Principle Clinical Psychologist & Pathway Lead

Job summaryWe are seeking to appoint a dynamic and enthusiastic candidate to the role of Principle Clinical Psychologist & Pathway Lead - Autism & ADHD Neuro Pathway Services at part time hours to provide high level managerial oversight and service to all patients and staff within the Neurodiversity team located at Cedar House, within our St. Michael's Community Hospital site. The weekly hours for this role will be agreed at interview.The successful candidate will work as part of the neurodiversity Enfield team for Children 0-6. This is a multidisciplinary team which is designed to provide a needs-led, family-centred approach for children under the age of six with neurodivergent learning needs.Please note:We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. The successful applicant may not work in Paediatrics upon completing their apprenticeship should no vacancies be present.Main duties of the jobThe Neuro-development Pathway (NDP) Lead will manage daily operations, planning, and performance of the NDP Team, ensuring service delivery is efficient, evidence-based, and focused on the needs of service users and carers. Collaborating with the Senior Management Team (SMT) and other Team Leaders, the post holder ensures timely treatment by motivated staff, promoting safety and success for children and young people.The role involves building strong community connections, optimizing resources to meet patient needs, and adhering to commissioning priorities from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and stakeholders. The post holder will oversee referral, assessment, and patient allocation processes, working with senior managers, clinical leads, and team members to meet performance targets and implement improvements as necessary.Additionally, the NDP Lead will offer clinical assessment and intervention as required. Reporting to the Service Lead and Head of Service, they will monitor clinical recording systems (Rio) to manage patient flow, assessment bookings, outcomes, and waiting times. This role includes leading weekly huddles, team meetings, and participating in relevant meetings to ensure patient flow is managed and escalated when needed. The post holder will also ensure adherence to the Standard Operational Policy, addressing pathway pressures appropriately.About usNorth Mid is part of North Central London integrated care system - consisting of the NHS and Local authority organisations in Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. As with other ICS's, we are working increasingly closely with partners and indeed many of our financial and performance objectives are measured at this system level. Whilst all organisations remain as standalone, statutory bodies we have an ICS infrastructure for making shared decisions and agreeing shared approaches.We are proud of our staff and want to ensure their training allows them to provide excellent clinical care. We are also a training unit for medical students from UCL and St George's University Grenada, and for nursing and midwifery students from Middlesex and City Universities.Take a tour of our hospital hereDetailsDate posted23 September 2026Pay schemeAgenda for changeBandBand 8bSalary 72,719 to 83,505 a year Per annum including HCAS ContractPermanentWorking pattern Full-time Reference number391-NMUH-8100732Job locationsSt Michaels Primary Care CentreGater DriveEnfieldEN2 0JBUnited KingdomJob descriptionJob responsibilitiesA full list of duties and responsibilities will be found within the job description and requirements for the role can be found within the person specification. Job description Job responsibilitiesA full list of duties and responsibilities will be found within the job description and requirements for the role can be found within the person specification.Person Specification Education & Qualifications EssentialPostgraduate training in an area of neurodivergence such as Autism.Registered with the Health Professional Council (HCPC).Up to date clinical registrations e.g. RCSLTFurther training in a specialist area of neurodivergence through formal training such as a diploma or equivalent, or a combination of specialist short courses.Completion of a clinical supervision training course.Level 3 Children's Safeguarding training.DesirableAdditional training in specialist areas of neurodivergence such as positive behaviour support, trauma informed practice.Management qualification.Training qualification. Skills & Aptitudes EssentialSpecialised training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of pre-school children with neuro- developmental differences.Skilled in the use of complex methods of assessment, intervention, and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally, and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues both within and outside of the NHS.Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialist therapies which are known to support neurodivergent children.Evidence of continuing professional development.Ability to contain, explore, and formulate an understanding of high levels of distress, both directly with patients and indirectly via supervision of other staff.Capacity to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face highly emotive and distressing problems, and situations where there may be resistance, verbal aggression, or the threat of physical aggression.Understands the importance of assessment that explores and considers individual cultural identity and associated support needs.Ability to undertake clinical risk assessment and to work within safeguarding procedures.Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group.Understanding of the need and rationale for using evidence-based therapies.Ability to use MS Word and Excel to write reports and analyse and present data.Competent in the use of clinical recording systems such as RiO.Understanding of the process for keeping safe, secure, and relevant clinical records.Ability to use email to support effective communication in line with Trust policy.DesirableSpecialist training and experience in autism assessment measures e.g. Autism Diagnostic Observation schedule (ADOS).Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist therapies in specific groups e.g. people with additional disabilities and supporting distressed behaviours.Extensive use, and knowledge of, RiO systems. Experience EssentialSignificant postgraduate experience in a relevant setting, such as Community services, or Acute based Neurodivergence teams.Substantial experience of management and supervising others in a clinical context.Experience of specialist clinical assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.Experience of teaching, training, and/or supervision.Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting differences that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse, and the threat of physical abuse.Experience of working with children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions in mental health services, including the application of risk assessment and safeguarding procedures in this area.Experience of providing evidence-based interventions.Experience of using routine outcome monitoring.Experience of work within multidisciplinary team/multi-agency contexts.Experience in enabling service-user participation.Experience in managing busy workload and conflicting priorities.Experience in handling confidential and sensitive information in accordance with the Data Protection Act.DesirableExperience of operationally managing or coordinating a team of clinicians. Personal Qualities EssentialEnthusiastic and motivated.Good interpersonal skills.Professional approach to work.Accountability - Takes responsibility for own actions and promotes good team working.Openness - Shares information and good practice appropriately.Mutual respect - Treats others with courtesy and respect. Person Specification Education & Qualifications EssentialPostgraduate training in an area of neurodivergence such as Autism.Registered with the Health Professional Council (HCPC).Up to date clinical registrations e.g. RCSLTFurther training in a specialist area of neurodivergence through formal training such as a diploma or equivalent, or a combination of specialist short courses.Completion of a clinical supervision training course.Level 3 Children's Safeguarding training.DesirableAdditional training in specialist areas of neurodivergence such as positive behaviour support, trauma informed practice.Management qualification.Training qualification. Skills & Aptitudes EssentialSpecialised training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of pre-school children with neuro- developmental differences.Skilled in the use of complex methods of assessment, intervention, and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally, and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues both within and outside of the NHS.Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialist therapies which are known to support neurodivergent children.Evidence of continuing professional development.Ability to contain, explore, and formulate an understanding of high levels of distress, both directly with patients and indirectly via supervision of other staff.Capacity to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face highly emotive and distressing problems, and situations where there may be resistance, verbal aggression, or the threat of physical aggression.Understands the importance of assessment that explores and considers individual cultural identity and associated support needs.Ability to undertake clinical risk assessment and to work within safeguarding procedures.Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group.Understanding of the need and rationale for using evidence-based therapies.Ability to use MS Word and Excel to write reports and analyse and present data.Competent in the use of clinical recording systems such as RiO.Understanding of the process for keeping safe, secure, and relevant clinical records.Ability to use email to support effective communication in line with Trust policy.DesirableSpecialist training and experience in autism assessment measures e.g. Autism Diagnostic Observation schedule (ADOS).Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist therapies in specific groups e.g. people with additional disabilities and supporting distressed behaviours.Extensive use, and knowledge of, RiO systems. Experience EssentialSignificant postgraduate experience in a relevant setting, such as Community services, or Acute based Neurodivergence teams.Substantial experience of management and supervising others in a clinical context.Experience of specialist clinical assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.Experience of teaching, training, and/or supervision.Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting differences that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse, and the threat of physical abuse.Experience of working with children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions in mental health services, including the application of risk assessment and safeguarding procedures in this area.Experience of providing evidence-based interventions.Experience of using routine outcome monitoring.Experience of work within multidisciplinary team/multi-agency contexts.Experience in enabling service-user participation.Experience in managing busy workload and conflicting priorities.Experience in handling confidential and sensitive information in accordance with the Data Protection Act.DesirableExperience of operationally managing or coordinating a team of clinicians. Personal Qualities EssentialEnthusiastic and motivated.Good interpersonal skills.Professional approach to work.Accountability - Takes responsibility for own actions and promotes good team working.Openness - Shares information and good practice appropriately.Mutual respect - Treats others with courtesy and respect.Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.Certificate of SponsorshipApplications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.Certificate of SponsorshipApplications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).Employer detailsEmployer nameRoyal Free London NHS Foundation TrustAddressSt Michaels Primary Care CentreGater DriveEnfieldEN2 0JBUnited KingdomEmployer's websiteEmployer detailsEmployer nameRoyal Free London NHS Foundation TrustAddressSt Michaels Primary Care CentreGater DriveEnfieldEN2 0JBUnited KingdomEmployer's website