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 three 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

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic clinical or counselling psychologist to take on a senior role within the Waltham Forest Mental Health and Wellness Teams (WF MHWT) secondary care psychological services. This is a part-time (3 days a week) fixed term (12 months) post to cover maternity leave.

The post holder would join a well-established and well-respected team of psychologists. The team includes approximately fourteen qualified psychologists. We are keen to recruit people who share that vision of contributing to best practice, national guidelines and an evidence base. We offer excellent development opportunities including high quality and regular supervision, opportunities to supervise. We are a supportive, dynamic and ambitious team.

The post holder will work under the guidance and supervision of the WF Psychological Professional MHWT Lead. The post will include supervisory responsibilities and operational leadership support.

This post offers an opportunity for close collaboration and joint working with psychologists and MDT colleagues, as well as excellent leadership experience. We are supportive, dynamic and ambitious team and we are keen to recruit the right people who share our passion for working with people in secondary care services.

This post would suit someone with a strong interest in multidisciplinary working, working with service-users who present with complexity and significant levels of risk.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will provide operational and clinical supervision for psychologists working across the secondary care mental health services as well as supporting the implementation of good practice guidelines. The post-holder will also be required to support with ongoing projects and service development and evaluation.

The post will involve both direct and indirect clinical work with service users and wider systems and will include providing specialist assessment, intervention and consultation to individuals and teams.

The post-holder will be required to undertake operational tasks to support service delivery and will represent the crisis psychology service at directorate level and in relevant trust-wide forums.

Working for our organisation

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in 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 pro rata for part time).

Certificates of Sponsorship

 Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points based system

 Use of AI

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Ensuring more staff are working to a clear job plans and receiving the operational and clinical supervision they require.

Ensuring that a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence-based psychological service is available to all service users.

To participate in the development of an effective team and the development of productive working relationships.

To facilitate the development of a positive and ‘supportive’ team culture.

To lead on service development initiatives within the team with the aim of improving service delivery for the benefit of service users.

Provide specialist consultation to other professionals and multi-disciplinary teams.

Oversee the safe management of referrals and waiting lists.

Working in close collaboration with other psychology services to ensure a smooth pathway.

Attending key directorate meetings to support the development of the pathway, to ensure there is a robust interface with other pathways within psychology and more broadly.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology HCPC registration

Desirable criteria

Post-doctoral training in one or more evidence based psychological interventions

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working in secondary care level adult mental health NHS settings and within MDTs. Experience of teaching, supervision or training of other mental health professionals in secondary care mental health Experience of line management of Band 7 and above psychological professionals Experience of direct involvement in service development and evaluation Experience of overseeing the safe management of referrals and waiting lists.

Desirable criteria

Experience of supervision and line management across different psychological specialisms ( psychosis, psychotherapy) within secondary care services

Skills

Essential criteria

Evidence of skills in clinical and operational management of psychological staff in secondary care NHS mental health settings Strategic skills in service development and evaluation

Desirable criteria

Skills in developing, running and/or supervising groups in NHS secondary care psychological services Demonstrated post-doctoral clinical research and service evaluation skills

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.