Principal Psychologist, Service Lead

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 72,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service provider in London is seeking a Principal Psychologist, Service Lead to develop a Men's Mental Health Treatment Requirement service. This role involves managing a clinical team, ensuring quality service delivery, and working collaboratively across various NHS trusts. Candidates should hold a doctoral degree in psychology and demonstrate substantial clinical expertise. The position offers a salary between £72,921 and £83,362 per annum.

Benefits

Commitment to staff personal development

Variety of work opportunities

Access to CPD opportunities

Qualifications

• HCPC Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Significant post-qualification specialist training in clinical practice.
• Knowledge of psychological therapies for difficult-to-treat groups.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the Men's Mental Health Treatment Requirement service.
• Management oversight and clinical supervision of the team.
• Oversee quality and performance including reporting to commissioners.

Skills

Psychological assessment

Clinical supervision

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Effective communication

Complex problem-solving

Education

Doctoral level training in psychology

Honours degree in Psychology

Job description

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Job title

Principal Psychologist, Service Lead

The closing date is 07 October 2025

North London Forensic Collaborative is the largest forensic Provider Collaborative in England and is a partnership between forensic services within five NHS Trusts including: North London NHS Foundation Trust - Lead Provider; Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust; East London NHS Foundation Trust; North East London NHS Foundation Trust; West London NHS Trust. This post is hosted by Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust and will work alongside clinical leads working East London NHS Foundation Trust, North East London NHS Foundation Trust and Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop a newly commissioned pan-London Men\'s Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) service to reduce custodial sentences and improve the wellbeing of men in the criminal justice system with mental health needs. Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs) were introduced by the Criminal Justice Act in 2003, recognising that for many individuals who offend, mental health and substance misuse issues underpin their offending behaviour. Treatment requirements offer courts an alternative to short custodial sentences and aim to prevent reoffending by addressing underlying vulnerabilities and improving quality of life. This service aims to increase the use of primary care treatment requirements as part of a community sentence, offering psychologically informed interventions and advice.

Main duties of the job

CNWL are recruiting to two of these posts which will operate as a job share and will be responsible for operational service delivery across North West and North Central London. There are equivalent posts being recruited to in North East London via NELFT and ELFT and we expect the clinical leads and services to work closely together, to ensure that courts across London are covered throughout the year.

The successful candidates will hold a small complex clinical caseload and be responsible for supervision of the clinical team. We hope to recruit a staff team reflective of the population we serve and welcome applications from those with protected characteristics, including minoritised ethnic groups. Candidates will be considered for all NLFC posts at interview. All three trusts support flexible working and applications for secondments to this substantive role will be considered.

About us

By joining CNWL\'s Health & Justice Directorate you will be joining a large department of psychologists and psychological therapists that provide an array of mental health and OPD services across London, Surrey, Kent and Bucks. Our staff are dynamic and welcoming and the networking and CPD opportunities are central to our services ethos. We have active research forums and promote our services and work through academic and clinical forums. All staff receive regular supervision and are supported with career aspirations and progression.

Click here to find out morePsychology at CNWL

What we can offer you: CNWL is recognised locally, nationally & internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ in line with our values, our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy & policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries. With us, you will get -

• A Trust committed to staff personal development, with a trust wide culture change and leadership programme that has staff wellbeing at its core.
• An opportunity to work for one of the top 10 NHS employers
• Variety of work
• Access to a variety of CPD opportunities

Job responsibilities

For further information about the advertised role, please refer to the job description & person specification included in the documents section of this advert.

To lead on the development and implementation of the Mens MHTR service and hold management oversight and clinical supervision of the team

To oversee and be responsible for quality and performance, including quarterly reporting to commissioners.

To work as a jobshare with other service lead and work alongside partners to deliver the service across London.

To have oversight and sign off of court directions, including covering sign of court directions for NLFC colleagues during periods of leave.

To liaise and ensure working relationships with key stakeholders

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

• An honours degree in Psychology as accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Doctoral level training in clinical, counselling or forensic psychology or equivalent, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, equivalent to that accredited by the BPS.
• Evidence of significant post-qualification specialist training, experience and developing expertise in a relevant specialist area of clinical practice.
• HCPC Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Completion of supervisor training course.
• Pre- or Post-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Previous Experience

• Substantial assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist including at a highly specialist level or an alternative agreed by the Chief Psychologist
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of teaching and training.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
• Experience of working effectively in multidisciplinary settings.
• Advanced knowledge, experience and expertise in at least one specialist area of clinical practice gained through specialist training and supervised practice (e.g. psychotherapy, neuropsychology, risk assessment, clinical supervision).
• Experience of leading on projects of service design or improvement.
• Experience of leadership, management and supervision of trainees and qualified staff including those from other disciplines.
• Awareness of institutional dynamics
• Research/publications on relevant issues.
• Experience of working indirectly with staff groups
• Experience of using a trauma informed approach
• Understanding of court processes and current sentence procedures and practices

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Advanced skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Possesses range of clinical knowledge, skills & information technology expertise relevant to demands of senior post.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Broad knowledge of models of assessment, management and treatment of offenders.
• Ability to work intensively with people who present challenges in the complexity of their problems and needs, including sexual and violent offending and self-harming and suicidal behaviours.
• High level of ability to plan and organise clinical service provision to meet service demands, and to maintain high quality professional practice.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to the forensic population as recommended by the HCPC.
• Well developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities).
• Can apply psychological knowledge creatively in developing new initiatives.
• Ability to write reports for varied audiences, including courts and purchasers of services
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work flexibly according to changing demands and to work well within a team
• Appreciation of the interface between our personal and professional lives, high level of self awareness and knowledge of principles of self care.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

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.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

£72,921 to £83,362 a year per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T)