Consultant Psychiatrist, Counselling & MH Support Service, KCLNHS
Job summary
This is a 0.5 whole time equivalent consultant psychiatrist post within the Counselling and Mental Health Support Service at King's College London. It supports psychiatric assessment, advice, risk formulation and treatment planning for students with complex mental health needs, working in close partnership with the King's CMHS multidisciplinary team, King's Health Centre, GPs and statutory NHS services.
Main duties of the job
This is an opportunity to provide consultant psychiatric input into a large, complex and specialist university mental health service. The post holder will work alongside established clinical and managerial leaders in CMHS and will provide senior psychiatric assessment, advice, risk formulation, treatment planning and consultation for students whose needs are beyond short-term counselling alone and who are not open to, or are being transferred into or out of, secondary mental health services.
The post holder will support the safe and effective interface between the university service, primary care, NHS mental health services and other statutory or voluntary services. They will contribute to the development and review of psychiatry referral pathways, multidisciplinary working, clinical governance, audit, service development and staff consultation on matters related to student mental health.
Job description
Work as a member of the multidisciplinary CMHS team in collaboration with clinical and managerial leaders in the Counselling and Mental Health Support Service.
Assume consultant responsibility for referrals made by CMHS counsellors, mental health advisers, GPs, King's Health Centre and the Student of Concern process, where students have self-referred to CMHS or have been referred to the Mental Health team.
Provide psychiatric assessment, including risk assessment, for students referred to and under the care of the service.
Provide psychiatric assessment and treatment planning, including medication recommendations to the student's GP, for students with difficult-to-treat or diagnosed mental health conditions whose presentation cannot be supported through short-term counselling interventions and who are not open to a secondary mental health service.
Hold a clinical caseload of approximately four to five students per clinical day, subject to case complexity and service need.
Work in close collaboration with the counselling and mental health advice team, including the consultant psychiatrist in the service Mood Clinic.
Work in partnership with students to develop evidence-based, effective and agreed treatment and support plans.
Ensure effective communication around the referral pathway to psychiatry and work closely with the Heads of Service in CMHS to monitor and review psychiatry referrals received from CMHS team members.
Provide consultation, advice and appropriate support to managers and staff in CMHS, and to the wider King's community where agreed, on matters related to student mental health.
Coordinate clinical liaison with clinicians in NHS and statutory mental health services, including GPs, to support student referrals and handover of care responsibilities where appropriate.
Contribute to clinical governance of the Counselling and Mental Health Support Service, including audit of psychiatric practice and multidisciplinary work.
Record clinical activity and complete clinical outcome measures in line with service requirements.
Maintain accurate and contemporaneous notes in line with CMHS record keeping policy and any relevant SLaM governance requirements.
Complete mandatory and compliance training in line with King's College London and SLaM policy and requirements.
Maintain full registration with the General Medical Council and be listed on the Specialist Register of the GMC Medical Register, or be eligible for registration within six months.
About us
The Counselling and Mental Health Support Service is a free and confidential service that provides highly specialised counselling, mental health support and advice to King's College London students. Students are often in distress and require sensitive and timely access to psychological and mental health support. The service is a key part of the university's wider wellbeing and safeguarding structures and works collaboratively across departments and services to ensure that students receive timely and effective support.
The service sits within the Students and Education Directorate, a collection of professional services that support King's students and their education. The Directorate manages the student lifecycle from application to graduation and beyond, seeking a coherent and seamless student experience and effective administrative processes, working closely with King's faculties.
Clinical interfaces
The CMHS psychiatry pathway interfaces with King's Health Centre, students' own GPs, NHS psychiatric liaison teams, home treatment teams, community mental health teams, inpatient mental health services, specialist CAMHS or adult services and other relevant statutory, charitable and non-profit organisations. Active communication with students, referrers, family or support networks where consent and confidentiality allow, and external clinical teams is central to safe and effective care.