Principal Applied Psychologist

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; Redditch; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospital trust in Redditch is seeking a Principal Applied Psychologist to lead a clinical service for children with diabetes and cystic fibrosis. The role involves providing assessments, treatment, and supervision in a multi-disciplinary team setting. Ideal candidates should have a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and be registered with HCPC. The position offers the chance to contribute to service development and work within a supportive environment.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Registered Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
• Experience in psychological assessment and treatment of children.
• Ability to work flexibly and cooperatively.

Responsibilities

• Lead a specialist clinical psychology service for Diabetes and Cystic Fibrosis.
• Provide consultation and training to team members.
• Contribute to service evaluation and research.

Skills

Psychological assessment

Clinical supervision

Team collaboration

Consultation skills

Education

Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology

Registered with the HCPC

Job description

Overview

Go back Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Principal Applied Psychologist

The closing date is 14 October 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Practitioner Psychologist to provide expert professional and clinical services for childrens 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 childrens strategy.

The post holder will lead a specialist clinical health psychology service to the Childrens 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.

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.

About us

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester.

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Being open and honest

Ensuring people feel cared for

Showing respect to everyone

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs

Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Job responsibilities

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.

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

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.

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

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 of 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
• Ability 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. All posts working with children or vulnerable adults require an Enhanced DBS check including checking against DBS / ISA Vetting and barring lists.

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. Here you can declare if you wish to be considered under this expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme and this response would be visible to the Shortlisting Panel.

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; multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working; clinical record keeping, outcome monitoring and report writing; 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
• Well-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