Highly Specialist Health Psychologist

West London; Isleworth; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

West London NHS Trust is recruiting a Highly-Specialist Applied Psychologist to join the Pain Management Service in Isleworth. You will deliver specialist psychological assessment, formulation and therapy for people with chronic pain, managing a complex caseload and working with the multidisciplinary MSK team to provide evidence-based, person-centred care.

The post offers autonomy within professional guidelines, with opportunities for teaching, supervision, research and service development, and

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) degree in Psychology.
• Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Additional short courses in Counselling or Psychological therapies.
• Additional academic qualifications relevant to Psychology.

Responsibilities

• Undertake specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for chronic pain.
• Manage a complex caseload and contribute to risk assessment and treatment planning.
• Provide specialist advice and consultation to colleagues; produce clear clinical reports.
• Teach, supervise, audit, and contribute to service development.

Skills

Engagement with individuals & groups

Education

BA (Hons) in Psychology

BPS graduate membership eligibility

Counselling or psychological therapies courses

Psychology qualifications relevant to the field

Tools

SPSS

Job description

Site West Middlesex Hospital Town Isleworth Salary £63,665 - £70,887 per annum pro rata inclusive of 15% HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 18/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 26/10/2026

West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

As a Highly-Specialist Applied Psychologist within the Pain Management Service, you will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and therapy for people living with chronic pain and complex needs. Working closely with the multidisciplinary MSK Persistent Pain Team, you will use your clinical expertise to support evidence-based, person-centred care and advise colleagues on psychological approaches to treatment. This is an autonomous and varied role offering opportunities to contribute to service development, research, teaching and supervision while helping improve outcomes for people experiencing persistent pain.

Main duties of the job

You will undertake specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for people experiencing chronic pain, using evidence-based approaches tailored to individual needs. You will manage a complex caseload, contribute to risk assessment and treatment planning, and work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team and wider services. The role includes providing specialist advice and consultation to colleagues, producing clear clinical reports, monitoring outcomes and supporting psychologically informed care. You will also contribute to teaching, supervision, audit, research and service development, requiring excellent communication, clinical reasoning, organisation and the ability to work autonomously within professional guidelines. Candidate recruitment pack

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.

Person specification

Qualifications/Education

• BA (Hons) degree in Psychology.
• Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Additional short courses in Counselling or Psychological therapies
• Additional academic qualifications relevant to Psychology.

Experience

• Experience of regularly communicating information that is condition-related to complex individuals, groups, carers, and other healthcare professionals.
• Experience of systematic data collection and interpretation in research or clinical settings.
• Experience of working and liaising with clients who have mental health needs within the NHS.
• Experience of working within a team.
• Demonstrable experience of working within the administrative field and working with computerised data systems.
• Experience of carrying out psychological assessments or research and reporting on the findings under supervision from a mentor or Clinical Psychologist.
• Experience of working under the Pain Management Services for adults.
• Experience of teaching/training others.

Skills/Ability/ Knowledge

• An ability to engage with individuals, families and groups.

Personal Qualities

• Strong commitment to clinical research.
• Commitment to evidence based practice and clinical excellence.
• Commitment to the development of understanding of Chronic Pain Management, and the consequence of other long-term, complex conditions.

Other Requirements

• Able to travel within the area and further afield.
• Motivated towards personal and professional development.
• IT skills including database and data analysis packages (e.g. SPSS).

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to West London NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment checks which can take between 4-8 weeks . After which your information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system (ESR ).

West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We encourage the thoughtful use of technology as a demonstration of strong time management and a commitment to innovation. However, we encourage applicants to personalise their recruitment application to showcase their unique skills and experiences.

While AI-generated content can be a helpful tool, relying solely on generic responses instead of highlighting your own strengths and achievements may impact the success of your application. The success of an application will always be assessed against the essential and desirable criteria for the role, so it is important to ensure that your application and any supporting information clearly demonstrate how you meet these requirements.

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.

At West London NHS Trust, we want you to support you to build a career you can be proud of and this starts before your first day with us. Our people live our values every day as they deliver, manage and work to improve our services to patients, carers, families and other professionals.

We’re committed to making our recruitment process clear and efficient. It’s in everyone’s interest that we get the very best people on board as soon as we can.