Job summary
We are looking to recruit a highly motivated, innovative and inspiring HCPC Registered Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist to our Mental Health Care of Older People's Services in Bedfordshire & Luton.

In line with the ELFT Trust Mission, Values and Strategy, the post holder will ensure the systematic provision of a high-quality comprehensive specialist psychological service to the service users of the Older Adult Community Mental Health Teams and the Memory Assessment Services (MAS) in Bedfordshire and Luton. This includes provision of psychological and neuropsychological assessments, psychological formulations and delivery of highly specialist psychological interventions to service users in community, residential and inpatient settings. Service users seen by the post holder will include people who have experienced high levels of distress and complex mental health difficulties, and people presenting with distressed behavior associated with neurodegenerative disorders. Service users may present with a high level of risk to both themselves and sometimes to other people.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will:

• Provide assessment, formulation and psychological interventions.
• Consultation to the multi-disciplinary community team and inpatient wards in Bedford and Luton and support in the development of care plans for service users.
• Provide supervision to Assistant, Trainee and Clinical Associates in Psychology.
• Actively contribute to service development initiatives, audit and research as expected from a senior clinician in the team.
• With guidance from the Older People's Psychology Lead, liaise closely with psychologists working in other Older People's teams in Bedfordshire and Luton to develop and maintain a high standard of professional practice across the service.

Development post
We are willing to consider offering this as a development (preceptorship) post.

About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Details
Closing date: 30 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: Depending on experience. Will consider offering a development post starting at Band 7
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 363-BED8361271
Job location: Twinwoods Health Resource Centre, Milton Road, Clapham, MK41 6AT, United Kingdom

Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential

• Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology
• HCPC Registration

Desirable

• Relevant specialist post qualification training/ supervision in Neuropsychology and at least two additional psychological therapeutic modalities
• Completed training course in supervision for doctoral psychology trainees.
• Quality Improvement Training
• Reflective Practice and/or working with group dynamics training.

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the range of care settings
• Experience in providing psychological assessment and intervention for older people presenting with complex mental health difficulties.
• Experience of providing teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience in working in multidisciplinary settings and representing a psychological perspective in teams and services.
• Experience of coproduction with service users, carers, colleagues, stakeholders

Desirable

• Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience in the recruitment of psychology staff.
• Experience in contributing to service development, redesign and improvements in secondary mental health services

Knowledge
Essential

• An in depth knowledge and skills in applying clinical risk assessment and management in own and others' clinical caseload
• Able to communicate at a high level verbally and in writing highly complex, technical and sensitive information to clients, families, carers, and a range of professionals and lay people within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in older people's mental health services and memory clinic.
• Aware of the potential impact of discrimination & disadvantage on mental health.

Desirable

• Record of having published in either peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.

Personal/Other
Essential

• Enthusiasm for the field
• Able to contain and work with organisational stress and able to hold the stress of others.
• Respectful approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals.
• Willing and able to travel between work sites and to community settings for the delivery of services across Bedfordshire & Luton and London.

Desirable

• Driving license, access to a vehicle and insurance for business travel.

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. 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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Twinwoods Health Resource Centre, Milton Road, Clapham, MK41 6AT, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.elft.nhs.uk/

Contact
Principle Counselling Psychologist: Dea Ditchfield
dea.ditchfield1@nhs.net
01234275464

East London NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice is available on their website.