Senior Psychologist

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Joining #TeamNELFT means you'll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We're CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

This is an excellent opportunity as Senior Clinical / Counselling Psychologist to lead the psychology service within the Waltham Forest Community Learning Disabilities Team (CLDT) within NELFT. The post is 0.40 wte sessions in a multi-disciplinary team working closely with health and social services colleagues to provide a well-coordinated and high quality service for adults with learning disabilities. The post-holder will be supported by the Principal Psychologist and the Professional Lead of the Learning Disabilities Psychological Service in NELFT.

Our psychological therapies provision within community learning disability teams compromises clinical psychologists, clinical behavioural specialists, art therapists, systemic/family therapists, Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP), administrator and trainees from the Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling training courses based in London. We work closely with the local Talking Therapies service strengthening the mainstreaming agenda for people with learning disabilities. Our service is developing trauma informed and culturally sensitive care for people with learning disabilities and their families. There are excellent opportunities for enhancing clinical skills through CPD, peer support and service development. We have a vibrant and active R&D department

Main duties of the job

To provide locality leadership to support the delivery of a high-quality learning disabilities psychological service for NELFT patients, their families and carers within a designated locality.

Providing leadership to LD Psychological Service colleagues within the Community Learning Disability Team

To provide operational and professional management to the locality psychological practitioners, (Band , psychologist: Band 7 clinical behaviour specialist; Band 6 Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP).

This will include guidance and support to the team by:

> providing clinical leadership

> monitoring service delivery

> ensuring appropriate caseload allocation and management

> performance management

> clinical and professional supervision to the relevant psychological practitioners

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 p.a. pro rata for part time).

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key responsibilities

• To be responsible for day-to-day management including managing caseloads, staffing and other resources.
• To work with the Principal Psychologist and Professional Lead for Learning Disabilities Psychological Professions on long term strategies to develop psychological services in line with national and local guidelines and priorities.
• To provide clinical leadership and specialist assessments and interventions within one or more areas of expertise relevant to people with learning disabilities and their families and carers.
• To provide clinical supervision to key psychologists, assistants, trainees or other professionals.
• To oversee research, audit and evaluation within the service.
• To provide line management to the psychological practitioners within the locality.
• To develop and maintain excellent relationships with other services in NELFT.
• To maintain professional relationships with other agencies, e.g. Neighbourhood Services, Police, Probation Service, Education, Advocacy, PALS, Benefits and Voluntary Services to ensure provision of a quality package of care and service delivery for the service users and their carers.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology or its equivalent
• HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologist

Desirable criteria

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working as a qualified practitioner psychologist within Learning Disabilities Psychological services for a minimum of two years
• Experience /eligibility to supervise doctoral course trainees, CAP, assistant psychologists

Knowldege

Essential criteria

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for people with learning disabilities

Knowledge

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of legislation / health care guidelines and their implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health.

Experience

Desirable criteria

• Experience of supervising qualified psychological professionals

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

• A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
• A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a 'Top 10 Family Friendly Employer' from the Working Families Charity.
• Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
• Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that's a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.

Supporting our Armed Forces

We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Gold Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme. We have supportive policies, guaranteed interview schemes for veterans. reservists and military spouses and give additional leave to our Reservists so that they can attend their annual camp.

Equal opportunities employer

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity and positively encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of any protected characteristic.

We are a Disability Confident employer and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with disabilities. If you require this application in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape please contact the recruitment team on 0300 300 1530 or email recruitment@nelft.nhs.uk.

Correspondence with us

You are advised to regularly check your emails (including any junk mail/spam folders) for correspondence related to this post.

As part of our recruitment process, we may be required to share information you provide on the application form with NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) and/or other organisations for the purpose of the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of fraud or any other unlawful activity affecting the NHS. We also use third party providers to check and verify your qualifications who may be contacting you on our behalf to verify the same.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description & Person Specification (PDF, 431.1KB)
• Candidate Recruitment Pack (PDF, 671.2KB)
• Acceptable Use of AI in Recruitment (PDF, 3.9MB)