Principal Applied Psychologist

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; Redditch; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider is seeking a Principal Applied Psychologist to lead its clinical psychology service for children dealing with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cystic fibrosis. This role involves providing psychological assessments, therapeutic interventions, and supervising other psychologists. Candidates must have doctoral-level training in Clinical Psychology and a commitment to improving children's mental health and wellbeing. The position offers the chance to work within a multi-disciplinary team and contribute to service evaluation and development.

Benefits

Continuing Professional Development opportunities

Supportive multi-disciplinary environment

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology as accredited by the BPS / HCPC.
• Evidence of postgraduate CPD in relevant fields.
• Experience in assessing and treating children and families.

Responsibilities

• Lead a specialist clinical health psychology service for children’s diabetes and cystic fibrosis.
• Provide consultation, advice and training to other team members.
• Conduct psychological assessments and therapeutic interventions.

Skills

Psychological assessment

Clinical supervision

Patient consultation

Therapeutic approaches

Team leadership

Education

Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology

Additional training in therapeutic approaches

Job description

Principal Applied Psychologist

The closing date is 23 December 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Practitioner Psychologist to provide expert professional and clinical services for children’s services at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This is a replacement post for a greatly valued team member. We are searching for an exceptionally talented and inspirational individual with a commitment to excellent care, to bring a fresh perspective and cutting edge thinking to help drive forward our children’s strategy.

The post holder will lead a specialist clinical health psychology service to the Children’s Diabetes and Cystic Fibrosis Service in Worcestershire, to address the psychological needs of children and young people and their families. This will include specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes, focusing on identifying and treating psychological and emotional issues associated with diabetes and cystic fibrosis.

This expansive role provides a fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic and ambitious leader to provide a strategic view on the development, implementation and evaluation of the psychology service for children and their families with complex needs, working within the multi‑disciplinary environment.

We would be delighted to meet / speak with prospective applicants to discuss the post and provide an opportunity to meet current members of the team prior to the interview. Please contact Dr Heidi Napier, Lead Consultant Clinical Psychologist on 07874 642290.

Main duties of the job

You will join a growing team of psychologists providing a specialist clinical health psychology service to people who are receiving care from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust. We are passionate about offering psychologically informed and trauma informed care and psychological support to people across a variety of physical health areas promoting greater equity and access. The post holder will provide clinical supervision and line management to other qualified clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainee clinical psychologists as required.

Key Relations

• Internal:
  • Chief Nurse / Divisional Directors / Deputy Chief Nurse / Divisional Directors of Nursing / Midwifery / Deputy Divisional Directors of Nursing
  • Clinical Leads of Service / Matrons / Ward Managers / Consultants / Medical Staff / Nurses / AHPs and support workers / Finance team / HR team / Clinical Governance teams / Patient Experience teams / Patients / Service Users / Families and carers of patients.
• External:
  • Primary Care, Education Groups, Social Care, Worcestershire services and other.

Role Summary

The Clinical Psychologist will lead a specialist clinical psychology service to the Diabetes and Cystic Fibrosis Service in Worcestershire, to address the psychological needs of children and young people and their families. This will include specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes, focusing on identifying and treating psychological and emotional issues associated with diabetes and cystic fibrosis.

The Clinical Psychologist will provide a strategic view on the development, implementation and evaluation of the psychology service for children and their families with complex needs, working within the multi‑disciplinary environment.

To provide consultation, advice and training as appropriate to other members of the service and to work effectively within the multi‑disciplinary health team.

To contribute to service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.

To use their initiative and take responsibility for themselves and the quality of their work and the service they provide to patients.

To contribute to the teaching, clinical governance and administrative activities relevant to the needs of the clinical psychology service within diabetes and cystic fibrosis service.

To provide clinical supervision and line management to other qualified clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists or trainee clinical psychologists as required.

Clinical supervision for the post-holder will be established with an appropriately qualified and experienced clinical psychologist.

Duties and Responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities for any clinical psychologist post, as listed in AL (SP) 4/92, working within the Code of Conduct of the British Psychological Society and Guidelines for the Professional Practice of Clinical Psychology of the BPS Division of Clinical Psychology:

• Adhere to national and local standards and guidelines relating to professional practice
• Beware of and adhere to current legislation and employer procedures relating to the post
• Demonstrate commitment to personal development and acquisition of further skills and knowledge
• Responsible for collecting own work statistics
• Responsible for managing own time appropriately
• Responsible for managing a defined caseload
• Work with volunteers and assistants
• Responsible for student observations
• Responsible for assessment, treatment, reports, interventions, evaluation for each patient
• Seek second opinions, where necessary
• Make onward referrals, where appropriate
• Offer advice to carers.

Clinical

To provide highly specialised clinical psychology services, as appropriate to children and young people and their families and carers, as a member of the Worcestershire Diabetes and Cystic Fibrosis Service, including:

• The psychological assessment, clinical formulation and management of children and young people with diabetes and their families with complex presenting problems.
• The selection, administration and interpretation of psychometric, cognitive, developmental and neuropsychological assessments where appropriate.
• The selection and delivery of evidence‑based psychological treatments and therapies, monitoring outcomes, modifying and adapting interventions and drawing on a range of theoretical options.
• Specifically, working to promote psychological adaptation and adjustment.

To work as an independent and autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions.

To contribute to the effective working of the multi‑disciplinary health team in order to deliver comprehensive clinical care to families, children and young people, ensuring that psychological wellbeing is central to the planning and delivery of health care.

To communicate skilfully and sensitively highly complex and sensitive information with children, families, carers and colleagues, taking account of sensory and cultural barriers to communication.

To formulate and communicate sensitively highly complex psychological assessment findings and implement psychological treatment plans, individual, family or group interventions as appropriate.

