297
HSE Dublin & North East
https://www.hse.ie
Full-Time
06/11/2025
Dublin
Other
Central Mental Hospital & Irish Prison Service
18/12/2025, 15:00
Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist
Permanent
Health Service Executive
Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist - Central Mental Hospital, Portrane 29hpw & Irish Prison Service 8hpw, PSYC5800 & PSYC5801.
This is an appointment to the HSE Dublin & North East Region on a Public Only Consultants’ Contract 2023 by the Health Service Executive. The initial commitment for this post will be to Central Mental Hospital, Portrane for 29 hours per week and Irish Prison Service for 8 hours. This post may be subject to restructuring in the future to facilitate the reorganisation of acute services in line with new clinical models of acute and community services. It is noted that the post must be congruent with the requirements of, and facilitate implementation of national health policy, the HSE’s National Clinical Programmes including commitment to deliver the relevant performance outcomes.
Please see Information Booklet for further details.
To provide specialised Consultant Psychiatrist services within the National Forensic Mental Health Service.
The Consultant will deliver forensic psychiatry services tailored to the needs of patients across the Central Mental Hospital, NFMHS clinics, prisons, and community settings, as well as through a tertiary liaison role with Consultant Psychiatrists nationwide.
The Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist requires skills in risk assessment, risk management specifically concerning serious violence, the assessment and use of therapeutic security at high, medium and low levels including community settings, and experience in the management of treatment resistant, dual diagnosis and more complex cases.
The Consultant has clinical responsibility for the inpatient care and treatment for patients at the Central Mental Hospital with complex mental health needs and co-morbid mental illnesses and disorders that can only be treated in conditions of therapeutic safety and security.
The Consultant, as part of work in the Prison Inreach Services will also have responsibility for assessment, care and treatment of prisoners identified as requiring psychiatric intervention, and communication with the Courts as appropriate.
As part of the National Forensic Mental Health Service consultation/liaison service with mental health services nationally, the Consultant has responsibility to provide timely and full evaluation of patients identified as requiring forensic psychiatric assessment.
Triage according to need for therapeutic security.
Specialist care and treatment to reduce risk of violence and other harm, and to reduce the seriousness of potential violence and other harm.
Medico-legal assessment, report writing and court work.
The HSE’s National Forensic Mental Health Service is a specialist tertiary service at national level, based at the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane. The Central Mental Hospital has 112 registered in-patient beds, and admits patients from the prisons who are remanded or sentenced, under Section 15 of the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006. Patients found unfit to stand trial or not guilty by reason of insanity are detained under Section 4 and 5 of the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006 respectively, until they regain fitness to stand trial or are conditionally or absolutely discharged by the Mental Health Review Board.
A tertiary referrals system is provided for adult mental health services throughout the country.
There are consultant-led prison inreach clinics in 10 out of 12 prisons nationally.
The team functions to screen all newly received prisons for severe mental illness and to perform screening and psychiatric triage, arranging for those most in need to be diverted either to the Central Mental Hospital or to local community mental health team facilities.
The Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist will lead a multidisciplinary team, including a Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor, an Occupational Therapist, a Social Worker, Nursing, and medical secretary. All consultant led multidisciplinary teams have access to clinical psychological services.
The appointment is whole-time, permanent and pensionable.
The annual salary will be as set out in the Public Only Consultants’ Contract 2023. Medical Consultants Salary Scales from 1st August 2025:
€233,527 €246,150 €259,475 €266,489 €273,501 €280,513
The standard working week applying to the post is: 37 hours per week.
The annual leave associated with the post is: 30 Working Days per annum.
A ranking and or shortlisting exercise may be carried out on the basis of information supplied in your application form. The criteria for ranking and or shortlisting are based on the requirements of the post as outlined in the eligibility criteria and skills, competencies and/or knowledge section of this job specification. Therefore it is very important that you think about your experience in light of those requirements
Failure to include information regarding these requirements may result in you not being called forward to the next stage of the selection process.
The HSE is an equal opportunities employer.
Dr. Brenda Wright
Interim Executive Clinical Director
brenda.wright1@hse.ie
This vacancy is closed to applications.
