Consultant Psychologist and Locality Lead - Older Adults

Oxford Health NHS Trust; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization is seeking a Consultant Psychologist and Locality Lead to enhance mental health services for older adults in Aylesbury. The role demands strong clinical leadership, overseeing a therapy team, and ensuring high-quality care. Candidates should have experience in psychological assessments and service development while meeting HCPC registration criteria. This is a vital opportunity for professionals committed to improving mental health services.

Benefits

Excellent career progression opportunities

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

NHS Discounts

Competitive pension scheme

Flexible staff accommodation

Qualifications

• Experience as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.
• Proven track record in psychological therapy for older adults.
• Ability to manage complex cases and lead therapy teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead psychological therapy for older adults in Buckinghamshire.
• Conduct clinical assessments and provide expert interventions.
• Supervise and consult with psychological therapists.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Psychological assessments

Consultation and supervision

Service development

Education

HCPC registration

Job description

Consultant Psychologist and Locality Lead - Older Adults

Are you an experienced Clinical or Counselling Psychologist passionate about improving mental health services for older adults?

We are seeking an experienced Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join our Buckinghamshire Older Adult Service as Consultant Psychologist and Locality Lead. This role involves providing clinical leadership for psychological therapists and ensuring the delivery of high‑quality, evidence‑based care for older adults with complex mental health needs.

You will provide clinical leadership for psychological therapists, oversee governance of psychological practice, and contribute to service development and innovation. This is a pivotal role for someone who thrives on collaboration, strategic thinking, and delivering outstanding care.

If this role sounds up your street – why not apply?

Main duties of the job

• Lead psychological therapy provision for older adults across Buckinghamshire.
• Provide expert clinical assessments, formulations, and interventions for complex cases.
• Offer consultation and supervision to psychological therapists and multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Drive service development, audit, and research initiatives to enhance care quality.
• Manage delegated line management responsibilities for psychological therapy staff.
• Contribute to recruitment, professional appraisal, and CPD planning within the service.
• Act as a senior clinician in shaping policy and practice for older adult mental health services.

The ability to travel independently between sites within the Trust is essential for this role. Please note if you are based outside of the UK you will need to hold HCPC registration in order to be considered for this role.

About us

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application. Please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent"

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Job responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

Person Specification

Question 1

• Tell me about a time you've managed clinical phycological therapists with a complex relationship? What happened and what was the outcome?

Question 2

• Tell me about a project or initiative you led to improve psychological services. How did you identify the need, implement changes, and measure success?

Question 3

• Tell me about a time you've managed a complex case that challenged existing policies and practice in Older Adults mental health? What was the outcome and how did you manage it effectively?

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.

Associate Director for Psychological Professions