Urgent & Inpatient Care Professional Lead

Devon Partnership NHS Trust; Exeter; On-site; GBP 62,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

Devon Partnership NHS Trust seeks an inspiring Psychology/Therapist Professional Lead for the Acute Care Pathway. This role involves leading a skilled team, providing psychological care, and contributing to strategic plans for mental health services. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership and psychological assessment skills with a background in acute care settings.

Qualifications

• Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist, eligible for Chartered Status.
• Experience in specialist psychological assessment and interventions.
• Experience in teaching, training, and leadership roles.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological leadership and contribute to evidence-based therapy.
• Support access to psychological therapies and hold a small caseload.
• Lead a skilled team for acute mental health services.

Skills

Leadership

Psychological assessment

Teaching

Diversity awareness

Education

D.Clin.Psychol or equivalent

Registration with HCPC/UKCP

Job description

Urgent & Inpatient Care Professional Lead

Location: Exeter, EX2 5AF, Barnstaple, EX31 4JB&Torquay, TQ2 7AA
Salary: £62215.00 to £72293.00
Date posted: 3rd June 2025
Closing date: 27th June 2025

We are looking to appoint an inspiring and enthusiastic Psychology /Therapist Professional Lead for Psychology and Psychological Therapy for theAcute Care Pathway.

We believe Psychology is central to the understanding of mental andphysical wellbeing and the application of psychological knowledge and skill toall our services is key to ensuring they are effective, efficient andcompassionate.

You will have strong leadership skills and will be responsible forleading a highly skilled team who provide services for people with severe andcomplex mental health needs. You will have experience of working in Acute Caresettings and working in MDT teams.

Psychological professions are highly valued by the Trust and keycontributors to many new developments in services and the overall strategicvision to provide efficient and trauma informed care.

You will be a member of the Psychology Professional Lead team workingwith the Strategic Lead for Adult Mental Health, assisting with theimplementation of our Strategic Plan and ensuring good governance for thePsychological Practice.

Main duties of the job

In this role you will be providing psychological leadership and supportthe provision of psychologically informed care. You would also support accessto effective and efficient evidence based and evidence informed psychologicaltherapy across clinical pathways and hold a small caseload.

The Psychology Service supports close links with the local DClinPsy andDCounsPsych training courses (Exeter, Plymouth and Bristol) and we welcometrainees from all of the different psychological professions.

In addition to clinical supervision, there will be opportunities to meetregularly with other psychologists and psychological therapists for CPD events.Additional training and career development opportunities are encouraged andsupported. The South West Psychology Profession Network is a well-establishedprofessional community attend by a range of professions from across the regionproviding a forum to discuss issues of local and national importance,networking opportunities and sharing learning.

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the full Job Description and Person specification attached to this advert which will provide further information on this role.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and psychological interventions for people with mental health problems across the full range of care settings, particularly for inpatient and acute care settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical psychology/psychological therapy services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi disciplinary, multi agency contexts; and supervising psychological therapists and undertaking line-management.
• Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality

Knowledge

• Broad knowledge of Adult Mental Health services, including inpatient services
• Extensive knowledge of the skills, practice and knowledge base of Psychology and Psychological Therapies in context of Adult Mental Health Services in particular working inpatient and acute care pathways
• Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in this setting.
• Knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex data analysis
• A good knowledge of and ability to work with current NHS drivers in mental health

Qualifications

• Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol or equivalent), eligible for Chartered Clinical/Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society Or Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology as accredited by the HCPC (or equivalent qualifications as assessed by the HPC) Or Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology (or equivalent as assessed by the HCPC).
• Registration with HCPC/UKCP/Other Specialist regulatory body
• Further training or equivalent experience in working within acute mental health services
• Further training in at least one psychological therapy

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.