Highly Specialised Practitioner in Physical Health

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; London; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking healthcare provider as a Highly Specialist Practitioner in Physical Health. This role offers an exciting opportunity to work within multidisciplinary teams focused on diabetes care. You will deliver expert psychological assessments and interventions, contributing to the development of best practices in clinical psychology. The position emphasizes professional growth through CPD opportunities and collaborative support among colleagues. If you're passionate about improving lives and have a strong background in psychological services, this role is designed for you!

Qualifications

• Doctoral training in psychology accredited by the BPS is essential.
• Experience in psychological assessment and treatment across care settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessments and therapy for diabetes clients.
• Facilitate reflective practice groups and provide consultation to non-psychologist colleagues.

Skills

Psychological Assessment

Therapeutic Intervention

Consultation Skills

Group Work

Education

Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling/health psychology

HCPC Registration

Job description

Highly Specialised Practitioner in Physical Health

Band 8a

Main area Adult Community Physical Health Services Grade Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Part time would be considered) Job ref 277-7102192-CPH

Site 151 Goldie Leigh Town London Salary £59,490 - £66,239 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 12/05/2025 23:59

Job overview

Clinical/Counselling/Health Psychologist, Band 8a

Permanent - full time (part time hours would be considered)

This is an exciting opportunity to join our forward-thinking and dedicated multi-disciplinary diabetes teams across Bexley and Greenwich. Our team comprise of highly specialist nurses, dietitians, podiatrists, psychologists and medical Consultants.

We are looking for a highly specialist clinical/counselling/health Psychologist, preferably with experience in physical health, Diabetes and/or Long-Term Conditions, to be part of our multidisciplinary teams.

The postholder will be joining a dynamic and friendly network of psychologists in physical health in the Adult Community Physical Health Services Directorate. There are regular opportunities for CPD and training in providing reflective practice to other teams within the Directorate. The postholder will be able to network and come together with other psychologists working in physical health for collegiate support. Clinical supervision is provided from within the directorate by a Consultant Psychologist, Directorate Head of Psychological Therapies.

Main duties of the job

To provide a specialist psychology service to clients of the Community Diabetes Specialist Teams across Bexley and Greenwich.

The postholder will provide highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy at the same time as offering advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other, non-professional carers, working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures. To facilitate reflective practice groups with staff groups within the directorate. To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holder’s professional and service manager(s).
• To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
• To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.
• To work flexibly when the service requires in order to provide a service to clients and their support network within a service that operates across different clinics and also in clients’ homes.
• To provide specialist psychological assessments of Diabetes clients and other people referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
• To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across the service, and other teams where necessary or appropriate and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

Person specification

Education

• Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling/health psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
• HCPC Registration
• Completion of further post-qualification doctoral specialist training including training in supervision of practitioner psychologists.
• Completion of further post-qualification specialist training or expertise in a distinct therapy relevant to this service.

Experience

• At least 12 months experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including community and primary care.
• Experience of working in physical health services.

Skills and Knowledge

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professionals and non-professional groups
• Experience of group work and training in supervision of other psychologists/professionals

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process. We also discourage overuse of AI during the application process because this can negatively impact the quality of your application and may hinder your chances of being shortlisted. Thank you.

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high volume of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Name Dr Dimitra Lorentzatou Job title Head of Psychological Therapies, ACPH Directorate Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 02083197103