NHS Lanarkshire Careers
Consultant in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
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Why Working in NHS Lanarkshire as a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist is Excellent
NHS Lanarkshire is ambitious for the population it serves and its staff. It is the third largest health board in Scotland and offers a wonderful combination of being large scale whilst also being small enough to be personable. The sizeable population means that there can be team specialisation within CAMHS.
The service is pioneering and creative in planning and design. The development of the Neurodevelopmental Service brought together a large variety of multi-disciplinary clinicians, including both paediatrics and psychiatry, before the national Neurodevelopmental Specification was published. There has been much development in the CAMHS service in the past two years including the introduction of a Centralised Duty Team to help clinicians in locality CAMHS teams focus on delivering planned clinical care.
We are also aware of the important of environment in providing care to children and young people. The site at Udston Hospital was refurbished in 2022 and great care was taken in the planning of the interior. It was vital to the service that children and young people were consulted for their vision and interior design advice also sought. The outcome has been praised. The Royal College of Psychiatrists Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Executive Committee Newsletter in October 2023 wrote “NHS Lanarkshire has officially opened a new CAMHS outpatient facility which makes other services aspire to have a similar environment that bring comfort to distressed children and young people”. Plans are in place to modernise the other CAMHS clinics to the same standard.
The CAMHS and Neurodevelopmental Service have a supportive consultant group with most consultants having worked in the service for years but who are also keen to welcome and support new colleagues to the department. There is a sense of camaraderie amongst our staff, including the connections with colleagues who work managerially and with other disciplines. It is important to the Clinical Director that the Consultant team meet together and with her regularly. For this reason, there are fortnightly meetings and open lines of communication.
We offer flexible and innovative ways of working and leadership opportunities. We are keen to collaborate with the consultant psychiatry group when continuing to shape, improve and adapt the service to changing needs. The value of the consultant time is recognised and to help support this all consultants have named secretary support.
This is an exciting time to join our dynamic and forward thinking team. The formation of our Health and Social Care Partnerships gives unprecedented opportunities to make a real difference to people with mental health conditions in both primary and secondary care settings. Our focus is on quality, safety and continuous improvement. We have been one of the pioneers of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme and there are many opportunities to be involved in this excellent programme alongside teaching and research opportunities. Lanarkshire Services have a particular focus on ensuring people receive the right service at the right time.
Lanarkshire is an area of outstanding natural beauty. In the picturesque Clyde Valley there are great opportunities for those with an interest in outdoor pursuits. For those seeking urban living it is an easy commute from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. This means that consultants working in Lanarkshire can choose to live across the Central Belt of Scotland with excellent state and private schooling available. We are keen to offer flexibility with job planning, aware that work life balance is important. There is no out of hours’ commitment for Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in NHS Lanarkshire which can also help with family friendly working hours.
If you are interested in finding out more, please see our Job Pack for further details.
If you would like to apply for this post, please visit https://apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk/Job/JobDetail?JobId=187628
Case Study – Celebrating success: My rewarding career journey of passion and purpose in psychiatry
Dr Claire Sinclair talks about her engaging and rewarding career in the NHS in Scotland – https://www.careers.nhs.scot/blog/my-rewarding-career-journey-of-passion-and-purpose-in-psychiatry/
Let me introduce myself
Hello! I’m Claire, a consultant psychiatrist in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at NHS Lanarkshire. I provide psychological support to young people up to school leaving age with moderate to severe mental health difficulties.
I work in a busy outpatient clinic with a team of other healthcare professionals, including nurses, psychologists and AHPs. We’re also supported by a small admin team. Our service is constantly evolving to best meet the needs of the young people in our area.
Why psychiatry?
When I was at school choosing subjects and making career decisions, I knew I wanted an interesting but challenging career. Something that would be different every day.
My mum was a nurse, so I had a good role model for a career in healthcare. I also had some work experience in a hospital.
At medical school, I took a psychiatry elective, so I knew a career as a psychiatrist could be everything I wanted it to be. The experience inspired me to choose my career path.
Starting out as a newly qualified psychiatrist
Towards the end of my medical training, I worked as a trainee at NHS Lanarkshire. I enjoyed both the type of work and the colleagues I met. When the consultant psychiatrist who trained me retired after 22 years in post, I knew a job opportunity would be coming up. It was my first job as a newly qualified psychiatrist.
The positive role social media has played in challenging the stigma of mental ill health
I’ve worked in NHS Scotland for 28 years. During that time, I’ve noticed the positive role social media has played in helping young people challenge the stigma of mental ill health. The platforms can also support their understanding and awareness of mental health difficulties and neurodiversity.
Over the last few years, there has been a huge increase in demand for mental health support. NHS Lanarkshire has a new facility designed specifically for CAHMS services so that young people have access to high-quality services. Although our work has changed, the commitment of colleagues is incredible and essential to improving the lives of the young people we see.
Making a difference
My mornings start with either a clinic or departmental meetings. I then do some admin and reply to emails. I have another clinic in the afternoon. Our clinic appointments are either 30 minutes or one hour.
I really enjoy getting to know the young people and their families and watching the progress they make over the time we know them. I work with some of them for most of their childhood and adolescence. I feel very privileged to see the wonderful young adults they become.
I think all the small things we do in our day-to-day working lives add up to something really huge and important. Hearing a heartfelt thank you from a colleague, a young person, or a parent keeps me doing this job, even when things get difficult.
What I’ve learned about myself during my psychiatry career
I’ve had to adapt and update my knowledge throughout my career. The world of CAMHS has changed so much in the last 20 years. Learning from a great team of colleagues and being supportive of others are important skills to develop.
Continuing professional development (CPD) is an essential part of my role. One positive outcome of the pandemic is the development of technology to support CPD activities and meetings. This includes both formal training and informal development opportunities with peers.
Work for us
If you’re interested in bringing your psychiatry career to Scotland, I say go for it! There are lots of rewarding opportunities where you can make a real and positive difference in the lives of others.
