Specialty Doctor - General Adult Inpatients - Oakwood Ward

Somerset NHS Charity; Bristol; On-site; GBP 61,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A mental health service provider is looking for Specialty Doctors to join their General Adult Inpatient unit in Bristol. The role involves managing inpatient care while working alongside a multidisciplinary team. Candidates should have a medical degree, Royal College membership, and strong communication skills. This position offers opportunities for professional development in a dynamic environment. The post is available on both full-time and part-time bases, with competitive annual salary ranging from £61,542 to £99,216.

Qualifications

• Registered medical practitioner eligible for Full GMC registration.
• Ability to manage own time and workload effectively.
• Evidence of achievements demonstrating leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage inpatients under the Consultant Psychiatrist's care.
• Provide medical support to Mason Ward as needed.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings.

Skills

Time management

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

MB BS or equivalent medical

Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Completed four years’ full‑time postgraduate training

Job description

Main area General Adult Psychiatry Grade Specialty Doctor Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time

10 sessions per week (6 PA post also available) Job ref 342-SD300-BNSSG-DH

Employer Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Oakwood Ward Town Southmead Road, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol Salary £61,542 - £99,216 per annum, pro-rata Salary period Yearly Closing 04/01/2026 23:59 Interview date 19/01/2026

Specialty Doctor - General Adult Inpatients - Oakwood Ward

Specialty Doctor

Job overview

The Trust is seeking two Specialty Doctors to join the team on Oakwood Ward, with both full‑time and part‑time positions available. Oakwood Ward is a general adult acute inpatient unit based on the Southmead Hospital site in Bristol.

In addition to their core duties on Oakwood Ward, the post‑holders will also provide medical input to Mason Ward for up to four patients as required. This will include clerking new admissions and undertaking medical reviews when clinically indicated.

Oakwood Ward is a dynamic and forward‑thinking acute psychiatric unit that embraces the challenges of acute mental health care. The ward operates as a psychologically informed environment and works within a genuinely multidisciplinary model.

The team is highly motivated, committed to improving service quality, and actively engaged in developing and delivering quality improvement projects. Their shared goal is to provide the highest standard of care while supporting patients and carers throughout the recovery journey.

There are no on‑call commitments attached to this post; however, there may be opportunities to join the out‑of‑hours full‑shift rota if desired

Main duties of the job

The post‑holder will be responsible for managing inpatients under the care of the full‑time Consultant Psychiatrist based exclusively on Oakwood Ward. They will work closely alongside a Core Trainee and Foundation Doctors as part of the medical team.

In addition to their duties on Oakwood Ward, the post‑holder will provide medical support to Mason Ward when requested. Mason Ward is a four‑bedded Place of Safety located adjacent to Oakwood Ward. Work on Mason Ward will be supervised by the on‑call Consultant and will include reviewing patients requiring medical input and clerking individuals admitted under Section 140.

Oakwood Ward is a 21‑bedded mixed‑gender acute inpatient unit, typically receiving around three new admissions per week, with an average length of stay of 4–6 weeks. The post‑holder will contribute to ward reviews, participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, and maintain close liaison with community mental health teams and crisis services.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to broaden clinical knowledge and develop new skills within acute psychiatry. The post‑holder will receive support to prepare tribunal reports and attend Mental Health Review Tribunals (MHRT), subject to appropriate experience.

Regular supervision will be provided by the substantive Consultant, and the post‑holder will have access to weekly journal clubs and academic meetings.

Working for our organisation

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset. Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person‑centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

Please note that Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust is not currently a sponsor under the GMC Sponsorship Scheme.

As a result, we regret to inform you that we are unable to consider applications from individuals who require GMC sponsorship

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the accompanying job description for full details on the roles and responsibilities of this post.

Person specification

Qualifications

• MB BS or equivalent medical
• Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
• Section 12 Approval
• Eligible for Full GMC registration with a licence to practise at time of confirmation of appointment.
• Completed at least four years’ full‑time postgraduate training (or its equivalent gained on a part-time or flexible basis) at least two of which will be in a specialty training programme in Psychiatry or as a fixed term specialty trainee in Psychiatry; or shall have equivalent experience and competencies.

Skills

• Ability to manage own time and workload and prioritise clinical work
• Ability to appraise own performance
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Evidence of specific achievements that demonstrate leadership skills

Knowledge

• Up to date knowledge of issues in Mental Health Service for this specialty.

Teaching Skills

• Commitment to teaching other members of the multi disciplinary team.
• Teaching of undergraduate students
• PGCME or equivalent/aspiration to attain a postgraduate teaching qualification

Research and Audit

• Ability to critically appraise published research.
• Experience of carrying out an audit project
• Experience in involvement in a research project and publication.
• Interest in research

We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with ‘lived-experience’ of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities,– we are a ‘Disability Confident Employer’ offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. This includes people with a variety of disabilities and neurodivergent conditions (for example autism, ADHD, sensory, physical and learning disabilities).

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.

Please apply to join us, we would love to hear from you. Any personal details you supply to us are kept safe in line with the General Data Protection Regulations.

Adverts normally close for application a few minutes before midnight on the closing date and we will let you know if we are offering you an interview by email via our recruitment system ‘TRAC’. We contact all applicants within 4 weeks after the closing date, so please check your emails regularly once you have submitted your application; you are welcome to contact us, via the TRAC system, if you have any queries about your application.

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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.