East London NHS Foundation Trust
Speciality Doctor in Forensic Psychiatry - Ludgate Ward
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ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job Overview
This 7 PA Speciality doctor post is within the male medium secure part of the Forensic Directorate of the East London Foundation NHS Trust. One post is available, based at John Howard Centre (12 Kenworthy Rd, London. E9 5TD). The successful candidate will provide day-to-day care for patients on one ward, Ludgate Ward. This is a fixed term appointment for one year, with a start date of 01 October 2026.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will work at the level of a Specialty Doctor, working on Ludgate Ward. This is a fixed term post for one year.
Ludgate Ward is a newly commissioned 10 bedded male medium secure prison admission ward. The intention is to admit patients, primarily from those identified as requiring treatment for mental disorder whilst being held on remand in custody, from across the north London Collaborative. The expectation is that many of the patients will be remitted to prison after a period of treatment.
The successful candidate will join three other Speciality Doctors and seven Core Trainees covering the unit. The duties will include day-to-day management of 10 inpatients, including mental state examinations, physical health reviews and reviews of medications; reviews of enhanced observations; admission assessments, reports and discharge summaries. On occasion, there will be the opportunity to liaise with prisons and courts. Attendance at ward rounds and CPA review meetings is expected, although this may be limited because of the two ward role. A core responsibility will be the preparation of reports for the Courts, Mental Health Review Tribunals, Manager’s Hearings and others as required. There will be the opportunity to participate in the treatment programmes and attend unit wide activities such as academic activity, supervision, community meetings and unit events.
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
Please see attached Job Description/ Person Specification: you will provide Speciality Doctor input into a newly commissioned prison transfer ward.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- MB BS or equivalent medical qualification
Desirable criteria
- Qualification or higher degree in medical education, clinical research or management.
- MRCPsych OR MRCPsych equivalent approved by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
- Section 12 approval.
Eligibility
Essential Criteria
- Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practise at the time of appointment.
Desirable criteria
- In good standing with GMC with respect to warning and conditions on practice
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Experience
Essential criteria
- Completed Core Training years post medical training or have equivalent experience and competencies.
- Previous Experience in a Secure Setting or working with long term psychiatric conditions
Desirable criteria
- Experience in working in forensic learning disability
Essential Criteria
Clinical Skills, Knowledge and Experience
- Excellent communications skills
- Able to communicate clearly both in written and spoken English
- Electronic keyboard skills – for accurate record keeping
- Demonstrates sound knowledge and skill base with the ability to prioritise clinical need.
- Demonstrates ability in basic skills i.e. history taking, examination (mental & physical) and the utilisation of external sources of information in order to develop care and treatment plans to meet patient needs
- Capacity to utilise a range of approaches to solving problems and making decisions
- Demonstrates understanding of the principles of audit or quality improvement methodology and research within psychiatry and their application to clinical practice
- Able to work co-operatively as part of a team and build and maintain successful working relationships with staff in a variety of different roles; an understanding of multidisciplinary team dynamics.
- Ability to recognise and manage own stress utilising the resources available.
- Able to work in an efficient, systematic and flexible manner
- Able to deal with difficult situations and to address them in a responsible and professional manner.
- Understanding of the complex nature of patient confidentiality
- Able to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person
- Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
- Understanding and experience of the use of Rapid Tranquilisation and the management of Psychiatric emergencies
Desirable criteria
- Psychological-mindedness, with some experience of the use of psychodynamic formulation and group work
Making Things Better
Quality Improvement is a key part of our work to improve our services and refine how we do things. We have a global reputation for our quality improvement work and we don’t stand still! So we offer a fantastic opportunity for our staff to learn, lead and contribute towards improving our services.
We launched our Five Year Strategy in April 2018, which identified four main strategic outcomes to improve: population health outcomes, experience of care, staff experience and improve value. This complements the NHS Long Term Strategy and sets out our direction of travel.
Our Community
We provide a wide range of community health and mental health inpatient services to children, young people, adults of working age, and older adults in The City of London, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Bedfordshire and Luton. We also provide psychological therapy services to the London Borough of Richmond, and provide Forensic services to the whole of North East London. We provide services in urban and rural settings, sometimes in our inpatient units, but mostly in the community close to where people live. Integrated care is key in making the best use of resources and providing effective care.
Aiming High
We were rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC in 2016, were proud to be rated ‘Outstanding’ again in 2018 and continue to be rated 'Outstanding' in 2021. We were named in the HSJ’s Top 10 best places to work in healthcare and were voted Provider Trust of the Year in 2018.
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Staff and Service Users United
We strive to ensure that staff feel valued by the Trust and as they are truly pivotal in delivering better outcomes for our patients and service users. Our aspiration is to help to make ELFT the best place to work. This Trust is clinician-led and provides the highest possible level of clinical expertise throughout its services. We pride ourselves on our service user involvement. A service user will be on your assessment centre and interview panel if you are invited to meet us.
We especially welcome people with lived experience of health difficulties, with insight and understanding of different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles in our population as we believe that this will equip staff to deliver a high standard of care to our service users and patients.
Diversity
ELFT Is committed to being a diverse organisation and our workforce is reflective of the population and communities we serve. We believe that having colleagues with a range of backgrounds and life experiences enriches and adds value to the outcomes we have set out to achieve. Having partnered and endorsed by organisations who are representative and experts in various areas of equality and diversity, we can ensure we are meeting the pre-set standards all the way from recruitment stage throughout the career journey of our employees by being accessible, having fair inclusive practices and a host of staff networks to support, nurture and celebrate our valued staff in the workplace.
Other Reasons To Apply
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or another flexible pattern.
As part of the relocation scheme we presently have, the Trust could support you with offering up to £8,000 for removal and associated expenses. This is subject to change and terms and conditions apply.
AI in applications
If you use AI or other tools to assist in writing your job application, make sure you add your own personal touch especially in the supporting information section. AI can make writing easier, but it doesn’t fully understand the position you’re applying for and might generate false or misleading information. Applications written only by AI often sound generic and may not show your real skills, knowledge, or experience. It’s important to write your supporting statement in your own words. East London NHS Foundation Trust does not recommend relying only on AI, as it could negatively impact on your chance of success in the application process.
We carefully check applications to make sure no one has an unfair advantage, and we verify all references. At the interview, you’ll be asked about your experience, so be honest and ensure everything in your application is accurate. Please remember that using AI during the interview is not allowed.
What Next?
If you like the sound of ELFT, don’t waste a moment. We sometimes close adverts early if there is a high response, so apply now!
As part of our recruitment process we may be required to share information you provide on the application form with NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA
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