Consultant Psychiatrist - General Adult Liaison (RRP Applicable)
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 19 August 2026

Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for a Consultant Psychiatrist to work in our Mental Health Liaison Team based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

In this role you will have the opportunity to develop your career, shape our strategy and provide excellent patient care.

Consider joining Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) and help us improve the quality of life for our thriving local communities.

This job attracts a Recruitment and Retention payment of £25,000, in addition to (up to) £8000 relocation allowance. The RRP payment is paid in the following instalments:

• £5000 payment paid on appointment
• £5000 retention payment paid at 12 month anniversary of employment
• £6500 retention payment paid at 30 month anniversary of employment
• £8500 retention payment paid at 48 month anniversary of employment

The Recruitment and Retention payment is pro rata for part time employees. If you would like further information, or to know the full terms of the Recruitment and Retention Payment and/or the Relocation Allowance, then please do not hesitate to contact our Medical Staffing Team - medicalstaffing@spft.nhs.uk

To find out more about we can offer you at SPFT, please follow the link to our careers website here. To find a list of our current Medical vacancies, please follow this link: Apply through our website.

Main duties of the job
This post is in working age Liaison Psychiatry. You will have a key role in supporting the wider nursing team and providing continuity of care across the week in the general hospital setting.

You will be expected to provide specialist medical and psychiatric assessment and treatment to people aged 17 and over, referred to the Mental Health Liaison Team from the Emergency Department and the inpatient wards within the Royal Sussex County Hospital. It is expected that you will have expertise in working age adults' mental health, organic mental states, medically unexplained symptoms, the interplay between physical and mental health problems and management of psychiatric crises.

You will be joining a team with a history of participating in nationally-recognised Liaison Psychiatry research and which is actively involved in the teaching and training of students from Brighton and Sussex Medical School, in addition to nursing and paramedic students.

You will also be involved in developing new care pathways and including integrated psychiatric care in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.

About us
At Sussex Partnership we are committed to providing opportunities for flexible working. If you would like to work differently to the hours advertised, please contact us to discuss this in more detail.

If you have neither lived or worked in Sussex before then please consider the following:

• Journey from the coast to the countryside in minutes
• A lifestyle including renowned cycle routes and picturesque walks, including the famous South Downs Way in the South Downs National Park
• Discovering the 140+ miles of scenic and historic Sussex coastline
• Easy access to airports - Gatwick and Heathrow are both within 90 minutes of the county, providing worldwide transport links

SPFT has a thriving research network and has been rated 'outstanding' in caring by the CQC and 'good' in all other domains.

Details
Date posted: 03 August 2026
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Consultant
Salary: £113,565 to £150,569 a year, pro rata, per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
Reference number: 354-AB-20770-T
Job locations: Royal Sussex County Hosptial, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please review the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role.

We would love to hear from you if you want to find out more about this exciting opportunity. Please see our contact details below.

Please note the job description is with the Royal College for approval.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• MB BS or equivalent medical qualification

Desirable

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

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
• The competencies to work with both General Adult and Older Adult patients. The successful candidate will be able to provide evidence of relevant experience accordingly.

Desirable

• Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
• Additional expertise in Addictions psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry or Psychotherapy

ACADEMIC SKILLS & LIFELONG LEARNING
Essential

• Able to deliver undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and training
• Ability to work in and lead team
• Demonstrate commitment to shared leadership & collaborative working to deliver improvement.
• Has actively participated in clinical audit and quality improvement programmes

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.

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Royal Sussex County Hosptial, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through the employer's website.

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Lead Psychiatrist - Brighton and Hove - Inpatient, Dr Swaraj Thancanamootoo, s.thancanamootoo@nhs.net