Lead Cons Practitioner Psychologist, Professional Lead for PP

Sussex Partnership Nhs Foundation Trust; Hailsham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Senior Professional Lead for the Psychological Professions within Forensic Health Services to shape pathways, culture and system wide practice. The role offers strategic influence across inpatient, community and outreach settings, guiding professional development, governance, and trauma‑informed care in line with the trust priorities.

The post provides senior leadership, line management where appropriate, workforce planning,

Job description

We are looking for an experienced and compassionate senior psychological professional to join us as Professional Lead for the Psychological Professions in our Forensic Health Services. This is a significant leadership role within the Specialist Division, offering the chance to shape a pathway, a culture and a system, while working alongside committed colleagues who are ambitious about the contribution of psychological professions to forensic care. The role will provide strategic leadership across low and medium secure inpatient services, Forensic Outreach Services, the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway and Mental Health Treatment Requirement services. The majority of services are in Sussex, with some extending into Surrey, and all are part of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Provider Collaborative. The post may also be asked to consult and advise on Forensic CAMHS services., Working as a core member of the Forensic Health Services leadership team, and in close collaboration with the Director of Psychological Professions and senior operational and clinical colleagues, you will bring a distinctive psychological voice to service development, risk governance, culture change and partnership working. You will help ensure that formulation-driven practice, evidence-based interventions and compassionate, trauma-informed approaches are embedded across forensic pathways, in line with the Trust strategy and the Psychological Professions strategic priorities for 2025-2030.

You will provide professional leadership, and where appropriate line management, to registered and unregistered psychological professionals across forensic inpatient, community, outreach and specialist pathway services. A central focus will be strengthening supervision, professional development, workforce planning, recruitment, clinical governance, service improvement, research, audit and evaluation so that psychological professions are supported to improve access, outcomes and quality of care for service users, carers and families.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability and neurodevelopmental services across diverse coastal, rural and urban communities, with strong links to partners across health, social care, probation and criminal justice. Within Forensic Health Services, you will be joining committed multidisciplinary teams and senior leaders who want the psychological professions to be visible, valued and influential in improving care. Together, we are working to strengthen reflective, compassionate and inclusive approaches for people who may present with complex mental health needs, offending histories, trauma and risk.