Practitioner Psychologist - Forensic or Clinical

Nhs-1; Retford; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Practitioner Psychologist (Forensic or Clinical) at Rampton Hospital. The post involves highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for women in high secure care, with advisory input to non-psychology colleagues and autonomous practice within professional guidelines.

The role includes leading multidisciplinary teams, participating in clinical governance, and contributing to audit, policy and research within

Qualifications

• Good honours degree in psychology, accredited by the British Psychology Society.
• MSc or Doctorate in Clinical or Forensic Psychology (or equivalent).
• Must be HCPC registered as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Chartered status or eligibility for chartered status with the BPS.
• Further relevant post-qualification training/qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessments using diverse data sources.
• Formulate and implement plans for treatment of mental health problems.
• Deliver range of psychological interventions across teams and settings.
• Liaise with multidisciplinary team and contribute to formulation and treatment planning.
• Engage in service development, audit, and research activities.

Skills

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Clinical formulation

Risk assessment

Research for audit

Education

MSc or Doctorate in Clinical or Forensic Psychology

Honours degree in psychology

HCPC registration

Chartered status or eligibility

Job description

Employer Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Rampton Hospital, Town Woodbeck Salary Per Annum with high secure lead Closing 15/10/2026 23:59

Practitioner Psychologist - Forensic or Clinical

NHS AfC: Band 7/8a

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Job overview

To provide a comprehensive, highly specialist clinical and forensic psychology service within the National High Secure Healthcare Service for Women (NHSHSW). To provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention as well as offering advice and consultation regarding service users’ psychological care to other members of the clinical team. To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within Rampton Hospital.

The post-holder will provide a highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy service to female service users within the NHSHSW. The post-holder will offer advice and consultation on psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues, working autonomously within professional guidelines and the Hospital’s policies, procedures and service priorities.

The post-holder will participate fully in multidisciplinary clinical teams, at times leading them. They will develop knowledge and skills in general aspects of forensic clinical psychology and the assessment and treatment of service users who are legally detained as ‘mentally disordered’ and experience a range of complex mental health difficulties. The post-holder will be capable of conducting projects, working largely independently, with only general briefings and working directly to Trust senior managers.

Main duties of the job

Clinical or Work Practice

To provide specialist psychological assessments to service users within the National High Secure Healthcare Service for Women, 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 service users and others involved in the service user’s care.

To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a service user’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the service user’s difficulties, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions, individual and group, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose difficulties are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

To liaise closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, giving authoritative specialist advice on psychological aspects of care, contributing directly to formulation, diagnosis and treatment planning.

Working for our organisation

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As detailed above and in job description. In summary

To provide specialist psychological assessments to service users within the National High Secure Healthcare Service for Women, 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 service users and others involved in the service user’s care.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Rampton Hospital is currently consulting on the introduction of a probationary period. Candidates should note that, if approved, this may be applicable at the time of appointment to this post.

Person specification

Physical Requirements

• Ability to undertake MVA training and employ these skills when required

Qualifications - Academic / Craft / Professional

• Good honours degree in psychology, accredited by the British Psychology Society.
• MSc or Doctorate in Clinical or Forensic Psychology (applicants with equivalent training as a practitioner psychologist (for instance Health and Counseling Psychology) will also be eligible.
• Must be HCPC registered as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Chartered status or eligibility for chartered status with the BPS
• Further relevant post-qualification training/qualifications

Training

• Training includes models of psychopathology, psychometric assessment, developmental psychology through the life span and two or more distinct approaches to therapeutic intervention.
• Training and supervised practice within forensic mental health services.
• Evidence of CPD
• Advanced knowledge, experience, and expertise in at least one specialist area of clinical/forensic practice gained through specialist training and supervised practice (e.g., psychotherapy, neuropsychology, risk assessment, clinical and forensic supervision).
• Evidence of training in assessment/therapies relevant for women’s forensic services e.g., DBT, Fire setting Treatment, Complex Trauma, Self-Harm

Contractual Requirements

• Ability to carry out all mandatory training
• A full UK driving license and vehicle for business use (due to the remote location of the hospital, reliance on public transport can be challenging).

Values and Behaviours

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust’s expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation

Experience

• Experience of working collaboratively and effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience of working with people, in gender sensitive ways, who present severe problems and complex needs.
• Experience of exercising clinical responsibility, under supervision, for psychological care and treatment in the context of multidisciplinary care plans.
• Experience of Risk Assessment
• Experience of working with women in forensic mental health settings
• Experience of delivering female specific group programmes or interventions
• Experience of facilitating ward/MDT based supervision and/or reflective practice groups
• Experience of delivering training and supervision to staff, MDT colleagues, and other psychologists.
• Experience of clinical audit, service evaluation and research.
• Experience of providing and evaluating evidence-based highly specialist psychological interventions to address complex problems and needs of female mentally disordered offenders in a forensic service.
• Experience of teaching psychologists and/or other professionals.
• Experience of service development projects.
• Experience of working as a qualified psychologist in a forensic environment, or with women.
• Can demonstrate experience of supporting the development of others / improving others’ clinical practice
• Experience of developing therapy programmes in a relevant context
• Experience of involvement in recruitment and appraisals of junior staff

Knowledge

• Knowledge of legal system/MHA.
• Can demonstrate knowledge and skills in assessment and interventions relevant to clinical forensic practice.
• Knowledge and skills in therapeutic approaches relevant to mentally disordered offenders.
• Good knowledge of research design and methodology and understanding their application within secure forensic mental health settings.
• Awareness of current national policy and legislation in the criminal justice system and/or health relevant to the service.
• Awareness and knowledge of the difficulties of working in forensic settings.

Skills

• Can demonstrate clinical effectiveness in individual and group work, risk and clinical assessment.
• Ability to develop therapeutic relationships with patients who are often highly distressed and challenging.
• Ability to communicate with patients, families, and other professionals about sensitive and sometimes contentious issues relating to patient care.
• Research skills for audit, service development, and research projects.
• Ability to plan and organise clinical service provision to meet service demands.
• Proven ability to work effectively within multi-disciplinary teams.
• Groupwork Skills.
• IT literacy – including skills in the use of SPSS or R/databases/spreadsheets.
• Experience of dissemination of research/service evaluation. (e.g., publications).
• Record of clinical effectiveness in a forensic women’s service.
• Can demonstrate competence in supervision of junior psychology and MDT staff and psychology trainees.
• Presentation and teaching skills.

Attributes

• Commitment and enthusiasm.
• Reliability & personal integrity.

Additional Information

• We reserve the right to close the post early once we have received a sufficient number of applicants.
• The Trust believes in treating everyone with dignity and respect and encourages applications from all sectors of the community. We guarantee an interview to candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum essential criteria.
• In submitting an application form, you authorise Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you. This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post. Should you require any further information please refer our Privacy Policy shown on the Trust website, please click here for more information.
• For eligible posts, DBS disclosures are mandatory before commencement of employment. If you are in a position that is deemed a regulated adult and/or child care role, you will not be able to start your employment until we have received a satisfactory DBS Disclosure. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Convictions which would otherwise be considered as 'spent' will also be checked as part of an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.

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.

Name Yasmin Siddall, Consultant Forensic Psychologist Job title Joint Lead Psychologist for the NHSHSW Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01777 880211 Additional information

Rachel Beryl

Consultant Forensic Psychologist & Joint Lead Psychologist for the National High Secure Healthcare Service for Women

[e-mail]

01777 247298