NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Get to know the area

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is the largest healthcare system in the UK. It has an annual revenue budget of £3.1 billion, employing over 39,000 staff. We serve a population of around 1.4 million, which is 21.4% of the Scottish population. 

Glasgow

Glasgow offers the opportunity to live in a family-friendly city with easy access to Loch Lomond, the Trossachs National Park, and Scotland's many Munros.

The top 3 state schools in Scotland are in the Greater Glasgow area, and the city itself is a vibrant hub for culture, food and music.

Glasgow was proud to be named ‘Best UK City Break in 2021’ Conde Nast Traveller magazine. It was also described in Time Out Magazine as having one of the ‘top 3 coolest streets in the world’ in 2022.

There is an impressive range of year-round events and festivals, attractions, and some of the best leisure facilities in the country. As a UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow offers an impressive range of musical delights and hosts international musicians, sporting events and more at the city’s OVO Hydro Arena. We have the award-winning Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the awe-inspiring Glasgow Science Centre, and outstanding leisure centres and facilities.

Glasgow is one of the world’s top 10 destinations for sports events. In 2014 the city hosted the 20th Commonwealth Games and will host this year’s UCI Cycling World Championship. 

Whether you are renting or buying, Glasgow offers a superb selection of housing:

• apartments on the River Clyde
• spacious Victorian flats in the West End
• family homes in leafy suburbs 

All are conveniently located near excellent schools. Relocation costs to Glasgow will be supported.

Working as a psychiatrist in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

We are recruiting innovative and dynamic consultant psychiatrists to work with us in a well-established and progressive Health Board in the heart of the West of Scotland. We welcome those with an interest in quality improvement, service development, and realistic medicine. 

A career in psychiatry within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde offers a wide range of opportunities to become involved in:

• clinical specialism
• academia
• medical education
• research
• management
• service development

We have close links with universities across the West of Scotland, including the following:

•  University of Glasgow Medical School, ranked 7th in the UK and a member of the Russell Group
• University of Strathclyde
• Glasgow Caledonian University

We also have access to the National Neuroscience Institute and the Precision Medicine Centre. 

Service delivery

Mental health and addiction services in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are delivered through 6 integrated health and social care partnerships (HSCPs). Inpatient services are primarily located across 5 main hospital sites. There are multiple primary and secondary care services, including some very specialist ones, with advanced plans to shift the balance of care provision further into the community, including at the interface with primary care.

Service redesign

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has invested extensively in service redesign, development and innovation over the past 4 years as part of an ambitious and far-reaching 5 year Mental Health Strategy. This has involved substantial investment in developing and expanding services supported by digital resources, third-sector collaboration, and a multidisciplinary skill mix.

Accreditations

We are proud of our reputation for excellence in promoting the well-being of our staff. The Health Board is outstanding in Scotland for having a significant number of inpatient wards which have achieved AIMS accreditation status with the Royal College of Psychiatrists. We are also the only mental health service in Scotland developing the rollout of Schwartz, and all consultants are offered access to consultant reflective practice. We are further developing a forum for ethical consideration of complex cases: the Clinical Risk Reference Panel.

Our training programmes have a well-deserved reputation for excellence, with our North-west Glasgow rotation within the top 2% nationwide for psychiatry training in the 2022 GMC National Training Survey. 

Specialist services

We have a range of specialist services, including:

Esteem

Our Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) service provides multidisciplinary care for young people aged 16-35 and their families affected by a first episode of psychosis. It is currently the only stand-alone EIP service in Scotland. 

Perinatal mental health

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde hosts Scotland's first Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). It is a regional unit for mothers requiring specialist inpatient perinatal mental health care.

We also have a nationally recognised specialist Community Perinatal Mental Health Team. 

Personality disorder services

We have taken a strong lead in developing specialist services for people with a personality disorder diagnosis. We are improving access to a range of evidence-based therapies like STEPPS, DBT and MBT and offering bespoke services to people who might traditionally find it difficult to engage due to homelessness and complex needs. 

Psychological therapies groups service

This board-wide service delivers a range of evidence-based psychological therapy groups to adults engaged with our CMHTs. 

Innovation and research

We are a digitally mature Health Board that offers the opportunity to become involved in digital development at different stages, from clinical adopters to innovators. 

Data science, informatics and precision medicine are at the core of our priorities and strategies, and mental health services are an integral part of this. 

Mental health research is one of the most active portfolios in Glasgow and has been identified as a key area of growth. Our research partnership can offer mentoring, skills development, support to raise funding, and access to a broad range of background expertise. 

View all psychiatry vacancies on our recruitment website.