Consultant in Intellectual Disability Psychiatry

 

This comprehensive mental health service in Cairns, Queensland is seeking a Consultant Psychiatrist in Intellectual Disability to help deliver high-quality mental health care to adult patients with intellectual disability and co-occurring mental illness.

 

Community highlights

  • Rich public sector or private school options.
  • Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
  • Warm winters!
  • Very short commute to work available.
  • Enjoy rainforest hinterland or beaches.
  • Walking, sailing, fishing, cricket, football - all your outdoor pursuits.
  • Affordable housing.
  • Great community vibes.
  • Direct flights to Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Osaka, Tokyo, Bali, Hong Kong, Singapore and NZ.

 

Job

You'll play a key role in providing specialist psychiatric care across the service, working with patients who have intellectual disability alongside complex mental illness and behaviours of concern. The mhs multidisciplinary teams are composed of professionals with diverse skills and backgrounds, working together to offer a comprehensive range of patient centred mental health services.

The service settings include:

  • Specialised therapeutic Services
  • A 10-bed Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit
  • A 12-bed Adult Step Up Step Down Unit (sub-acute)
  • Older Persons Psychiatry, and Consultation Liaison Services
  • A 38-bed Acute Adult Mental Health Unit
  • A 20-bed Community Care Unit
  • Acute Care Teams, including teleservice and an emergency team
  • Adult and Child & Youth Mental Health Community Care Teams
  • Mobile Intensive Rehabilitation
  • Forensic Mental Health Services
  • Perinatal
  • Rural & Remote

The job scope includes but is not limited to:

  • Upholding the service values and acting professionally at all times.
  • Ensure the highest quality of service.
  • Provide clinical governance for intellectual disability psychiatry services.
  • Deliver assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for patients with intellectual disability and co-occurring mental illness or behaviours of concern.
  • Provide specialist advice and support to disability, NDIS, and non-mental health service providers.
  • Provide clinical leadership within mdts and oversee collaborative care planning.
  • Participate in strategic and operational planning, including quality improvement initiatives.
  • Deliver education and training to junior staff, medical students, and mental health clinicians on intellectual disability psychiatry.
  • Engage with patients, families, carers, non-mental health clinicians, and service providers to promote intellectual disability psychiatry and maintain open communication about patient care.
  • Maintain professional development.

 

Selection criteria

  • FRANZCP with a Certificate of Added Training in Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability, or eligibility for RANZCP substantial comparability or ESP with relevant experience.
  • Extensive experience in delivering psychiatric care to patients with intellectual disability across inpatient and community settings.
  • Strong clinical and professional skills, including communication, time management, and conflict resolution.
  • Expertise in managing patients with intellectual disability and complex, co-occurring mental health needs.
  • Leadership skills and the ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.
  • Experience in fostering partnerships with disability service providers, NDIS providers, and non-mental health practitioners.
  • Teaching experience for junior medical staff and other clinicians.
  • Knowledge of the Queensland Mental Health Act and the ability to work in a cross-cultural environment.
  • Strong clinical documentation and patient care management skills.
  • A desire to participate in your professional development.
  • Class C motor vehicle license is essential.
  • Willingness to participate in an on-call roster.

 

For more information please email alasdair@spinnermedical.com or message +447414531583.
We provide free, expert and friendly guidance through all the registration pathways!

 

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters of Australia and the Torres Strait. We acknowledge them as the first inhabitants of Australia and the traditional custodians of the lands. We also pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Benefits: 
Remuneration up to $570k plus oncall allowances , recall, overtime and other allowances
Location: 
Queensland, Australia
Type: 
Permanent
Discipline: 
Consultant/Specialist
Job Posted: 
Tue, 07 Jul 2026
Closing Date: 
Thu, 01 Oct 2026
Reference: 
1071

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