Senior Practitioner Psychologist

NHS; Worthing; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

The NHS is looking for a Senior Practitioner Psychologist to join their Acute & Urgent Care pathway in Worthing. This role involves providing supervision, delivering psychological assessments, and collaborating on service development initiatives. Ideal candidates will possess doctoral-level training and experience working with complex cases in an acute care setting.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Opportunities for professional development

Qualifications

• Registration as a Practitioner Psychologist with the HCPC is required.
• Must have experience in evidence-based interventions for severe mental health difficulties.
• Familiarity with cognitive assessments is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervision to psychological practitioners within the CRHT.
• Offer assessment and treatment for adults with acute mental health difficulties.
• Collaborate with hospital teams to deliver psychologically informed care.

Skills

Leadership skills

Enthusiasm for acute work

Experience in psychological assessment

Education

Doctoral-level training in Clinical or Counselling Psychology

Job description

Job summary

We are seeking an enthusiastic and dynamicSenior Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical, Forensic, or Counselling) to join our Acute & Urgent Care pathway in Worthing, West Sussex, just 20 minutes from Brighton.

The post holder will be based at Meadowfield Hospital, which includes:

• Two adult wards
• An older adult ward
• A Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHT), soon relocating to the Worthing Integrated Care Centre

Key Responsibilities:

• Supervision: Provide supervision to psychological practitioners within the CRHT.
• Clinical Input: Offer assessment, formulation, and treatment for adults on acute wards with a range of mental health difficulties.
• Psychologically Informed Care: Collaborate with hospital teams to deliver and enable psychologically informed care and facilitate liaison across the urgent care pathway.
• Service Development: Work closely with the CRHT Service Manager and Acute Ward Matrons to develop psychological interventions, improve care pathways, and ensure smooth transitions to neighbourhood teams for a positive patient experience.

What We're Looking For:We are seeking a candidate with:

• Strong leadership skills
• Enthusiasm and passion for acute work
• Experience in psychological assessment and intervention
• A commitment to service improvement and patient care

This role provides a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in acute and urgent care while being part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and professional development.

Main duties of the job

This role involves direct, face-to-face work with service users experiencing acute mental health crises. The successful applicant will:

• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team, supporting individuals with complex needs and significant levels of risk.
• Provide evidence-based psychological interventions for clients in crisis, as well as their families and carers.
• Contribute to staff training, wellbeing initiatives, service development, reflective practice, and case formulation with teams.
• Have opportunities to engage in supervision and CPD, with access to specialist supervision in areas such as EMDR and high-risk case management.

What We're Looking For:Applicants should have:

• Doctoral-level training in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, with registration through the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Experience of working in an evidence-based way with individuals presenting with severe mental health difficulties, people in crisis, and their families/carers.
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary acute and/or urgent care context.
• Knowledge and experience in cognitive assessments (desirable).

Psychological Therapies are highly valued within Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT), and psychological therapists occupy a range of senior positions across the Trust. The Trust is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, with leadership programs and mentoring opportunities available for Psychological Therapies staff from underrepresented groups.

About us

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and learning disability care across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire. As a teaching Trust, we are recognized as one of the country's leading teaching mental health organizations.

We actively encourage flexible working arrangements to promote a positive work-life balance. Options such as part-time hours, home working, and flexible start/finish times are available wherever possible. If it works for you and the role, we'll do our best to make it happen.

Living and Working in West Sussex:

• Enjoy easy access to both the coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and vibrant seaside towns.
• West Sussex is the sunniest county in the UK, making outdoor activities even more enjoyable.
• Brighton is nearby, and London is accessible in under 90 minutes.
• Excellent local schools, nurseries, and playgroups (visit Good Schools Guide for more information).

We are proud to have been rated 'Good' overall and 'Outstanding' for caring by the CQC. In our recent staff survey, 82% of staff agreed that patient care is our top priority.

What We Offer:

• Opportunities to shape psychosis pathways and increase access to psychological therapies
• Strong links to research and development, as well as local universities
• Support through supervision, CPD, and excellent local and regional networks
• A focus on staff wellbeing and collaboration with Surrey University's Clinical Psychology training program

Details Date posted

23 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

354-AC-21087-B

Job locations

Swandean

Worthing

BN13 3EP

Job description Job responsibilities

This post is ideal for someone with a strong interest in multidisciplinary working with service users experiencing mental health crises. The role involves:

• Supporting individuals with complexity and significant risk who require acute care.
• Contributing to service development initiatives, including staff wellbeing and reflective practice.
• Participating in staff training and providing case formulations for teams.
• Engaging in valuable supervision and CPD opportunities to support professional development.

Why Join Us?This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to service developments at Meadowfield Hospital, a unit leading innovation in Sussex and nationally. Current initiatives include:

• Complex Emotional Needs Pathway: Meadowfield has introduced and is measuring a new care pathway for individuals with complex emotional needs, with potential for wider implementation across Sussex.
• Psychologically Informed Crisis Teams: In collaboration with the Psychological Professional Lead for Acute Services, Meadowfield is advancing more psychologically informed crisis teams locally, aligning with the QNCRHT review.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in these initiatives while working alongside a supportive, forward-thinking Acute and Urgent Care leadership team dedicated to best practices.

Job description Job responsibilities

This post is ideal for someone with a strong interest in multidisciplinary working with service users experiencing mental health crises. The role involves:

• Supporting individuals with complexity and significant risk who require acute care.
• Contributing to service development initiatives, including staff wellbeing and reflective practice.
• Participating in staff training and providing case formulations for teams.
• Engaging in valuable supervision and CPD opportunities to support professional development.

Why Join Us?This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to service developments at Meadowfield Hospital, a unit leading innovation in Sussex and nationally. Current initiatives include:

• Complex Emotional Needs Pathway: Meadowfield has introduced and is measuring a new care pathway for individuals with complex emotional needs, with potential for wider implementation across Sussex.
• Psychologically Informed Crisis Teams: In collaboration with the Psychological Professional Lead for Acute Services, Meadowfield is advancing more psychologically informed crisis teams locally, aligning with the QNCRHT review.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in these initiatives while working alongside a supportive, forward-thinking Acute and Urgent Care leadership team dedicated to best practices.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK*] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
• For forensic psychologists working in forensic settings: Masters degree (with the award of the British Psychological Society qualification in forensic psychology or equivalent
• Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).

Knowledge/Experience Essential

• 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
• Demonstrate specialist experience gained postqualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours)
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• 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, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK*] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
• For forensic psychologists working in forensic settings: Masters degree (with the award of the British Psychological Society qualification in forensic psychology or equivalent
• Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC).

Knowledge/Experience Essential

• 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
• Demonstrate specialist experience gained postqualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours)
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• 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, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details Employer name

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Swandean

Worthing

BN13 3EP

Employer's website

https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Swandean

Worthing

BN13 3EP

Employer's website

https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)