NSLHD - Staff Specialist - Psychiatry - CYMHS - Brolga Unit, Hornsby

The Child and Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS) within Northern Sydney Local Health District  is seeking a consultant child & adolescent psychiatrist to lead in an early intervention service for first episode psychosis, catering for young people up to 25 years old.

Applications are accepted via eCredential only, to apply click here

Position Classification: Staff Specialist

Employment Type: Permanent Full Time

Hours Per Week: Up to 40

Who we are: We are a health service that touches thousands of lives across the Northern Sydney Local Health District, together as a team of like-minded people. We are passionate, driven and have the skills and knowledge to care for our patients whilst creating the best services possible. Our teams have meaningful, interesting and rewarding work everyday. We challenge and nurture each other, sharing our knowledge and experience so that we can deliver better care for everyone. There's a real sense of belonging here because we value and respect our patients, employees, and teams' voices. You'll feel a real privilege being a trusted caregiver in our patients, their families, their carers, and our communities' lives. 

Where You'll be Working

The Brolga-IPU is a 12-bed specialised inpatient unit located on the Hornsby Hospital campus. Its aim is to provide safe, secure and high quality mental health care to adolescent inpatients, in collaboration with their careers and families, whose level of behavioural disturbance and/or mental illness complexity is such that a CYMHS IPU is the most appropriate environment available in which to provide clinical care.

About the Role

The Brolga Unit provides mental health care for up to 12 of the most acutely ill or complex adolescent mental health consumers across NSW subject to consumer demand and Brolga Unit staff capacity. The experience in the service highlights the fact that demand for Brolga Unit beds exceeds supply at times, with some Adolescent consumers requiring admission to local sector Psychiatric Emergency Care Centres or Acute Adult Mental Health Units.

The staff specialist will work with the Unit Director, Nursing Unit Manager (NUM), Brolga Unit and to help in ensuring the best possible match between inpatient clinical need and bed type is achieved across NSLHD for Adolescents requiring inpatient care. The Staff Specialist will also work closely with other senior CYMHS clinical staff and relevant parties from other government agencies and non-government organizations.

The staff specialist is to work in collaboration with the Unit Director at Brolga and staff of CYMHS, general adult mental health services and general health staff of the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) and other LHD to lead, develop and maintain mental health services of the highest possible quality and safety for Brolga Unit consumers referred.

The successful applicant will have experience in working with young people with mental health difficulties; will lead a team in the

assessment and management of young people and families with first presentations of psychotic illness, inclusive of supervision

of a registrar, as well as being part of the CYMHS on call rota.

This is as exciting opportunity to contribute to an evidence–based intervention and further an interest in psychotic illness.

Purpose of the Position

You will provide clinical management and treatment of patients under your care in a Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) facility or service. This care will be provided within the scope of practice endorsed by the NSLHD Medical and Dental Appointments Advisory Committee (MDAAC).

The position will provide clinical consultation services within NSLHD and will contribute to the teaching and training of medical students, graduates and other health care professionals and to research, evaluation and quality improvement activities within NSLHD.

Selection Criteria

1. MBBS or equivalent, currently registered or eligible for registration with the Medical Board of Australia. Applicants must have Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP) or be eligible for registration with the Medical Board of Australia as a Specialist Psychiatrist and/or overseas trained substantial specialist pathways. Applicants expecting to be awarded their FRANZCP within 3 months may be considered.
2. Consistently demonstrates behaviours that reinforce the CORE Values of our organisation; Collaboration, Openness, Respect and Empowerment. Demonstrates these behaviours with all stakeholders; colleagues, direct reports, as well as our patients and consumers, and those that care for them
3. Applicants should also have a Certificate of Advanced Training in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (RANZCP) or Membership of the Faculty of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (RANZCP) or currently enrolled in such training or equivalent qualifications.
4. Demonstrated experience and high performance as a senior clinician in acute adult and/or adolescent psychiatry, general acute hospital psychiatry and community-based and inpatient Adult Psychiatric or CYMHS settings, including experience in working with the NSW Mental Health Act and understanding of and commitment to relevant Local Health District, Ministry of Health and National mental health priorities and plans
5. Demonstrated clinical, diagnostic and technical skills commensurate with functioning as an independent Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Consultant
6. High level interpersonal and communication skills and demonstrated ability to lead and work within a multidisciplinary team environment
7. Demonstrated participation in and commitment to undergraduate, postgraduate, interdisciplinary teaching and education, including research, quality improvement, patient safety and risk management
8. Preparedness to participate in any on-call service, including on-call rosters already existing or established and Current NSW Drivers Licence and the ability to drive

Need more information? 

  1) The requirements of the position can be viewed via the Position Description 

  2) For assistance with your application please refer to the eCredential guide

3) To view the the Scope of Clinical Practice for this position click here

For role related queries or questions contact Dr Choong-Siew Yong on or via email.  

This is a NSW Health Category A position which requires immunisation and screening for certain diseases. The full list of requirements are outlined in the NSW Health OASV Policy (Page 11) You will be required to complete the OASV Undertaking/ Declaration Form and TB Assessment Tool during the recruitment process. Please upload this with your application along with any other vaccination evidence that you may have. 

Applications Close: 2 November 2025

Please Note: NSW Health does not require or accept the 'Fit2Work badge' offered as an option in eCredential.