Job summary
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust expanded its perinatal mental health services as a result of a successful application to NHS England's Perinatal Mental Health Community Perinatal Mental Health Services Development Fund (Wave 2) in 2018. The opportunity has now arisen to work as a Consultant perinatal psychiatrist in the Greenwich Perinatal Mental health team due to expansion of the service in line with NHS Long Term Plan and RCPsych report CR 232.
The Trust wide tri-borough Oxleas perinatal mental health service was established in February 2019 following funding from the 5yr Forward View. The service has successfully been peer reviewed by the Perinatal Quality Network (PQN, Royal College of Psychiatrists) in May 2020 and 2021.
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is expanding its perinatal mental health services because of an additional funding as part of NHS Long Term Plan. The postholder will be based with the Bromley perinatal mental health team and work alongside another 0.8 wte consultant perinatal psychiatrist.
Main duties of the job
This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated psychiatrist to join the established Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich Perinatal Mental Health Service as a Consultant perinatal Psychiatrist. The postholder will work collaboratively with others in the Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich Perinatal Mental Health Service, professionals from other services (e.g., maternity services and health visiting) and with our experts by experience, to build on the achievements to date and continue to develop this high-quality service to ensure excellent outcomes for women and their families.
The Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich Perinatal Mental Health Service covers a geographical area with an annual birth rate of over 12,000 births: 3174 in Bexley; 4079 in Bromley and 4776 in Greenwich. It is anticipated that in line with NHS Long Term Plan, the Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich Perinatal Mental Health Service will be seeing atleast 5% of birth rate which will be the core work and additional scaling up to 10% by 2023/24. This will include women seen by the Maternal Mental health service (MMHS)
The service comprises of three borough-based teams providing specialist, multidisciplinary perinatal mental health care for women from preconception, during pregnancy and up to one year postnatal who live in Bexley, Bromley or Greenwich. The three teams are co-located at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup.
About us
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is expanded its perinatal mental health services as a result of a successful application to NHS England's Perinatal Mental Health Community Perinatal Mental Health Services Development Fund (Wave 2) and launched the Oxleas perinatal mental health service in 2019. With subsequent additional funding from NHS Long Term Plan, the service is expanding again.
This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated psychiatrist to join the new Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich Perinatal Mental Health Service as an 6PA Substantive Consultant for the Bromley Perinatal Mental Health Team. The post holder will provide leadership and clinical expertise to the Bromley perinatal mental health team. They will work collaboratively with others in the Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich Perinatal Mental Health Service, professionals from other services (e.g., maternity services and health visiting) and with our experts by experience, to build on the achievements to date and continue to develop this high-quality service to ensure excellent outcomes for women and their families.
Further information about the trust and a map of the trust sites can be found on our website:www.oxleas.nhs.uk
Job description
Job responsibilities
The services clinical pathways, referral criteria, operational policy and processes apply across the three boroughs. This ensures equity of access and service provision regardless of where a woman lives. There is a single referral email address to simplify the referral process for professionals referring women from any of the three boroughs. Having three borough-based teams will allow clinicians in each borough to develop relationships with professionals and an understanding of local services available for women in their area. However, having a single base for the service will ensure that the three teams work closely together and will facilitate cross cover arrangements. The three borough teams will come together for the services monthly Clinical Governance /Quality Improvement meeting, service development meeting, training and reflective practice. All staff will be involved in service development. There will also be a monthly Senior Management Team meeting for the service.
Referrals are accepted for preconception appointments and for women who are pregnant or up to one year postnatal. The service has referral criteria based on the Royal College of Psychiatrists CCQI Perinatal Quality Network Standards. This ensures a high referral threshold and that the service prioritises women who have moderate to severe and complex mental health problems, including women who are currently well but at high risk of severe postpartum mental illness. Referrals are accepted from a range of professionals, with most referrals from maternity staff, GPs and secondary mental health services. Referrals are received electronically to a shared Bexley Bromley & Greenwich perinatal nhs.net email inbox which all team members can access. Referrals are triaged daily (Monday to Friday) according to the womans borough of residence, by the duty health care professional. The Perinatal Service Manager and Lead Nurse will oversee the triage process to ensure consistency across three boroughs. Referrals can be discussed with the consultant as needed throughout the week, duty consultant, daily triage meeting or at the teams weekly clinical meeting.
