Job summary
We are pleased to be recruiting into Psychological Health Services for a post to provide a major contribution to the Children and Young People Gender Service South West (CYPGS SW) as part of the continued growth and development of this paediatric clinical specialty. We are looking for a Practitioner Psychologist with extensive leadership, management and clinical experience providing therapeutic care to Children, young people and their families with complex needs. You would be a senior leader within a committed and supportive large multi-disciplinary team.

The Consultant Practitioner Psychologist will provide leadership, management, supervision, and will contribute to direction and decision making within the multi-disciplinary team. The post holder will work to ensure the delivery of high-quality assessments, interventions, staff training and development. Service improvement and contribution to the evidence base in the field of paediatric gender care are central to this role are central to this role. As a member of the Consultant team the post holder will be required to contribute to consultant cover for multiple services within PHS including CYPGS .

CPD and learning together is highly valued withing the CYPGS specialty. It enjoys weekly in person clinical development meetings, provided by clinicians within the team and external speakers.

Main duties of the job

• As a member of the Consultant Team to contribute to all aspects of the Children and Young People's Gender Service South West providing a service consistent with the national service specification April 2026 and the Cass Review March 2024
• To be a senior leader of staff and services in the trauma informed delivery of Children and Young People's Gender Service (South West)
• To provide clinical expertise, leadership, strategic development, representation, and other duties of the role as delegated by the Clinical Lead CYPGS SW and the Head of Service, Psychological Health Services (PHS)
• To report required effectiveness and other data to the Clinical Lead and the Head of Service PHS.
• To lead, coordinate, supervise and disseminate psychological research, service evaluation and audit activity both uni-professionally and in collaboration with other professional groups to the extent covered by this post.
• To teach and train psychological and other professions within and outside of the organization
• To represent CYPGS SW and the National Provider Network as required.
• To provide clinical, leadership, management, and professional services within Psychological Health Services
• To provide services on a range of BFT and partnership sites
• To develop a national profile as a beacon of professional practice, exemplary of BFT

About us
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we're meeting our pledge.

Details
Date posted: 05 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8c
Salary: £79,504 to £91,609 a year
per annum, pro rata for part time roles
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 387-W&C9006-GB
Job locations: Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8BJ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
The award-winning Psychological Health Services is recognised for leadership and the development of Trust wide psychological services.As a university teaching trust, research and quality improvement forms part of BFTs mission to support excellence in delivery of patient care, alongside education and applied research of the highest quality.

We are engaged in high profile national professional networks at a senior level across BPS, NHS and charitable sector organisations.We have strong links to local and regional universities providing access to support research and clinical training with honorary appointment up to professorial level. Psychological Health Services has an expanding research portfolio.Psychological Health Services take pride in their commitment to providing high quality and accessible CPD and access to skilled clinical and peer supervision. Examples of current CPD opportunities include monthly Trust wide departmental CPD meetings, journal clubs and an ACT supervision group.

Although the current recruitment is for a specific post, we welcome enquiries from those who are interested in wider opportunities within our portfolio.

For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and person specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

If you are interested in joining us, we warmly welcome informal enquiries by contacting us as below.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Doctorate in clinical psychology/counselling psychology or equivalent
• Current registration as a practitioner psychologist with the Health Care Professions Council
• Training appropriate theoretical models for use in the post
• Management/leadership training

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Ability to generate systemic and individual psychological formulations and triage/deliver brief interventions based on applying psychological theories and models to the complex information generated by the patient and systems as appropriate
• Advanced communication skills with the ability to provide and receive highly complex and sensitive information to and from patients and their families in a developmentally and culturally appropriate manner in highly emotive situations. This will include the ability to provide complex psychological information to staff in an accessible manner
• Ability to access, record and manage information and data pertaining to the work undertaken in notes, data bases and electronic records as required
• Ability to prioritise and manage available time for clinical, managerial and professional activities effectively and safely
• Able to travel to regional clinics, meetings and community visits as required across the South West Peninsula and South Wales
• Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data
• Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups
• Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Extensive experience of working as a Practitioner Psychologist providing NHS leadership and clinical services in an acute health care setting and relating to physical health concerns.rt services.
• Extensive experience of providing psychological services leadership
• Extensive experience working within health care to provide staff skills development, public speaking and presenting data at professional meetings
• Extensive experience of formal teaching / presentation sessions to health and other professionals
• Demonstrable knowledge of strategic principles relating to staff support, including trauma informed practice, patient safety and Equality Diversity and Inclusion
• Knowledge and experience of use appropriate theoretical approaches to working with staff groups and patients and the evidence base for the relevant approaches
• Experience of providing senior leadership and clinical services withing a specialist health setting
• Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects within own service area.
• Record of publications in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books, and conference presentations.

Aptitudes
Essential

• Advanced communication skills. The ability to provide and receive highly complex and sensitive information to and from staff and organisations in a culturally appropriate manner in highly emotive situations
• This will include the ability to provide complex psychological information to staff in an accessible manner

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: Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8BJ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.uhbw.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Clinical Director - CYPGS SW, Dr Julie Alderson, julie.alderson@uhbw.nhs.uk

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