Consultant Psychiatrist in Perinatal Psychiatry

Job summary

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for women, babies and families during the perinatal period? Are you looking for a Consultant role that combines clinical excellence, leadership, teaching and service development within an award-winning specialist service?

We are seeking an enthusiastic Consultant Psychiatrist in Perinatal Mental Health to join our friendly, supportive and highly regarded Perinatal Mental Health Community Service (PMHCS) at Kent and Medway Mental Health Trust (KMMH).

This substantive 10 PA post is based within the West Kent Perinatal Team, with responsibility for women across West Kent and Ashford. You will join an experienced multidisciplinary team alongside an established Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and work closely with specialist nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, nursery nurses, peer support workers, social workers and a specialist perinatal pharmacist.

The role offers a rewarding mix of direct clinical care, leadership and innovation. You will provide specialist assessment and treatment for women experiencing moderate to severe perinatal mental illness, offer expert advice on prescribing in pregnancy and breastfeeding, manage a compact caseload and contribute to the continued development of a Royal College of Psychiatrists Quality Network accredited service.

We offer flexible and hybrid working through community clinics, home visits and virtual appointments.

Main duties of the job

• Provide expert psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, risk assessment and treatment for women experiencing moderate to severe mental illness during pregnancy and up to two years postnatally.
• Deliver specialist advice on the safe and effective use of psychotropic medication during pre-conception, pregnancy and breastfeeding to patients, maternity services, primary care and mental health colleagues.
• Work as a senior clinical leader within the multidisciplinary team, providing consultation, guidance, supervision and support to medical and non-medical colleagues.
• Collaborate closely with maternity, obstetric, health visiting, primary care, social care and safeguarding services to ensure high-quality, integrated care for women, infants and families.
• Contribute to the strategic development, quality improvement, clinical governance, teaching and research activities of the Perinatal Mental Health Community Service and the wider Trust.
• Participate in the Consultant on-call rota (currently 1:30, non-resident), provide Responsible Clinician duties where required, and support the delivery of safe, responsive and recovery-focused mental health care across Kent and Medway.

About us

We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway and are rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.

Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.

Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.