Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry - CMHT

An exciting part-time opportunity has opened for an enthusiastic Consultant Psychiatrist to join the Western Community Hospital's mental health team. This flexible role arose following the retirement of the previous post holder, who served for seven years.

We welcome applicants interested in hybrid working – combining face‑to‑face and remote arrangements.

The post holder will work closely alongside Dr Chloe Taylor (full‑time) and Dr Rochelle Coelho (part‑time), consultants in old age psychiatry covering the West CMHT area. This partnership provides a supportive buddy system for cross‑cover during leave.

The medical team currently includes two consultants, plus two resident trainees: one core psychiatry (CT1‑3) and one GP trainee. A higher psychiatry trainee (ST4‑6) post is pending approval.

The West Community Mental Health Team for older adults is well‑established, supported by several band 5 and 6 nurses, a full‑time memory clinic advanced nurse practitioner (prescriber), and a dedicated band 6 in‑reach nurse working with care homes under the leadership of nurse consultant Lucy Coates.

Additional support comes from a band 7 team manager, a community matron, a community head of nursing, part‑time psychologists, and an occupational therapist.

The post is based at Oakwood Centre, Western Community Hospital, Southampton, SO16 4XE. The post holder will join the OPMH on‑call rota for North and South Hampshire, approximately 1 in 14 frequency.

The post holder will have responsibility for referrals from the General Practices listed below and hold a clinical leadership role within the team alongside Dr. Rochelle Coelho and Dr. Chloe Taylor. Patients will primarily be seen in outpatient clinics, with occasional home visits. The post holder will personally conduct new assessments for complex cases and support team members in assessing other referrals through supervision.

They will oversee clinical management of patients via weekly multidisciplinary team meetings and support nurses in care coordination for people with complex needs, promoting active caseload management and use of outcome measures. The post holder will attend CPA meetings and perform Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act assessments as needed. Available during working hours for clinical advice, the post holder supports the nurse‑led duty system for triaging and emergency assessments, assisting with complex cases and supervising urgent reviews.

The team can access the Southampton acute mental health team for out‑of‑hours functional crisis care for people over 65. The post holder will allocate work and support effective workload management, staff development, and ongoing service improvement.

Referrals come from:
Alma Road Surgery, Homeless Health Care Team, Mulberry House Surgery, Solent GP Surgery, and St. Mary’s Surgery. The total population over 65 in these areas is approx. 6,000.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high‑quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.…