Consultant Clinical Psychologist / Clinical Lead

Sinclair-Strong Consultants Ltd is seeking an experienced Consultant Psychologist / Clinical Lead to join our management team and provide senior clinical leadership, governance oversight, and expert psychological practice across the organisation and to be based within one or more SSC services. This role combines a clinical caseload with strategic and operational leadership responsibilities, ensuring high quality, safe, neuroaffirmative and trauma informed psychological care, in line with CQC, HCPC, BPS, NICE, and commissioning requirements.

The post holder will act as a senior clinical advisor within SSC, supporting service quality, workforce development, risk management, and service growth while maintaining strong clinical credibility. This role is located in Kent & Medway and will be a hybrid combination of clinical bases, community, and remote working.

Time Allocation

• Clinical Practice: approximately 50-70% of role
• Clinical Leadership, Governance, and Strategic Responsibilities: approximately 30-50% of role

The precise balance will be agreed based on service need, experience, and portfolio responsibilities, and reviewed as the role and services develop.

Main duties of the job

As Consultant Clinical Psychologist - Clinical Lead, you will be a key member of SSCs senior clinical leadership structure. You will work closely with Service Managers, Clinical Directors, and senior operational leaders, contributing to:

• Oversight of the Psychology workforce within SSC
• Organisational strategy and service development
• Commissioned service delivery and quality assurance
• Workforce planning and professional leadership
• Clinical governance, risk, and regulatory readiness

This is a highly influential role combining clinical credibility with system level leadership.

Reporting, Accountability and Professional Responsibility

Responsible To: Director of Psychology
Accountable To: Director of Operations or CEO
Accountable For:

• The quality, safety, and effectiveness of psychological practice across SSC
• Clinical risk management, safeguarding decision making, and appropriate escalation
• Clinical supervision standards and safe practice of supervised staff (directly and via delegated leads)
• Contribution to clinical governance, audit, and quality improvement processes
• Providing senior clinical advice and leadership input to Clinical Leads and SSC senior leadership

The post holder is expected to exercise a high level of professional autonomy while working within SSCs governance framework and policies.

About us

Sinclair-Strong Consultants Ltd is a well established, independent mental health provider working in close partnership with the NHS across Kent and Medway. We deliver specialist psychological, psychiatric, and multidisciplinary services for adults with complex mental health needs, including autism, ADHD, learning disability, trauma, and high risk presentations. We are committed to delivering high quality, ethical, neuroaffirmative, and trauma informed care while supporting innovation, service growth, and professional development.

Job responsibilities

This role will be clinically based within one or more of SSCs established services, depending on experience and interest:

• Autism Understanding, Recognition and Assessment Service (AURAS)
• NHS commissioned complex autism assessment service
• Kent and Medway Complex Autism Service (KAMCAS)
• MDT service for autistic adults at risk of hospitalisation or criminal justice involvement
• Community Learning Disability and Autism Service (CLDA)

The post holder will retain a substantive clinical caseload while providing senior leadership across psychology and wider services.

Key Responsibilities

1. Clinical Practice
   • Provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention with adults presenting with complex mental health needs, including autism, ADHD, learning disability, trauma, and risk.
   • Deliver psychologically informed, evidence based and adapted interventions consistent with neuro-affirmative and trauma informed frameworks.
   • Provide leadership as required on complex cases with MDT or multi-agency involvement.
   • Communicate complex and sensitive clinical information to service users, families, and professionals.
   • Produce high quality clinical documentation and reports suitable for NHS, commissioning, and legal contexts.
   • Identify safeguarding concerns, manage clinical risk, and escalate appropriately.
2. Clinical Leadership & Governance
   • Provide senior clinical leadership across SSC and within allocated services or pathways.
   • Ensure practice aligns with HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, CQC regulatory requirements, BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct, NICE guidance and best practice.
   • Contribute to and lead where appropriate on clinical governance systems, including effectiveness and other clinical governance pillars, risk management and safeguarding, audit and quality improvement, incident review and learning, outcome monitoring and KPI oversight.
   • Represent psychology and clinical perspectives in senior governance and quality forums.
   • Provide individual and group clinical supervision to qualified psychologists and other psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
   • Oversee supervision structures for Assistant Psychologists and trainees via delegated leads.
   • Support appraisal, CPD planning, and professional development across the psychology workforce.
   • Contribute to recruitment, induction, and retention of psychology staff.
   • Promote reflective practice, staff wellbeing, and trauma-informed service cultures.
3. Service Development & Strategic Contribution
   • Contribute to the development, evaluation, and expansion of services and pathways.
   • Support innovation in service delivery, including digital, hybrid, and outreach models.
   • Advise on psychologically informed service models, pathway design, and clinical policy.
   • Work collaboratively with Service Managers and Senior Management on service improvement, capacity planning, and contract delivery.
   • Support preparation for inspections, audits, and commissioner reviews.
4. Organisational & Professional Responsibilities
   • Maintain up to date CPD and professional registration.
   • Contribute to SSC wide CPD, training, and knowledge sharing activities.
   • Uphold equality, diversity, inclusion, and anti-discriminatory practice.
   • Comply with all SSC policies, information governance, and data protection requirements.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in Clinical, Counselling, or Forensic Psychology (or equivalent).

Experience

• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Substantial post qualification experience working with complex adult presentations.
• Demonstrated experience of senior clinical leadership and supervision.
• Strong skills in formulation led, evidence based practice.
• Experience of managing clinical risk, safeguarding, and complexity.
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of senior MDTs.
• Excellent communication, consultation, and leadership skills.
• Experience working with autistic adults and/or people with ADHD or learning disabilities.
• Post doctoral training in specialist therapeutic models.
• Experience contributing to service development or pathway leadership.
• Experience of working within commissioned or NHS aligned services.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This 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.