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Principal Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist Eating Disorders Service - Band 8b

Job summary

• Main area: Lead Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
• Contract: Fixed term: 12 months - Part time - 15 hours per week
• Job reference: 222-LS-CARMHS-365
• Site: Eating Disorder Central, Southall
• Salary: £67,950 - £78,028 per annum pro rata inclusive of HCAS
• Application end date: Tuesday 10 December 2024

West London NHS Trust  provides a full range of mental health, community  and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

Consultant Clinical/Counselling Psychologist, West London Community Eating Disorders Service

This post is offered as either a fixed-term 1 year and 11 months post or secondment of the same duration. 

Due to the part-time secondment of the Clinical Lead and the clinical and strategic expansion of the service, we are seeking a Consultant Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist with a high level of clinical expertise with eating disorders and associated mental health difficulties, and experience and commitment to strategic leadership and partnership working. You will be providing consultant-level oversight of our close-knit and innovative Community Eating Disorders service.

At West London NHS Trust we want to employ talented, passionate and skilled professionals, so that we can provide the best service possible to those who use our services. 

In return, we invest in and support our staff.  In this role, we offer:

• A high level of support from operational and psychology leadership across Community & Recovery services
• A realistic approach to flexible working (e.g. 60% office-based)
• The opportunity to lead an exceptionally welcoming, specialist psychology-led clinical team, with a high level of skills and commitment
• A values driven environment - Togetherness, Responsibility, Excellence and Caring underpin how we treat each other and our patients.

Main duties of the job

You will provide consultant-level oversight of the specialist outpatient Eating Disorders service. You will work closely with the Clinical Leads and Service Manager to ensure systematic management of the service, and NICE-adherent, accessible and high quality psychological and dietetics provision. You will lead the consolidation of service developments in line with the Community Transformation, including our Freed Pathway, Disordered Eating Pathway and our partnership working with community providers and Mental Health Integrated Network Teams. 

You will contribute to the clinical leadership of the service, through working directly with a small caseload of clients who require a highly experienced practitioner, close support of the clinical leads, and through ensuring the provision of high quality training and supervision throughout the service. You will oversee the performance and quality of the service, employing audit and research as necessary, in accordance with service and Trust-Wide KPIs including minimising waiting time and enhancing equity of access and acceptability to our diverse West London communities.

You will be based in the team base in Ealing Hospital, with some travel to community sites in Ealing and Hounslow.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and   Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m. 

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed. 

Person specification

Qualifications and training

Essential criteria

• A recorded/registered Doctorate in Clinical/ Counselling Psychology
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
• Training in clinical supervision for Doctoral, and equivalent, trainees.

Desirable criteria

• Other qualifications relevant to the client group (For example, CBTE, MANTRA; DBT)

Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable substantial clinical experience with the Eating Disorder client group.
• Relevant post-qualification experience
• Substantial experience with clients with Complex Emotional Needs, complex trauma, anxiety, and depression
• Experience of delivering CBT and DBT therapy groups
• Experience in managing risk to self and others and creating safety plans, in collaboration with the service user and professional agencies.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of assessment and intervention in Eating Disorders and other mental health difficulties
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for work in the current setting.

Skills and abilities

Essential criteria

• Excellent engagement and verbal communication skills, including with persons who may be highly distressed, hostile and/or experience barriers in relationships and communication.
• Advanced skills in delivering therapies for Eating Disorders.
• Able to make complex clinical judgements both alone and with MDT or supervisory consultation, at an appropriate level.
• Able to plan, prioritise and organise own workload, including clinical, administrative and other aspects.
• Able to independently manage the competing demands of the leadership role.
• Able to function in highly emotionally distressing circumstances on a frequent basis (e.g. in dealing with service users with serious mental illness, histories of homicide and serious violence, self-harm, sexual abuse).
• Strong written communication skills
• Ability to provide on-going treatment in complex and frequently changing circumstances.
• Ability to liaise with and manage complex professional networks.
• Ability to use audit and evaluation to identify and plan service improvements, especially with regards to waiting time and service equity.
• Ability to represent the service in a range of professional and consultation forums.

Other requirements

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable enthusiasm for and commitment to working with service users with Eating Disorders and where relevant highly complex levels of need
• Demonstrable enthusiasm for supporting the clinical work and skill development of team members and junior colleagues
• Demonstrable enthusiasm for the role of psychological therapies in supporting people with Eating Disorders
• Must be capable of being guided by precedent, clearly defined policies, procedures and codes of conduct
• Able to reflect on own professional practice
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to West London NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment checks which can take between 4-8 weeks . After which your  information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system (ESR ).

Please ensure you include email addresses for your referees which MUST be at supervisory or managerial capacity covering the last 3 years of employment to date to avoid delay in the recruitment process.

Applications 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).

West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Candidate information pack

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.

Contact information

Dr Annis Cohen, Psychology Lead for Specialist Services, Community & Recovery Directorate

Email: annis.cohen@westlondon.nhs.uk

Telephone: 07906 945 846