CAMHS Portfolio Pathway Consultant Psychiatrist

Cnwlnhshealthcharity; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 109,000 - GBP 146,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in Milton Keynes is seeking an experienced Psychiatrist for a fixed-term contract to work within the CAMHS team. The role will involve providing high-quality care to children with mental health needs and supporting career development towards specialist registration. The ideal candidate will possess strong teamwork and communication skills, with a commitment to innovative healthcare delivery. Join us to make a significant impact on children's lives while advancing your career in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Comprehensive support for professional development

Diverse clinical experiences

Generous relocation package

Qualifications

• Experience in working with children and young people with mental health presentations.
• Good knowledge of Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act legislation.
• Experience in managing risk.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical support to children with psychiatric illnesses.
• Participate in multidisciplinary assessment and management.
• Contribute to the development of the CAMHS team.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication skills

Child and adolescent mental health knowledge

Innovative care delivery

Education

Primary Medical Qualification

Full GMC Registration

Membership of the RCPsych

Job description

Search here to find a new job, a new career, an opportunity to up skill or to simply change your career direction. Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

There’s a place for you at CNWL. We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient‑centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career. With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

YC73

Main area CAMHS Psychiatry Grade YC73 Contract 18 months (fixed‑term contract) Hours Full time - 10 sessions per week Job ref 333-D-MK-C-0007

Site Eaglestone Health Centre Town Milton Keynes Salary £109,725 - £145,478 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 15/02/2026 23:59

Job overview

Are you an ambitious, forward‑thinking Psychiatrist with a passion for child and adolescent mental health? Are you seeking an opportunity to progress along the portfolio pathway towards specialist registration in CAMHS? If so, we invite you to join our specialist CAMHS team at the Milton Keynes Hospital Campus.

We are seeking a Specialty Doctor, Associate Specialist, Specialist, or Locum Consultant psychiatrist who is:

• Pursuing or wants to pursue the portfolio pathway route to specialist registration in CAMHS.
• Energetic, innovative, and committed to delivering high‑quality care for children and young people.
• A strong advocate for teamwork and collaborative practice.
• Keen to contribute to teaching, training, and the continued development of our service.

Main duties of the job

This is a fixed‑term locum consultant post for 18 months, designed to support enthusiastic psychiatrists who are committed to developing their skills and fulfilling the requirements for specialist registration in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) via the portfolio pathway route. The role is structured with 3 Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) sessions per week, providing substantial time for your portfolio pathway, and 7 Direct Clinical Care (DCC) sessions.

If you are a dedicated Psychiatrist eager to advance your career in CAMHS and wish to achieve your CCT via the portfolio pathway, we would love to hear from you. Join us at a time of exciting growth and make a real impact in the lives of children, young people, and their families.

Milton Keynes Mental Health: Building a brighter future for children and young people together.

Working for our organisation

In Milton Keynes, CNWL are responsible for the provision of mental health services for children and young people, adults and older adults. We jointly run the learning disability services with the local authority.

Milton Keynes Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) covers the whole area of Milton Keynes with all referrals received into the single point of access in the service. This is believed to be the best way to give greatest flexibility in case management and provision of service to children, young people and their families and carers. The service caters for all mental health presentations as well as children with learning disabilities who have mental health needs. There are a number of treatment pathways within the team for intervention and the service is currently adopting the I‑Thrive model.

What we offer:

• Fixed‑term locum consultant contract for 18 months.
• 7 DCC and 3 SPA sessions per week, supporting both clinical and portfolio activities.
• A stimulating and progressive work environment with access to diverse clinical experiences.
• Comprehensive support in achieving specialist registration through the portfolio pathway.
• Opportunities to participate in research, service development, and quality improvement projects.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide a service to children and young people with established or suspected psychiatric illnesses for diagnosis, treatment plan and follow up, mainly for out‑patients and very occasionally advice and specialist consultation to young people admitted to inpatient services.
• To provide a service to children and young people who have primary diagnosis of learning disabilities and mental health problems for diagnosis, management and continuing care.
• To provide clinical support for children with diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions and where needed, clinical input for additional psychopathology.
• To contribute to multidisciplinary assessment and management of behavioural impairment in context of learning disabilities and / or neurodevelopmental disorders.
• To provide consultation and advice for complex clinical presentations requiring multidisciplinary input.
• The post-holder will be expected to carry a full and varied caseload for this post requiring varying degree of input from consultant psychiatrists.
• To develop a special clinical interest with the agreement of the Clinical Director.
• To undertake the administrative duties associated with patient care.
• To participate in the out of hours on‑call cover with a 1:6 rota. This is in addition to offering consultations and on‑call cover to other clinicians during working hours.
• To contribute to the development of the child and adolescent psychiatry team, with a focus on developing and providing clinical leadership for the team.
• To undertake line management responsibilities and clinical supervision of up to two Specialty Doctors.
• To be involved in the quality governance; including critical incident reviews and management of complaints.
• To demonstrate excellent communication skills and be a role model to other members of the service.
• To provide senior medical leadership and work closely with the management team to ensure the service improve outcomes and experiences for young people and achieves its performance targets whilst delivering high quality, safe care.

In order to fulfil job responsibilities and the environment in which these responsibilities are carried out the post holder is required to:

• Take responsibility for attending and participating in all mandatory and essential training to ensure the safe and efficient functioning of the Trust and/or safety and wellbeing of other staff and the patients for whom you provide services.
• Safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults by being aware of and working in accordance with statutory guidance and local policies and procedures and attending training to a level required to ensure that you are competent to fulfil your responsibilities.

Person specification

Qualifications

• A primary Medical Qualification
• Full GMC Registration
• Eligibility for Approved Clinician status and Approval under section 12 of the Mental Health Act
• Membership of the RCPsych

Personal Characteristics

• Passion, commitment and dedication to working with children and young people
• A positive attitude and ability to reflect and act on feedback
• A good team worker with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a good command of English language.
• Manage unpredictable and conflicting demands. Prioritise and plan effectively to cope with pressure and adapt to change.
• Demonstrate energy and enthusiasm in pursuing the highest standards of care. Open to development of services and willing to participate in quality improvement initiatives.
• Approach based on critical enquiry and evidence-based medicine
• Strong and robust decision maker
• Ability to challenge poor performance

Training, knowledge and relevant experience

• Training and experience in working with children and young people with mental health presentations
• Experience in working in a multi‑agency approach
• Good working knowledge of Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act legislation
• Experience in management of risk
• Training and experience in working with children with learning disabilities
• Wide range of experience of working in a community‑based setting
• Experience in managing complex and dual presentations
• Specialist experience and interest in working in an area relevant to children and young people
• Knowledge of appropriate medical, pharmacological and psychological interventions for children and young people with mental health and learning disability presentations

Other

• A commitment to education, training and professional development
• Understand the concept and principles of Clinical Governance
• Understand the NHS system, especially in relation to CAMHS services, locally and nationally
• Able to drive or provide transport to meet the requirements of the post
• Willingness to engage with patients and carers to develop excellent services
• Enthusiasm and experience in teaching

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.

If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name: Dr Lok Singh Job title: Clinical Director Email address: [e-mail]. For further information or to arrange an informal discussion, please contact Clinical Director Dr Lok Raj Singh – [e-mail].