Doctors
At HPFT we provide integrated health and social care across community and inpatient settings for people with mental ill health and learning disabilities.
We are a University Trust, with close links to the University of Hertfordshire, offering exceptional learning and development opportunities for our medical staff, as well as strengthening clinical research.
Our partnership arrangements with the local authority and other organisations and groups provide excellent opportunities to develop a recovery-orientated approach, based on a holistic assessment of both health and social care needs. We also promote greater integration between mental and physical health and social care.
What we offer
The combination of our clinical practice and first-class academic connections means that our medical professionals have a wide range of opportunities to develop their careers and achieve their aspirations. We are committed to fostering a learning culture and have our own dedicated learning space, The Colonnades in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, which includes state-of-the-art facilities such as a fully-fitted clinical skills lab, an e-learning suite, and a new and improved library.
Core and higher specialist training
This training scheme includes 43 psychiatric training posts (23 core and 20 higher) in general adult, old age psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and psychiatry in learning disabilities. We also have 12 general practice training posts and 14 foundation year (one and two) posts.
Our core training posts are six-month roles in general adult psychiatry (including both inpatients and community placements), liaison psychiatry, old age psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and learning disabilities. Placements in general practice training and foundation year posts are four month posts and include all the psychiatry specialities available to trainees in the scheme.
This scheme also offers its own MRCPsych. course, which has achieved above national pass rates in the MRCPsych. exams.
International Medical Fellowship Programme
This provides a full-time, two-year, structured training programme in psychiatry. Fellows extend their understanding and gain a broad range of experience working alongside highly-skilled consultants, clinicians and multi-professional staff. The programme is open to:
- International postgraduate medical trainees with at least three years’ experience in psychiatry.
- Participants who have at least three years of full-time clinical practice – including the last 12 months
HPFT acts as the UK sponsor to enable participants to apply for GMC registration and a visa with the UK Borders Agency. Find out more. [link to the IMF Programme page]
A Master’s degree at University of Hertfordshire
Trainees are offered the opportunity to gain further qualifications, including a Master’s Degree. There are opportunities too for other staff to participate in academic learning and development; a number of colleagues also teach and facilitate programmes at the University.
Continuing Professional Development
- A weekly academic teaching session for all trainees/fellows
- A weekly Balint Group open to all trainees/fellows
- A monthly multidisciplinary teaching event for all medics and other professional groups
- All fellows assigned to a clinical and education supervisor
Research opportunities
We are a University Trust with an active research profile and expertise in mental health, learning disabilities, obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD, and dementia. We recruit to National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) portfolio studies and are always seeking new clinicians who would like to be local principal investigators for these studies. We host an annual research showcase event in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire, and also have quarterly research group meetings.
Audit opportunities
Doctors have the opportunity to take part in audit at both local and national levels. We are committed to continuously improve the quality of the services we provide and clinical audit is a key part of this. We have a dedicated Practice Audit and Clinical Effectiveness team (PACE) which conducts a varied audit programme each year and supports smaller service led work.
Mentoring and peer mentoring
We have mentors available to help and support trainees/fellows. We also run a peer mentoring scheme to support trainees and fellows during their rotations.
Mental health modular teaching programme
HPFT runs an annual teaching programme in association with Beds and Herts LMC. There are usually five to six modules on a variety of topics relating to psychiatry and primary care. An HPFT consultant delivers each module, in association with various multi-disciplinary colleagues. The target audience is GPs and medics within HPFT, including trainee doctors.
Schwartz Rounds
All HPFT staff, including trainee doctors, are encouraged to attend these open meetings. They aim to offer healthcare providers a regular, scheduled opportunity to discuss the social and emotional issues they face in caring for service users and their families. Staff are encouraged to share their experiences, thoughts and feelings with colleagues from other healthcare disciplines, on topics drawn from actual cases.
What we’re looking for
We are looking for medical professionals who want to work in collaboration with our service users, carers and colleagues to provide the very best treatment and care. Professionals who want to develop and consolidate their clinical skills and competencies whilst working in a Trust with a patient-centred ethos and a strong commitment to the delivery of high quality education and training.
Find out more about our medical vacancies.
‘The Trust really supports its staff in training and development. They don’t just want us to do our jobs – they want us to be as skilled as possible in what we do.’
Working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
Our clinicians believe that working in CAMHS is a privilege. Helping young people and their families, often at times of extreme stress; supporting them on their journey to recovery and helping them get back to the life they want.
We have committed and dedicated specialists who are patient-centred, innovative and forward thinking. Whether you are a consultant, a speciality doctor or trainee you will be joining a dynamic group of high calibre professionals.
Continuing professional development is very well supported and encouraged at HPFT, across all disciplines. Within CAMHS we have colleagues who have been helped by the Trust to continue with further degrees and education. With strong links to the University of Hertfordshire, the Trust also supports CAMHS doctors to take up research projects, as well as positions of responsibility externally. For example, one consultant is currently an assessor for the CQC.
In a competitive field, we were delighted that our CAMHS service in Hertfordshire was successful in a bid to NHS England to develop an innovative Tier 4 service. Our new community based, home treatment team is already up and running, and we are now in the process of building up a bespoke CAMHS DBT service. The Trust is also bidding for Tier 2 services in line with the Government Green Paper (Transforming children and young people’s mental health).
HPFT has been very receptive to increasing demands on our CAMHS services. A recent audit highlighted excessive case loads and in response, both the Trust and local CCGs have supported an increase in the number of consultant posts. We are also looking at raising the number of speciality doctors in the service.
The CAMHS Eating Disorder team was nominated for two awards in 2016. We were delighted to be highly commended in the Positive Practice awards and won the HSJ’s compassionate patient care award. Both these accolades were well earned and reflected the hard work and commitment of the whole team.
If you would like to join our CAMHS service, please check our current vacancies.
‘As a CAMHS psychiatrist at HPFT there would be opportunities to work across various specialities, indulge in your research interest, work towards management roles and work in a trust that has patient-centred values which are a core feature of how the whole Trust works, both for clinical and non-clinical staff.’
- Linda Zirinsky (Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist)
‘Being in HPFT CAMHS offers the opportunity to work in a holistic manner with colleagues from different disciplines who strive to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of young people. This includes working with the family and educational system. CAMHS clinicians use evidence-based therapies allowing young people to thrive in their communities in a safe and positive manner, improving their confidence so that they are making a real contribution towards their recovery and development.’
- Olivier Van den Broucke (Medical Lead CAMHS)