Women are seen at various locations across the three boroughs, including antenatal clinics, childrens centres, CMHT team bases and at home.
The Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrists for Greenwich and Bromley will run collated clinics with the Lead Obstetricians for mental health at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Royal University Hospital. The Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist for Bexley will have an outpatient clinic collocated with midwives at the Queen Marys Hospital site.
The service has about 500 women per year on the caseload across the Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich Perinatal Mental Health Service. It is anticipated this number will increase in line with the Long-Term Plan ambition.
Each of the three borough-based teams will have a weekly clinical team meeting, led by the Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and attended by all members of the team.
All clinicians in the team will give specialist advice to other professionals as needed.
Outside working hours women will be able to contact the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 24-hour Urgent Advice Line. Information about this will be routinely included in individual womens crisis and contingency plans.
The borough based perinatal mental health teams work closely with the Home Treatment Teams for women who require more intensive support.
There is no Mother & Baby Unit within Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. The service has close links with the Channi Kumar MBU, at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. This is in Bromley and managed by South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Links are also developed with the new Dartford MBU.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The services clinical pathways, referral criteria, operational policy and processes apply across the three boroughs. This ensures equity of access and service provision regardless of where a woman lives. There is a single referral email address to simplify the referral process for professionals referring women from any of the three boroughs. Having three borough-based teams will allow clinicians in each borough to develop relationships with professionals and an understanding of local services available for women in their area. However, having a single base for the service will ensure that the three teams work closely together and will facilitate cross cover arrangements. The three borough teams will come together for the services monthly Clinical Governance /Quality Improvement meeting, service development meeting, training and reflective practice. All staff will be involved in service development. There will also be a monthly Senior Management Team meeting for the service.
Referrals are accepted for preconception appointments and for women who are pregnant or up to one year postnatal. The service has referral criteria based on the Royal College of Psychiatrists CCQI Perinatal Quality Network Standards. This ensures a high referral threshold and that the service prioritises women who have moderate to severe and complex mental health problems, including women who are currently well but at high risk of severe postpartum mental illness. Referrals are accepted from a range of professionals, with most referrals from maternity staff, GPs and secondary mental health services. Referrals are received electronically to a shared Bexley Bromley & Greenwich perinatal nhs.net email inbox which all team members can access. Referrals are triaged daily (Monday to Friday) according to the womans borough of residence, by the duty health care professional. The Perinatal Service Manager and Lead Nurse will oversee the triage process to ensure consistency across three boroughs. Referrals can be discussed with the consultant as needed throughout the week, duty consultant, daily triage meeting or at the teams weekly clinical meeting.
Women are seen at various locations across the three boroughs, including antenatal clinics, childrens centres, CMHT team bases and at home.
The Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrists for Greenwich and Bromley will run collated clinics with the Lead Obstetricians for mental health at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Royal University Hospital. The Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist for Bexley will have an outpatient clinic collocated with midwives at the Queen Marys Hospital site.
The service has about 500 women per year on the caseload across the Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich Perinatal Mental Health Service. It is anticipated this number will increase in line with the Long-Term Plan ambition.
Each of the three borough-based teams will have a weekly clinical team meeting, led by the Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and attended by all members of the team.
All clinicians in the team will give specialist advice to other professionals as needed.
Outside working hours women will be able to contact the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 24-hour Urgent Advice Line. Information about this will be routinely included in individual womens crisis and contingency plans.
The borough based perinatal mental health teams work closely with the Home Treatment Teams for women who require more intensive support.
There is no Mother & Baby Unit within Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. The service has close links with the Channi Kumar MBU, at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. This is in Bromley and managed by South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Links are also developed with the new Dartford MBU.
Person Specification
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Person Specification
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
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.
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).
Additional information
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).
