Join our Medical Team

 Welcome from our Chief Medical Officer Dr Lucy Knight

Dorset HealthCare provides mental health services for a diverse population of over 800,000 across a rural and urban landscape on the south coast of the UK. The medical directorate in Dorset HealthCare is equally diverse and creative in meeting the challenges serving the mental and community physical health population need. The team works closely with colleagues and service users across the Dorset integrated system to deliver high esteemed care that we would recommend to our own family and friends. Innovation, camaraderie and collaboration are central to our culture and ideology. The future of Dorset’s mental and community physical health services is being actively designed and developed across our care system and we are seeking people who want to be part of something dynamic and meaningful.

What a career in medicine has to offer

Medicine is about making a real difference to people’s lives. At the heart of this role is listening to people’s stories, understanding the interaction between physical and mental health, and supporting individuals to overcome complex challenges that affect their wellbeing. As a medical professional, you have the opportunity to improve outcomes in meaningful and lasting ways, delivering high-quality, person-centred care and seeing noticeable results from your work. It is a stimulating and rewarding role, suited to those who enjoy challenging but rewarding work.

No two medical careers are the same. This is a highly varied role with opportunities to work across inpatient and community settings, providing care that addresses both physical and mental health needs. Roles span a wide range of specialist services, enabling clinicians to develop expertise, pursue areas of interest, and shape their careers in line with their skills and aspirations.

At Dorset HealthCare our medical workforce plays a vital role in delivering high-quality, compassionate care across our communities.

We offer a wide range of medical roles within supportive, multidisciplinary teams, with opportunities to join the county-wide consultant on-call rota, attracting a 3% on-call availability supplement plus additional remuneration for duties undertaken. All senior doctors benefit from dedicated SPA time to support revalidation, CPD, audit and job planning, guided by weekly clinical sessions.

You’ll also enjoy 30 days of study leave with up to £3,000 funding over a rolling three-year period, alongside flexible working and excellent career development — all with the lifestyle benefits of living and working in Dorset.

We’d love to meet you and show you what makes our team at Dorset HealthCare so special. Whether it’s an informal chat, a visit, or you simply want to find out more about life and opportunities with us, please get in touch.

If you’d like to join us but don’t see a role that reflects your skills and aspirations please send your CV to dhc.careers@nhs.net and our team will be in touch. We’d be delighted to explore how you could make a real difference with us and talk through your preferences, career goals and flexible working options.

What our team say about us

“I joined Dorset HealthCare in June 2017 and am privileged to be part of the exemplary pan-Dorset Intellectual Disabilities CAMHS team, as well as ­being – since May 2020 – Medical Lead for Dorset CAMHS. I have gained valuable insight into the needs of local children, young people and families in Dorset, and feel inspired that  they have given me an opportunity to make a difference in their lives.  I continue to learn and transform every day, and am thankful to all my colleagues and friends who support me to achieve my best and to do the best for the young people who access healthcare via our service”.

Dr Anu Devanga, Consultant Psychiatrist – pan-Dorset Intellectual Disabilities CAMHS and Medical Lead for CAMHS

“I joined Dorset HealthCare 10 years ago to work in the community hospitals. I love working with the MDT to achieve the right results for our patients.”


Dr Andrew Dean,
Medical Director and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Integrated Community Services and Physical Health

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