Job summary
We are seeking to recruit a highly motivated substantive Specialist Doctor to join Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at our Adult Inpatient Mental Health Wards, Rowan and Maple, located in Meadowfield Hospital, Worthing, West Sussex.

Our adult mental health wards are 17-bed mixed inpatient facilities for working-age adults experiencing mental health crises and requiring acute hospital admission. Both teams have a full-time substantive consultant, as well as Core trainees and GPSTs.

Psychiatrists are integral for driving change and influencing service development. As a Trust we welcome positive transformation and using each other's experiences to shape this. The Trust has ambitious aims to continuously improve for the good of our patients and we welcome clinical and non-clinical views in order to achieve this together.

This job attracts a Recruitment and Retention payment of £35,000 structured over a three-year period as follows:

• £10,000 on recruitment
• £10,000 at 12 months
• £7,500 at 24 months
• £7,500 at 36 months

Main duties of the job
The position requires full GMC registration, and we are looking for candidates with at least 6 years' experience at specialty grade in general adult psychiatry to work across 2 acute psychiatric wards for inpatients. The post-holder will be part of a medical team of each ward consisting of a substantive Consultant Psychiatrist and up to two Trainee Doctors. The post-holder will contribute to and help the Trainees with their development as well as contribute to cover when one the consultants is on leave, with the other Consultant providing support and completing RC duties.

The Inpatient care is delivered by an integrated multi-disciplinary team with a shared sense of ownership for the ward environment as well as the clinical services provided. The post-holders will adopt a pragmatic leadership style as a way of promoting this type of ward environment, thus ensuring collaborative working both at a clinical and an operational level.

The wards operate with a well-established multidisciplinary team (MDT), including an Occupational Therapist, Activity Workers, Clinical Psychologist, nursing staff, and experienced Ward managers.

About us
We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

As a Trust we are committed in making a difference. Your development is important to us, so don't forget to ask us during interview what opportunities we can offer. We can offer fully funded lifelong learning opportunities such as an apprenticeship from GCSE to Masters level.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Details
Date posted: 29 June 2026
Pay scheme: Other
Salary: £104,401 to £115,341 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 354-AC-21137-D
Job locations: Meadowfield Swandean Hospital, Arundel Road, Worthing, BN13 3EP, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Applicants should have experience of team working, good organisation skills and be able to work on their own initiative. Effective communication and empathic skills are essential.

The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, energetic, and committed to delivering high-quality care to patients with acute and chronic psychiatric conditions. They will ensure that assessments and interventions are provided in a sensitive, accessible, and culturally appropriate manner. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with consultants and senior Managers to contribute to local service development.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• MBBS or equivalent medical qualification.
• Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.
• In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
• Completed a minimum of 12 years' medical work (either continuous period or in aggregate) since obtaining a primary medical qualification
• A minimum of six years should have been in a relevant specialty in the Specialty Doctor and/or closed SAS grades. Equivalent years' experience in a relevant specialty from other medical grades including from overseas will also be accepted.

Desirable

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

Eligibility
Essential

• To be section 12(2) MHA 1983 approved (or achieve within 6 months of appointment), if not have Approved Clinician (AC) status/approval and be on the AC register.

Transport
Essential

• Holds and will use valid UK driving licence OR provides evidence of proposed alternative.

Professional Values and Behaviours, Skills and Knowledge
Essential

• Demonstrates the underpinning subject-specific competences i.e. knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to the role setting and scope.
• Critically reflects on own competence, understands own limits, and seeks help when required.
• Communicates effectively and is able to share decision-making with patients, relatives and carers; treats patients as individuals, promoting a person-centred approach to their care, including self-management.

Desirable

• Wide range of specialist and sub-specialist experience relevant to post within NHS or comparable service

Leadership and Teamworking
Essential

• Awareness of their leadership responsibilities as a clinician and demonstrates appropriate leadership behaviour; managing situations that are unfamiliar, complex or unpredictable and seeking to build collaboration with, and confidence in, others
• Develops effective relationships across teams and contributes to work and success of these teams - promotes and participates in both multidisciplinary and interprofessional team working.

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
Essential

• Collaborates with multidisciplinary and interprofessional teams to manage risk and issues across organisations and settings, with respect for and recognition of the roles of other health professionals.
• Implements quality improvement methods and repeats quality improvement cycles to refine practice; designing projects and evaluating their impact.

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).