Job summary
We are seeking a Consultant Psychiatrist to join our established Western Community Learning Disability Team. Based in Chichester and Bognor Regis, you will provide specialist psychiatric care for adults with learning disabilities. The post comprises 7.5 programmed activities for direct clinical care and 2.5 for supporting professional activities.

The job description and person specification was sent for approval by the Royal College of Psychiatrists' regional advisor on 19.08.2026. Ref: SED KSS-CO-STH-2026-03880

Main duties of the job

• Assess and treat adults with learning disabilities and complex mental, behavioural or physical health needs.
• Provide clinical leadership to the multidisciplinary team.
• Offer advice to primary care, community and inpatient services.
• Support appropriate access and reasonable adjustments within mainstream services.
• Participate in multidisciplinary meetings, clinical governance, quality improvement and service development.
• Supervise resident doctors and contribute to teaching and training.
• Support the prevention of avoidable hospital admissions and provide advice on relevant mental health and capacity legislation.

About us
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability and neurodevelopmental services across Sussex. Our vision is to deliver great care and improve outcomes together, supported by our values of being compassionate, accountable and optimistic. The Western team includes psychiatry, learning disability nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and behaviour practitioners.

We support continuing professional development, peer review, appraisal, revalidation, teaching and quality improvement. The postholder will have access to administrative support, IT equipment and dedicated office space.

Job responsibilities

• Deliver specialist community psychiatric assessment and treatment.
• Work collaboratively with patients, families, carers and professional colleagues.
• Provide medical and professional leadership across the service.
• Maintain oversight of clinical quality, risk and patient pathways.
• Contribute to safeguarding, audit, governance and service evaluation.
• Maintain GMC registration, Approved Clinician status and continuing professional development.
• Participate in annual appraisal and job planning.
• Be approved as a Responsible Clinician or undertake the required training.

Person Specification
Essential

• MB BS or equivalent medical qualification.
• 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
• TRANSPORT Holds and will use valid UK driving licence OR provides evidence of proposed alternative.
• 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
• 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.
• Participated in continuous professional development
• Participated in research or service evaluation.
• Able to use and appraise clinical evidence.
• Has actively participated in clinical audit and quality improvement programmes
• Ability to work in a participatory way so that shared decision making and conversations around formulation/diagnosis and ongoing care are a collaborative endeavour with the people who access our service.

Desirable

• Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.
• MRCPsych
• Additional clinical qualifications.
• In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
• Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service
• Able to plan and deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training relevant to this post
• Reflected on purpose of CPD undertaken
• Experienced in clinical research and / or service evaluation.
• Evidence of achievement in education, research, audit and service improvement: SL awards, prizes, presentations and publications.
• Has led clinical audits leading to service change or improved outcomes to patients

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. 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.

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