Good teaching and communication skills
• Experience of teaching medical undergraduates and postgraduates
• Experience of teaching non-medical mental health professionals

Desirable

• Medical education qualification

Research and Audit
Essential

• Experience of research work, especially in general hospital patients and / or patients with medically unexplained symptoms
• Audit experience

Desirable

• Experience of grant-funded project work
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals in relevant academic fields

Other Requirements
Essential

• UK driving licence

Desirable

• Car owner

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: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Biggleswade Hospital, Spring House, Spring House, Potton Road, SG18 0EL, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website (opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Consultant Psychiatrist
Syed Ashraf
syed.ashraf3@nhs.net
01525758400

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.

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.