This is the senior psychology post for the Secure, Acute and Crisis Division at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, covering acute inpatient, crisis, rehabilitation, forensic and secure mental health services. The postholder sets the division's psychological strategy, leads and supervises psychology staff, and shapes the clinical model. The role sits on the divisional leadership team and focuses on moving psychological care towards community alternatives to admission and shorter inpatient stays. Doctoral training in clinical or counselling psychology and HCPC registration are required.
What the job involves
- Provide strategic, professional and clinical leadership for psychology across the Division
- Lead the modernisation of divisional psychological services, including the left shift agenda and admission avoidance
- Provide professional leadership and clinical supervision to psychology staff, creating a coherent divisional service
- Contribute to the Division's clinical, workforce, quality and safety and transformation strategies as a member of the leadership team
- Deliver specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups
- Act as Lead Professional, coordinating care and communicating with patients, families and others involved
- Develop and implement a psychologically informed model of care aligned with divisional and Trust strategy
- Provide expert psychological advice to the divisional leadership team and external agencies
- Lead psychology workforce development, including recruitment, retention, development and wellbeing
- Oversee placements and clinical supervision for trainee clinical psychologists
- Manage psychology staff and resources and advise the Managing Director and CPPO on the psychology budget
- Lead audit, service evaluation, research and policy development within the Division
Qualifications
- Doctoral qualification in clinical or counselling psychology or equivalent, with post-qualification specialist training and ongoing CPD
Registration & licences
- HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
Experience
- Extensive experience with complex mental health presentations across client groups, severity levels and care settings
- Consultant-level experience and significant experience leading psychology services
- Full clinical responsibility for patients' psychological care, including as care co-ordinator within multidisciplinary plans
- Strategic service development, workforce planning and leading organisational change
- Developing business cases and securing investment, with experience of clinical governance and quality improvement
- Working across multidisciplinary and professional boundaries while staying professional under verbal abuse and threats
Skills & knowledge
- Doctoral knowledge of lifespan development, psychopathology, psychometrics, neuropsychology and two or more psychological therapies
- Expert knowledge of psychological formulation
- Knowledge of secure, acute, crisis and admission avoidance pathways
- Knowledge of mental health legislation and of NHS governance, quality and regulatory frameworks
- Understanding of health inequalities and culturally responsive practice
- High-level written and oral communication of complex, sensitive information, with skills in consultation
Other
- Commitment to Trust values, trauma-informed practice and principles of equity and inclusion
- Calm under pressure, with skills in conflict resolution and executive-level influencing and negotiation
Nice to have
- Qualification or training in supervision
- Registration with the British Psychological Society
- Experience of multi-professional management of teams or services
- Experience of system-wide transformation, reducing restrictive practice, inpatient length of stay or admission avoidance
- Experience in acute, secure, crisis, rehabilitation or complex mental health settings
- Experience at senior Trust or divisional level, leading across organisational boundaries
- Ability to influence senior clinical and operational leaders and translate psychological evidence into operational strategy
- Experience of representing the profession in local policy forums
What’s offered
- Flexible working requests can be discussed as part of the interview process
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Contact Details:
The Methodist Church in Britain Recruitment Team
