Overview
A Vacancy at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
An exciting opportunity has arisen within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for a HCPC Registered Clinical/Forensic/ Counselling Psychologist to work as part of the SOLAR Service at HMP North Sea Camp. The SOLAR service is one of 5 Pathways Enhanced Resettlement (PERS) services that form part of the OPD (Offender Personality Disorder) Pathway in open prisons. PERS services aim to support individuals who are likely to have difficulties managing the transition from closed to open conditions, or from open conditions to the community, due to problematic personality traits.
We are looking for someone who will work as part of a small team with prison officers to deliver, develop and jointly lead the PERS model, comprising of keywork, emotional containment and provision of psychologically informed activities/ groups to individuals most at risk of recall to closed conditions as a result of their personality traits.
We are committed to working in partnership with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), both with Prison and Probation colleagues; this service is a joint enterprise so relies on collaborative working. We also work in partnership with other healthcare providers and our criminal justice system partners to improve health, support justice and reduce re-offending behaviour. The SOLAR service forms part of a wider network of OPD pathway services delivered as part of the Specialist Services Care Unit within the Community Care Group across HMP Whatton, HMP North Sea Camp, HMP Gartree and community services in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
Note: This is a real role description and references to teams and partnerships reflect the Trust’s structure.
#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.
We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.
We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
The health and wellbeing of colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.
The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment.
Responsibilities
* Jointly provide clinical leadership for a team approach to supporting individuals to manage the transition to open conditions where personality traits and associated emotional or behavioural instability may interfere with their ability to manage in open conditions.
* Identify and assess individuals for suitability for the service following a screening process and support officers to engage the individuals agreeing to work with the service in keywork.
* Support the development of ‘survival plans’/ formulations and the psychologically informed management of anticipated hurdles.
* Provide supervision and consultancy to the team and other prison departments (Offender Management Unit, Security, Safer Custody) to develop skills and confidence in working with SOLAR participants.
* Contribute to the development and delivery of the SOLAR service and the PERS model for individuals with trauma-related and personality-related difficulties, with focus on those most likely to struggle in open conditions.
* Lead and participate in multi-disciplinary team discussions and decision-making processes.
* Encourage and support own supervision and reflective practice and help supervise and support team members in offering supervision and reflective practice.
* Collaborate with the Custodial Manager and Head of Function to produce outcome data, audits and evaluations; liaise with commissioners for performance review as required.
* Work collaboratively to promote awareness and psychologically informed working practices and culture within the prison environment.
* Liaise with the wider OPD pathway team at national and regional levels; work with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and other OPD pathway clinical leads.
Qualifications
* HCPC Registered Clinical/Forensic/Counselling Psychologist (essential).
* Experience within offender healthcare or prison settings and strong leadership/supervision capabilities are desirable.
Other information
* Flexible working arrangements supported, but presence on site is required.
* Support, supervision and line management provided by the Consultant Psychologist.
* The post holder will be responsible for engaging with their own supervision and reflective practice and for supporting team members in offering supervision and reflective practice.
* DBS check costs: standard £26.40 or enhanced £54.40, deducted from salary over the first 2 months; DBS Update Service is encouraged with an annual fee of £16.
* This advert closes on Monday 22 Sep 2025.
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