To provide highly specialist psychological consultation and advice to colleagues and others in the wider health and education settings and to contribute to a psychologically informed framework within the service.

To conduct assessments flexibly, attending multi‑disciplinary and medic‑led clinics, as required.

To assess and monitor risk and safeguarding issues and draw up appropriate risk management plans.

To provide advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.

To raise awareness within the multi‑disciplinary healthcare team of a psychological and systemic framework for thinking about illness and physical health.

To provide psychological support to children, young people and their families who are emotionally distressed by the child's condition or treatment.

To maintain excellent working relationships with colleagues, local CAMHS teams and other local agencies.

Teaching, training and supervision

• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to BPS and Trust guidelines.
• To provide professional and clinical supervision to other qualified clinical psychologists and assistant and trainee psychologists as required.
• To participate in the identification of the training needs of professional staff.
• To provide specialist clinical teaching, training and consultation to psychologists and other professions as appropriate.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

• To lead the provision, organisation, development and evaluation of clinical psychology within the diabetes and CF service.
• To provide line management to other psychologists within the service.
• To identify aspects of the service which could be improved and to contribute to the service development through identifying, undertaking and coordinating appropriate projects.
• To monitor and manage the workload of other qualified psychologists and assistant psychologists as required and contribute to their appraisal/development review.
• To participate in the recruitment process of psychologists as appropriate.
• To lead the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and developing services.
• To exercise delegated responsibility for managing the psychological resources available to the team.
• Responsible for strategic planning, service development and policy issues relating to clinical psychology within the service.
• To contribute as part of the MDT, to relevant policies, procedures and reports as appropriate.

Research, audit and service evaluation

• To coordinate and lead on the development of clinical psychology in the diabetes and CF service through undertaking service evaluation and audit.
• To carry out appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff within the service.
• To contribute to the development of outcome measurement and assessment, and assist other staff in the implementation of the same.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles as relevant.
• To utilise theory, evidence‑based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

Communication and liaison

• Liaise with patients and their families and professionals/agencies in relation to the clinical care of individual clients.
• Liaise with other professionals in relation to the service delivery to children, young people and families with diabetes and CF.
• Represent clinical psychology in diabetes at an operational level to ensure good communication and working relationships are established with a wide range of professions and agencies.
• Contribute to regional diabetes and CF network activities as appropriate.

Clinical Governance

• Initiate, develop, implement and evaluate clinical governance for clinical psychology within the diabetes and CF service.

Professional Responsibility

• To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS/HCPC requirements and Trust appraisal and personal development plan requirements.
• To maintain an up to date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.

Improving Diversity and Inclusive Recruitment

As part of the Trust's aim to improve diversity across the Trust, positive action is being taken and all applications for this post from BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ candidates can request to be considered under an expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum criteria as specified in the person specification for this role. Applicants will be prompted in the application form to declare if they wish to be considered under this expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme, and their response would be visible to the Shortlisting Panel. If you have any queries about the expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please contact Rob Saunders (HR Manager – Recruitment) in confidence via email [e-mail].

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology as accredited by the BPS / HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychotherapies and lifespan developmental psychology or equivalent. Registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist. Evidence of postgraduate CPD.
• Additional training in a specific therapeutic approach e.g. motivational interviewing, solution focused approaches. Training, study days or conferences relating to physical health conditions.

Personal Qualities

• Ability to work flexibly and cooperatively. Able to negotiate and collaborate with a wide range of professionals. Able to function as part of a team. Able to provide leadership within and across teams. Able to fulfil the travel requirements of the post to travel across the county to meet service needs. A commitment to continued professional development, to partnership working and to reflective clinical practice. Well‑developed IT skills including entry and analysis or audit and / or research data. Enthusiastic, confident and interested in service development.

Other Requirements

• Willing to undertake training in relation to post. Must be willing and able to travel to meet the demands of the post. Complaints management. Performance management. Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for post Standard Clauses. A Disclosures and Barring Service check will be carried out where the position is eligible for a DBS check in accordance with the 2012 Protection of Freedom Act and the guidance issued by the DBS.
• All posts working with children or vulnerable adults are required to have an Enhanced DBS checked including checking against DBS / ISA Vetting and barring lists.

Experience

• Psychological assessment and treatment of children, young people and families with a range of complex difficulties in a mental health or physical health-related setting. Exercising full psychological care and treatment. Consultation and training to other staff. Supervision of other staff including qualified psychologists. Leading and developing a clinical service. Representing a team and service. Line management. Developing and carrying out research projects, audit and service evaluation. Multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working. Clinical record keeping, outcome monitoring and report writing. Working with a wide variety of client groups (children & young people aged 0-18 years, parents, extended family, carers and professionals). Experience of working with highly emotive and distressing problems (e.g. childhood illness).
• Psychological assessment and treatment of children and young people with a range of needs in a paediatric setting and / or physical health setting. Group work. Providing specialist teaching for a range of professionals.

Skills / Knowledge

• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology related to child and family problems and complex statistical analysis. Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics. Advanced level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least 2 models of highly specialised psychological therapies for child and adolescents relevant to physical health. Knowledge of the psychological theoretical models of health and illness. Knowledge of legislation and national policy relevant to work with children, young people and families with physical health conditions and mental health issues. Awareness of diversity issues. Highly developed written and verbal communication skills including communicating highly complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, families and colleagues. Consultation skills. Ability to work independently as an autonomous practitioner with appropriate level of clinical and managerial supervision and maintain awareness of own limitations. Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and contribute to effective team functioning. Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS / HCPC. Ability to provide constructive feedback to staff and challenge poor behaviour.
• Well-developed skills in the specialist psychological assessment and treatment of children and young people with medical conditions and their families.

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.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust