Consultant Psychiatrist – General Adult Acute

Consultant Psychiatrist – General Adult Acute (Hastings / St Leonards-on-Sea)

NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant | Full time (10 PA) | Permanent

£109,725 – £145,478 per annum

Plus enhanced Recruitment & Retention Premia (£45,000)

Closing date: 9 February 2026

A senior inpatient consultant role within a modern acute care setting, offering strong multidisciplinary support, clinical leadership opportunities and enhanced financial incentives.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to offer an exciting opportunity for a Consultant Psychiatrist to join the General Adult Acute Service at Woodlands Acute Care Centre in Hastings. This post has arisen following a consultant retirement and offers the opportunity to shape inpatient care across two adult wards within a supportive and well-established service.

About the role

You will work across two adult acute wards at Woodlands Acute Care Centre: Abbey Ward (14-bed female acute ward) and Castle Ward (9-bed male acute ward). As Consultant Psychiatrist, you will provide senior clinical leadership, manage complex inpatient admissions, oversee assessment and treatment planning, and lead multidisciplinary team working. You will supervise junior colleagues, contribute to service development, and work closely with senior managers and consultant peers to continuously improve the quality and safety of acute inpatient care. This is a senior, influential role where you will shape clinical standards and support high-quality, recovery-focused treatment.

Why join Sussex Partnership?

At SPFT, we put people first – both the communities we serve and the colleagues who work here. We’re proud to be rated ‘Outstanding’ for caring by the CQC, and in our latest staff survey 82% of colleagues told us that patient care is our top priority. You’ll be joining an organisation that actively supports flexible working, invests in professional development, teaching and research, and values compassionate, inclusive leadership.

You’ll be based in St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings – a characterful coastal town in East Sussex offering seaside living, easy access to the South Downs and countryside, and rail links to Brighton, London and Gatwick.

What we offer

• Enhanced Recruitment & Retention Premia of £45,000 (subject to policy)

• Relocation support (subject to policy)

• NHS pension scheme

• Flexible working and bespoke job planning

• Trust-wide consultant network and strong peer support

• Dedicated office space and administrative support

• Opportunities for teaching, research and service development

About you

You will be a GMC-registered Consultant Psychiatrist with strong general adult experience and the ability to manage clinical complexity within acute inpatient services. You will bring excellent clinical and communication skills, confidence in multidisciplinary leadership, and a collaborative, values-led approach to care. You will be motivated to contribute to service development and the ongoing improvement of inpatient mental health services.

Key details

Location: Woodlands Acute Care Centre, St Leonards-on-Sea

Hours: Full time – 10 PA (flexible working considered)

Contract: Permanent

Interviews: To be confirmed

Our commitment

We are committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and from disabled candidates, who are currently under-represented within our organisation.

If this feels like the kind of role and organisation where you could do your best work, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and help shape high-quality acute mental health care in East Sussex.