Job summary
Are you ready to take the next step on your career and be our leading Consultant Psychiatrist for the newly established Assertive Outreach Team?

This is a full time position based in Oxford where you will lead on delivering a specialised services to vulnerable adults with severe and enduring mental disorders following NHSE guidance to enhance intensive and assertive community mental health care.

Working alongside a newly formed team you'll be delivering a service to meet the needs of around 90 patients across Oxford city who have severe and complex psychosis, multiple comorbidities, high rates of hospital admission, present with significant risks and find it hard to engage with mental health services. Assertive engagement, evidence-based bio psycho social treatment plans, collating and sharing information with system partners, carers and families, risk formulation and safety planning will be at the heart of the service's therapeutic approach.

This is a unique opportunity to build a service that will make a lasting impact to mental health care and patient recovery outcomes. We're looking for applicants who have full GMC registration and are on the Specialist Register or within six months of CCT. You'll need to be eligible for Section 12 Approval/Approved Clinician status or willing to apply for this once in post.

If you're a ready for a challenge and want to work for one of the UK's leading mental health Trusts, we would be delighted to receive your application.

Main duties of the job

• Provide clinical leadership and medical input to the team in delivering responsive, effective and inclusive mental health community services to the designated catchment area.
• Provision of evidence-based bio-psychosocial interventions to promote recovery and social inclusion, including integrative working with external agencies to ensure community engagement.
• Responsibility for those patients seen by himself/herself, together with those patients seen by medical staff directly supervised by them.
• Provide expert assessments informed by evidence for referred individuals with severe and enduring mental health difficulties and complex needs.
• Have responsibility for the clinical governance of the team as one of the clinical leads for the team.
• Actively liaise with other mental health teams to ensure continuity of care and appropriate information sharing.
• Provide RC responsibility for outpatients under the provisions of the MHA.
• Communicate and liaise with patients, families, relatives, carers and any other agencies as appropriate.
• Play an active role in training for team members as well as in the programme and wider Trust, including teaching medical students, Resident doctors and members of the MDT.

About us
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent"

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 33 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 35 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Salary: £113,565 to £150,569 a year per annum | pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 267-OXFCONS-141-A
Closing date: 09 November 2026

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Medical degree (essential)
• Fully registered with the General Medical Council (essential)
• Eligible for inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register (or Specialist Registrar within 6 months of gaining CCT at time of interview) (essential)
• Membership or Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or equivalent qualification (essential)
• Eligible for Section 12 Approval (Mental Health Act)/ Approved Clinician or willing to apply for such approval once in post (essential)
• A higher degree such as MD or PhD (desirable)
• Additional clinical qualifications (desirable)

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience of clinical work in specialty at SpR, SAS/Specialist grade or consultant level within the last 3 years (essential)
• Excellent working knowledge and experience of the application of the Mental Health Act (essential)
• Appreciation and understanding of ethnic minority issues and a commitment to developing culturally sensitive practices (essential)
• Understanding of social factors relevant to psychiatry (essential)
• Experience of service development and introducing new services in mental health (desirable)
• Experience of working at consultant level in an Assertive Outreach Team (desirable)

Teaching

• Experience in teaching resident doctors (essential)
• Good teaching and communication skills (essential)
• Experience of teaching medical undergraduates and postgraduates (essential)
• Experience of teaching non-medical mental health professionals (essential)
• Medical education qualification (desirable)

Research and Audit

• Experience of research work and/or ability to interpret research findings and apply them to clinical practice (essential)
• Experience of grant-funded project work (desirable)

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 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. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.