Band 8b Principal Practitioner Psychologist - Reaside Clinic

NHS; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 62,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider is seeking a Principal Practitioner Psychologist to join their dynamic team. This role involves overseeing forensic consultation services and collaborating with various professionals to enhance patient care. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in clinical psychology and a commitment to service development. Join a supportive team dedicated to making a real difference in the community.

Qualifications

• Experience with complex forensic presentations and supervising others.
• Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists.

Responsibilities

• Co-ordinate forensic consultation services and oversee senior practitioners.
• Build relationships with colleagues across disciplines to develop service models.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills

Psychological Assessment

Risk Management

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Job description

Band 8b Principal Practitioner Psychologist - Reaside Clinic

Req#: C9436-25-0339?language=en&page=108&sort=publicationDateDesc

Job summary

We are excited to be recruiting a Principal Practitioner Psychologist for our growing Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST). We are looking for experienced, enthusiastic and innovative candidates interested in shaping the development of new elements of our service.

The Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) is a specialist forensic community mental health team, based in South Birmingham and covering the West Midlands area. The aim of the service is to contribute to the successful transition of patients with significant risk histories out of secure inpatient services and support their continued recovery and risk management in the community. FIRST is currently looking to expand the provision offered by developing a consultation service, with the aim of providing specialist forensic advice and liaison to external agencies, including secondary mental health services.

As the principal psychologist, your role would involve co-ordinating this provision and overseeing senior practitioner psychologists within this new team, who may be working across different 'hubs' within the West Midlands. We are keen that applicants have experience of working with complex forensic presentations, balancing clinical need with risk management, as well as supervising others in this area.

Main duties of the job

Although there will be a need for autonomous working and development of the role, the successful candidate will be required to build strong working relationships with colleagues from a broad range of disciplines, both within and externally to FIRST, to understand service needs and to develop appropriate service model and specifications. Ongoing use of evaluation and quality improvement methodologies will be an important part of service development and monitoring of outcomes.

FIRST is a dynamic, diverse and friendly team, where staff report strong working relationships and feeling well supported by colleagues. Within the wider Secure Care and Offender Health (SCOH) division, you will be part of a large group of practitioner psychologists with a wealth of experience and skills across secure services, which affords a range of opportunities for model-specific supervision and peer support.

About us

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.

Details

Date posted

09 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£62,215 to £72,293 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

436-7183394

Job locations

Reaside Clinic

Birmingham Great Park

Birmingham

B45 9BE




Job description

Job 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

https://vimeo.com/benthompsonfilms/psychologyrecruitment?share=copy

Job description

Job 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

https://vimeo.com/benthompsonfilms/psychologyrecruitment?share=copy

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• 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

Experience

Essential

• 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 providing forensic consultation and liaison to other professionals

Desirable

• Experience of developing new clinical services of pathways
• Experience of working within community-based services

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed skills, commensurate with doctoral level training and post-qualification training and experience, in the formulation of highly complex problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions and management techniques that are appropriate for use with highly complex presenting problems.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to empathically, sensitively and effectively communicate clinical and condition related information to clients, their families, carers and professional colleagues (within and outside the NHS) that is extremely complicated or technical; extremely sensitive and potentially distressing to the recipient; or that is extremely contentious or challenging
• Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups

Desirable

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific 'difficult to treat' groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).

Personal

Essential

• Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• Ability to work independently, reliably, consistently and with initiative in circumstances where has discretion to work within defined team/Trust policies, service principles, professional codes of practice and other appropriate parameters and to determine how objectives agreed with manager are best achieved

Other

Essential

• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
• Awareness and understanding of the purpose and mechanisms of clinical governance and an ability to employ such mechanisms to maintain and improve standards of clinical practice
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• 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

Experience

Essential

• 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 providing forensic consultation and liaison to other professionals

Desirable

• Experience of developing new clinical services of pathways
• Experience of working within community-based services

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed skills, commensurate with doctoral level training and post-qualification training and experience, in the formulation of highly complex problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions and management techniques that are appropriate for use with highly complex presenting problems.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to empathically, sensitively and effectively communicate clinical and condition related information to clients, their families, carers and professional colleagues (within and outside the NHS) that is extremely complicated or technical; extremely sensitive and potentially distressing to the recipient; or that is extremely contentious or challenging
• Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups

Desirable

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific 'difficult to treat' groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).

Personal

Essential

• Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• Ability to work independently, reliably, consistently and with initiative in circumstances where has discretion to work within defined team/Trust policies, service principles, professional codes of practice and other appropriate parameters and to determine how objectives agreed with manager are best achieved

Other

Essential

• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
• Awareness and understanding of the purpose and mechanisms of clinical governance and an ability to employ such mechanisms to maintain and improve standards of clinical practice

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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) .

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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) .

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Reaside Clinic

Birmingham Great Park

Birmingham

B45 9BE




Employer's website

https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Reaside Clinic

Birmingham Great Park

Birmingham

B45 9BE




Employer's website

https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.