Job summary
North East London NHS Foundation Trust Eating Disorder service (EDS) offers specialist assessment and treatment to people aged eight and above with no upper age limit. The service works with individuals and their families to support them in their recovery.

Services the EDS provide include:

• Psychological treatments delivered on an individual basis or in a group
• Dietetic input and nutritional support
• Medical and nursing assessment and intervention

The decision to offer a service will be based upon the individuals ability to benefit from treatments for an eating disorder.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will be required to work jointly across sites to assess and manage service users who present with an eating disorder, primarily working with young people age 18 and below. The post holder will be a member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and have support of other team members in the management of these cases. The post holders role will include working in outpatient clinics across the community and to work with specialist in-patient units where young people are admitted from the geographical are. The post holder will be expected to attend and participate in MDT team meetings as well as external meetings with stakeholders in relation to improved patient care.

The post holder will be an integral member of the established eating disorders community team. They will utilise the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills when assessing service users and collaboratively work with both the service user, their family and the team for a timely, appropriate plan to meet the needs of the patient. This may occur in a highly emotive, sensitive, and contentious atmosphere.

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.

Details
Date posted
11 August 2026

Pay scheme
Agenda for change

Band
Band 8a

Salary
£57,528 to £64,750 a year

Contract
Permanent

Working pattern
Full-time

Reference number
3LCY-001705

Job locations
Orchard Health Centre
Barking
Greater London
IG11 7RS
United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Psychologist and Pathway lead NELFT ARFID service
We are seeking an enthusiastic Psychologist to join our newly commissioned ARFID service. This is an exciting time to join NELFT CYP CEDS and lead on the implementation of a newly commissioned ARFID service to sit alongside the core CYP CEDS team.

North East London NHS Foundation Trust Community Eating Disorder service offers the latest in evidence based NICE compliant psychological interventions to clients and their families with an Eating Disorder. Unlike many other mental health services, we offer specialist assessment and treatment across the life span from age 8yrs with no upper age limit. The team’s multi-disciplinary approach to the assessment and treatment of individuals with an eating disorder is a real strength. The post holder and ARFID pathway lead will be instrumental in setting up the new service with the support of senior colleagues within NELFT core CYP community eating disorder service. We are looking for an experienced psychologist to lead an ARFID treatment pathway and oversea delivery of the best possible treatment to children and young people with ARFID. We are seeking an individual with the specialist knowledge and skills to work as part of a multi-professional team and be innovative in their approach to supporting this client group.

Main duties of the job
The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in providing excellent treatment to CYP with ARFID. Previous experience in eating disorders experience is essential. The successful applicant will lead the ARFID team and be instrimental in developing the ARFID patjay including implementing robust triage , assessment and formulation driven interventions. in keeping with the latest evidence base. The post holder will lead the ARFID service while having string links with the core CYP CEDS team.

Working in an eating disorder service allows the development of skills in working with a number of comorbidities, including autism, depression and anxiety and personality disorders and we offer supervision and training to support this.

The post holder is expected to work well within a team setting , setting high standards while suppprting the ARFID team to develop the ARFID service that meets the needs of this client group and their care givers. The post holder will operate within recognised professional guidelines and the overall framework of North East London NHS Foundation Trust eating disorder service policies and procedures.

Essential Criteria:

• Doctorate in Clinical Counselling Psychology
• advanced knowledge and skill in eating disorders
• Experience of working in CYP CEDS
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for service users’ psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
• Experience of assessing and treating service users across the full range of care settings.
• Leadership experience

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, Essex.

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,) This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 p.a. pro rata for part time).

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.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Appropriate qualification according to profession of BSc in Psychology

Desirable

• N/A

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across
• the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings

Desirable

• Experience of
• representing
• psychological therapy
• within the context of
• multi-disciplinary care

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:
Service Manager
Rory Harnett
recruitment@nelft.nhs.uk

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