Band 8b Principal Practitioner Psychologist - Enhanced Support Service

Transformationunitgm; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 62,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity for a Principal Practitioner Psychologist within the NHS at HMP Foston Hall. You will be responsible for managing and enhancing psychological services, working with a diverse team to improve the well-being of incarcerated women. This leadership role requires extensive experience with personality disorders and exceptional communication skills, ideal for those seeking career advancement.

Benefits

Opportunities for training and career development

Commitment to working with diverse populations

Relocation expenses may be reimbursed

Qualifications

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/forensic psychologist for a minimum of 4 years.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups.
• Experience of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day operations of the Enhanced Support Service.
• Conduct clinical assessments and develop case formulations.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

Resilience

Education

Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical psychology

Job description

Employer Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site HMP Foston Hall Town Derby Salary £62,215 - £72,293 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 29/06/2025 23:59

Band 8b Principal Practitioner Psychologist - Enhanced Support Service

Band 8b

Please note that this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Job overview

A new and exciting opportunity has arisen within Secure Care and Offender Health division of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) to work within the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway services within HMP Foston Hall. HMP Foston Hall is located in the rural area of Foston, Derbyshire, within easy commuting distance from north Birmingham, Derby, Nottingham, north Leicestershire and Staffordshire. It is a closed prison for adult women with capacity for around 290 women.

This role will involve re-establishing Enhanced Support Service (ESS) and a Dynamic Pathway as an extension to the CAMEO treatment service. Both services aim to reduce the negative impact of violent and disruptive behaviour in prisons using a small but dedicated multi-disciplinary staff team that works in partnership across prison, healthcare and psychology. ESS will work intensively with people in prison in a collaborative manner to develop motivation to facilitate better settlement, improved psychological wellbeing and in the long term, access to sentence planning services.

The successful candidate will be joining a large and diverse psychological therapies team within the division, consisting of clinical, forensic and counselling psychologists, arts therapists, specialist psychological practitioners and assistant psychologists. The division is committed to investing in staff and you will have opportunities for training, supervision and career development.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will work within HMP Foston Hall, taking charge of the day-to-day management of the ESS and Dynamic Pathway services. It will involve managing referrals into the service, undertaking clinical assessments and interventions as required and developing case formulations and support plans, in conjunction with other professionals involved. The successful candidate will need exceptional communication skills as well as an empathic and non-judgemental attitude towards the individuals within the service and within the prison environment. You will also need to be resilient and be able to work and make decisions in both an independent and collaborative manner. The successful candidate will have extensive experience of working with adults with personality disorder and challenging behaviour, in addition to those with other psychological difficulties, neurodiversity and complex needs and risks. An interest and experience of developing services will be an advantage. Leadership and service development experience is desirable, as well as managing and supervising a range of other professionals.

If you are ready for the next stage of your career progression, and able to compassionately challenge systems and staff to be better, hold integrity and also connect with the people around them, we hope that you speak to us and apply.

Working for our organisation

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

Please click on the link for a little insight into our services and our people

• Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical psychology (the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996), the completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists
• Post-doctoral training in one or more highly specialist areas of psychological practice / therapy

Experience

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/forensic psychologist for a minimum of 4 years post qualification, with a minimum of at least 2 years at the Senior (highly specialist) level.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of working therapeutically with ‘difficult to treat’ and or ‘hard to reach’ groups and clients in community settings
• Experience of safeguarding and risk management across several agencies, including appropriately escalating concerns

Skills

• Highly developed theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of clinical psychology, consistent with doctoral level professional training and further post qualification study, training and supervised experience during a minimum of 4 years as a qualified psychologist
• Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.
• Awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from black and minority ethnic groups and of the service issues arising within a multicultural urban area.
• In depth knowledge of information governance legislation and information sharing practices across agencies

Personal

• Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• Capacity for tolerating frustration, change and high levels of demand with an ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Willing and eligible to apply for higher level security clearance

Our Trust is committed to treating individuals fairly and ensuring they have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential, even if this means doing things differently for different people sometimes. We are working hard to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity within Birmingham and Solihull and that our services meet the needs of all diverse service users and carers.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safe recruitment practice pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. As part of the selection process you may be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, however all cases of criminal record history are dealt with on a case by case basis.

Please note, if applicable for your role you will be required to cover the cost of your DBS certificate. This will be deducted from your salary over 3 months. You will also be required to sign up to the DBS Update Service before commencement with the Trust. The Trust will reimburse this. You will be contractually obliged to maintain your subscription.

All successful applicants will be required to complete the Trust’s induction programme. The Fundamental (Statutory and Mandatory) training will be in an e-learning format. You will be required to complete training modules online (approx. 9-14 hours depending on post) by the end of your second week with us.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process we may contact you via email to advise you of the interview details. Please ensure you access your email account from which you applied regularly once the position has closed.

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, please ensure that you check if this role meets the eligibility criteria for sponsorship. Non UK /Republic of Ireland candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Browse: Work in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) . The minimum salary threshold for a Health and Social Care is £25,000 and for the Skilled Worker route is £38,700. If the starting salary for this role is below this, we will not be able to provide sponsorship.

Relocation expenses may be reimbursed subject to eligibility. The policy provides for reimbursement up to £8,000.

Please note - if you are applying for a role within Police custody, due to Police Vetting requirements you must have been a UK resident for the last years.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.