Overview
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is a Top Employer Award Winner and works in partnership to provide responsive and dependable primary care, mental health, intellectual disability and substance misuse services to the diverse communities we serve. We are looking to recruit a motivated Psychologist to join our OPD services at HMP High Down, including a specialist residential Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) unit for men with learning disabilities and an Outreach service to men on the main location. Applications from experienced and newly qualified psychologists are welcome, with the post offered as an 8A preceptorship. The vacancy reference is 333-D-HJ-1852. This is a London Pathways Partnership (LPP) service, with CNWL as the lead provider, a consortium of 5 NHS Trusts delivering services to complex and high-risk service users in London and the Southeast.
Responsibilities
* To work with the team to support men with personality disorder and learning disability residing on the PIPE and men in prison presenting with complex and challenging needs as part of the outreach service
* To develop and support psychological formulations that enhance staff's ability to support the men in their sentence progression
* To provide psychologically informed care and interventions to service users of the OPD services
* To provide training and participate in audit and research aimed at improving the service
* To supervise Assistant and Trainee psychologists and prison officers
About us
By joining LPP and CNWL you will join a large department of psychologists and psychological therapists delivering mental health and OPD services across London and the home counties. The team values networking and CPD, with active research forums and regular supervision to support career progression.
Benefits
Excellent staff benefits, including:
* Health and wellbeing services
* Season ticket loans
* Cycle to work scheme
* Access to MyTrustBenefits with discounts at retailers and free online courses
Details
Date posted: 08 September 2025
Pay scheme: Agenda for Change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £61,631 to £68,623 per year inc HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 333-D-HJ-1851
Job locations: HMP High Down, Sutton, SM2 5PJ
Job responsibilities
To work as a member of the clinical/service/team, providing a high quality, specialist applied psychology service to clients, their families or carers. To support psychological practice within the team through consultation, supervision, formulation and training. To participate in systemic clinical governance and to offer clinical supervision to assistant, trainee and more junior psychologists and other staff. To utilise research skills for audit, service development and research. To provide a qualified, high-quality specialist psychology service to individuals, carers, families and groups, in line with best practice and trust care pathways.
To be responsible for holding and managing a clinical caseload, exercising autonomous professional responsibility for planning and prioritising own workload, including assessment, treatment and discharge of clients, within service policy. To use analytical and judgment skills for clinical management decisions in complex issues. To supervise and mentor assistant and trainee psychologists, junior psychologists, and other staff as appropriate. To provide consultation and advice about psychological issues to other team members and professionals across agencies. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and contribute to the governance of psychological practice. To contribute to development, evaluation and monitoring of operational policies and services through research, service evaluation and audit, and to disseminate results locally and nationally. To propose and implement policy changes within the service area.
Qualifications
Essential
* Doctoral level training in clinical, forensic or counselling psychology, including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more psychological therapies, and lifespan developmental psychology, equivalent to BPS accreditation
* HCPC Registered as a practitioner psychologist
* Evidence of post-qualification specialist training and developing expertise in a specialist area of clinical practice relevant to this role
Desirable
* Pre- or post-qualification training in research methodology, staff training or other applied psychology fields
Experience
Essential
* Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment across care settings (outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient)
* Experience with diverse client groups across the life span in various clinical severities, maintaining professionalism under challenging circumstances
* Experience representing psychology within multidisciplinary care and applying psychology across cultural contexts
* Knowledge of specialist therapies for difficult-to-treat groups (e.g., personality disorder, dual diagnosis)
* Continuing professional development as required by HCPC
Desirable
* Experience in secure environments and/or forensic mental health
Skills and abilities
Essential
* Complex psychological assessment and intervention skills requiring concentration
* Strong communication skills for complex information to clients, families and professionals
* Consultation skills for professional and non-professional groups
* Doctoral-level knowledge of research methodology and data analysis
* Competence in supervising junior psychology and MDT staff
Desirable
* Ability to write reports for varied audiences, including courts and service purchasers
Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act; a DBS check will be required.
CV/Contract and Sponsorship: Applications from job seekers who require skilled worker sponsorship will be considered. For information, please refer to UK Visas and Immigration guidance. UK registrations: Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
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