Welcome to Hunter Gatherer Mental Health, your specialist partner for psychiatrist recruitment across the UK.
Psychiatry faces one of the most significant workforce challenges in medicine. NHS mental health services are under sustained pressure, and the shortage of consultant psychiatrists means services rely heavily on locum cover to maintain clinical function and patient safety. We connect psychiatrists with well-scoped, compliant roles across NHS and independent mental health settings – and help services find psychiatrists who can contribute clinically from the first day.
Why Services Choose Hunter Gatherer for Psychiatry Recruitment:
- We understand the scale of the problem Psychiatry has one of the highest locum dependency rates in NHS medicine. We work with this reality practically – maintaining a network of GMC-registered psychiatrists available for short-notice cover, block bookings and longer-term arrangements across specialisms and grades.
- Compliance checked to medical standard Full GMC registration with licence to practise, Specialist Register status for consultant roles, Responsible Officer confirmation, medical indemnity, DBS and occupational health – all verified before placement.
- Specialism-matched, not generic General adult, CAMHS, old age, forensic, perinatal, liaison, learning disabilities – psychiatry is not one specialism. We match on subspecialty background and relevant setting experience.
- Locum and permanent placements Urgent clinical cover or a permanent appointment – we support both.
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The Psychiatry Workforce Challenge in the UK:
Psychiatry is one of the most under-staffed medical specialties in the NHS. The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ 2025 Workforce Census found that more than a quarter of consultant psychiatrist posts in England were either vacant or filled by locums – in eating disorders psychiatry, that figure approached two in five. The North West had one in three consultant posts unfilled by a substantive doctor.
This is not a short-term fluctuation. It is a structural feature of psychiatric staffing in England, and it affects patient care directly. Services increasingly rely on experienced locum psychiatrists to maintain consultant presence, hold Responsible Clinician responsibilities under the Mental Health Act, and keep community and inpatient teams functioning. Finding reliable, well-credentialled psychiatrists quickly and keeping them working is not a luxury – it is how mental health services stay safe.
Psychiatry Specialisms We Recruit For:
We place psychiatrists across the full range of subspecialties in both NHS and independent settings:
- General Adult Psychiatry – community mental health teams, acute inpatient, home treatment and crisis, rehabilitation
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAMHS) – community CAMHS, Tier 4 inpatient, eating disorders, neurodevelopmental, forensic CAMHS
- Old Age Psychiatry – functional older adult mental health, dementia, organic presentations, inpatient and community
- Forensic Psychiatry – low, medium and high secure inpatient settings, community forensic, court and prison liaison
- Perinatal Psychiatry – specialist perinatal mental health teams, mother and baby units
- Liaison Psychiatry – acute hospital mental health liaison, emergency department liaison, integrated psychological medicine
- Learning Disability Psychiatry – specialist LD inpatient and community services, ASD assessment
- Addictions Psychiatry – substance misuse services, dual diagnosis, addiction inpatient
- Eating Disorders Psychiatry – specialist eating disorder inpatient and outpatient services
- Rehabilitation Psychiatry – longer-stay rehabilitation services, complex needs
Psychiatrist Grades We Place:
- Consultant Psychiatrists – substantive and locum consultant cover, RC responsibilities, MDT leadership, community and inpatient clinical leadership
- Specialty Doctors (SAS) – experienced middle-grade psychiatrists working within consultant-led services; increasingly in demand as a flexible senior clinical resource
- Resident Doctors (CT/ST level) – core and higher trainees and trust grade doctors working within consultant-led psychiatric services at ST4–ST6 and below
Qualifications We Look For:
Every psychiatrist we place holds:
- Full GMC registration with a current licence to practise – verified directly
- For consultant placements: inclusion on the GMC Specialist Register in psychiatry (or psychiatry subspecialty), confirming completion of higher specialist training or CESR equivalent
- MRCPsych or equivalent approved by the Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Medical indemnity cover appropriate to the role and setting
- Enhanced DBS
- Relevant experience in the specific subspecialty and setting – we do not place general adult psychiatrists in forensic inpatient settings without relevant experience
For locum consultant roles involving Responsible Clinician (RC) responsibilities under the Mental Health Act: confirmation of Approved Clinician (AC) status where required.
Locum Psychiatry Opportunities:
Locum psychiatry offers competitive rates, genuine clinical variety across different services and patient populations, and the flexibility to control your own working pattern. Whether you want to cover a short-term gap between substantive posts, build a portfolio of regular sessions with multiple trusts, or transition gradually out of a permanent role into flexible working, we’ll find opportunities that match your subspecialty, grade and availability.
We have active psychiatry requirements across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond.
Lets start the search for your next role in Psychiatry
Psychiatrist Pay Rates (2025/26):
Locum consultant psychiatrists typically earn £90–£130 per hour, with some specialist and urgent cover roles above this range. Rates vary by subspecialty, location, session type (core vs unsocial hours) and trust. London and high-cost area placements carry a supplement above the national average.
Specialty Doctor (SAS) psychiatrists typically earn £55–£85 per hour as a locum, depending on grade, experience and setting. Resident doctors at CT/ST level typically earn £40–£65 per hour depending on grade and shift type.
Substantive consultant psychiatrist salaries in the NHS run from £109,725 to £145,748 (2025/26 England) under the consultant contract, with progression points and Clinical Impact Awards available on top.
Our consultants can advise on current market rates for your subspecialty, grade and region.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Do locum consultant psychiatrists need to be on the GMC Specialist Register? Yes, for consultant placements. NHS trusts require Specialist Register inclusion as a condition of appointment to a consultant post. For locum consultant roles, this is non-negotiable and we verify it directly with the GMC before placement.
- Do you place psychiatrists for Responsible Clinician (RC) responsibilities? Yes. Many of our consultant placements involve RC responsibilities under the Mental Health Act. We confirm Approved Clinician status where this is a requirement of the role.
- Do you place international medical graduates (IMGs) with MRCPsych or equivalent? Yes. We work with psychiatrists who hold MRCPsych or an equivalent qualification approved by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, including those who have completed CESR (Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration) to achieve Specialist Register inclusion.
- Can you provide short-notice psychiatrist cover? Yes – urgent clinical cover is one of the most common and time-sensitive requests we handle. Contact us directly with your requirement and we will respond same day where possible.
- Do you place psychiatrists in independent sector as well as NHS? Yes. We place across NHS mental health trusts and independent mental health providers.
- What areas do you cover? We place psychiatrists across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff, Edinburgh and beyond.
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