Job summary
We are looking for a Clinical Lead with substantial experience of treating eating disorders to join the established NELFT London Community Eating Disorder Service. The clinical lead will have extensive experience of working in eating disorders and be a fully registered and senior clinical or counselling psychologist.

The successful applicant will have expert knowledge of evidence based treatments for adults with a eating disorder including advanced knowledge and skills in offering expert supervision and risk assessment.

The successful candidate will play a lead role in shaping the ongoing development of the service and the team, including identifying and responding to new opportunities and further developing our clinical pathways. In line with the NELFT vision , the successful candidate will be committed to developing a service that provides the best possible care for service users and their families, delivered by the best people as well as the maintenance of a mutually supportive and stimulating environment.

The post holder will work closely with MDT colleagues to ensure services run smoothly and efficiently.

Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will work closely with the Assistant Director for eating disorders , the Team Manager , the Adult Consultant Psychiatrist and Senior CNS and other key members of NELFTs all age community eating disorder service. With colleagues they will be accountable for the ongoing development and delivery of a comprehensive community eating disorder service for adults with an eating disorder and for the clinical standards to which the service operates. The successful candidate will play a central role in maintaining relationships with key external stakeholders including colleagues in primary care , from North London Adult Provider Collaborative , the ICB and other statutory and voluntary agencies.

About us
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community services for over 4.9 million people living in the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and across Essex.

We work to ensure our patients, their friends and family, feel confident that their health needs are well met. With an excellent reputation for research and development, our skilled health professionals are at the cutting edge of evidence-based innovation, opening up the possibilities for better ways of working and delivery of care.

Job responsibilities
The post holder will provide clinical leadership and quality control to ensure adherence to evidence based model in eating disorders and ongoing therapist development.

The post holder will set , implement and evaluate clear achievable and measurable objectives with the Assistant Director, Team Manager Consultant Psychiatrist and pathway leads.

The post holder will have organisational knowledge relating to Trust protocols and procedures and adhere to them. The post holder will be responsible for managing their own workload, prioritising tasks effectively, and ensuring deadlines are met. They will be expected to work independently as well as part of a team, demonstrating flexibility and a commitment to high standards. The role may involve working across multiple sites and requires excellent communication and organisational skills.

In collaboration with NELFT EDS senior colleagues provide leadership and oversight and deliver on initiatives that advance the level of care and service provision.

Demonstrate creativity and motivation to ensure staff personal development plans and training needs are addressed.

Coordinate the implementation of service developments and changes ensuring all operational implications are considered and disruption to service delivery is minimised.

Actively promote integrated health professional working

Working for Us
Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT

Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT. They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Goodmayes Hospital.

Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London
(B&D, Redbridge, Havering and Waltham Forest, CEME) This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,870 to a maximum of £6,137 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust. Use of AI
We value applications that genuinely reflect each candidate’s own skills, experience and motivations. We therefore strongly discourage the use of AI-generated content in applications.

Applications should be written in your own words and accurately represent your knowledge, skills and experience.

We reserve the right to reject an application where we reasonably believe AI has been used to generate or materially contribute to its content.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.

For an informal chat or to arrange a visit, please contact:
Name: Rory Harnett
Job title: Assistant Director eating disorders
Contact Number: 0300 555 1216
Email: Rory.harnett@nhs.net

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Post-graduate qualified psychologist fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body
• First level degree or standard equivalent
• NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy

Experience
Essential

• Previous experience in a specialist eating disorder service either with adults or with children and young people
• Awareness of safeguarding procedures
• Extensive experience of clinical supervision in eating disorders services
• Ability to understand national legislation and guidance in relation to childrens services
• Knowledge of Mental Health Act

Desirable

• Complex project management experience
• Experience of managing major change in service provision
• An awareness of adult mental health commissioning and partnership working

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.

Employer details
Employer name: NELFT North East London Foundation Trust
Address: Orchard Health Centre, Barking, Greater London, IG11 7RS, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Assistant Director eating disorders
Rory Harnett
Rory.harnett@nhs.net

Details
Date posted: 22 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8b
Salary: £66,582 to £77,368 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: OHC-3LCY-002103
Job locations: Orchard Health Centre, Barking, Greater London, IG11 7RS, United Kingdom

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