Band 8b Principal Practitioner Psychologist - Reaside Clinic

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust; Park Central; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health organization in the UK is looking for a Principal Practitioner Psychologist to coordinate a forensic consultation service. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in forensic mental health, strong supervisory skills, and a commitment to improving service delivery. This role offers an opportunity to work within a diverse team and contribute to meaningful mental health care improvements in the community. The position is based in South Birmingham, with responsibilities across the West Midlands.

Qualifications

• Experience in forensic mental health settings.
• Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively.
• Competence in evaluation and quality improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Co-ordinate the development of forensic consultation services.
• Oversee senior practitioner psychologists within the team.
• Build relationships with colleagues across various disciplines.
• Monitor service outcomes and implement quality improvements.

Skills

Experience with complex forensic presentations

Ability to balance clinical need with risk management

Supervision experience

Strong interpersonal skills

Education

Doctorate in Psychology

Job description

A Vacancy at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.


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.

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.

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.

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


This advert closes on Sunday 17 Aug 2025