Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Suffolk Rehabilitation Service - Inpatient and Community as a Clinical Psychologist (Band 8b) in a substantive post.

This senior role sits within a well-established multidisciplinary rehabilitation service supporting individuals with complex mental health needs across inpatient and community pathways. You will provide expert psychological leadership, specialist clinical input, and consultation, contributing to the delivery of high-quality, recovery-focused and person-centred care.

Working closely with colleagues across inpatient and community settings, you will support continuity of care and effective transitions along the rehabilitation pathway. The role includes responsibility for supervision, service development, and active involvement in quality improvement initiatives.

The service offers a supportive and collaborative culture, with access to regular supervision, protected CPD time, and opportunities to influence service delivery at a strategic level.

If you are an experienced Clinical Psychologist with a passion for rehabilitation and leadership, we would welcome your application.

Main duties of the job
The postholder will be a key member of an innovative, AHP-led multidisciplinary team, delivering specialist rehabilitation assessment and intervention within the service's inpatient and community team.

You will undertake comprehensive psychological assessments, formulations, and interventions for individuals with complex psychosis and rehabilitation needs, provide supervision and consultation, and work collaboratively within the MDT. There will be opportunities to lead on service development, evaluation, and quality improvement initiatives.

The role includes the development and delivery of psychologically informed group interventions, as well as the design and facilitation of staff training, both within the service and to wider teams across and beyond the Trust, as appropriate.

This post is well suited to a Qualified Clinical Psychologist with a strong interest in working with people with complex psychosis and rehabilitation needs, alongside a commitment to leadership, service development, and workforce training.

About us
Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust provide mental health and learning disability care for people across Norfolk and Suffolk. Supporting a population of just over 1.6 million people and employing more than 5,000 staff, we provide high quality care with compassion, delivering many of our services outside of hospital and in the community.

We are committed to continuous improvement and have bold hopes and ambitions for the future.

Our purpose is to be a provider of exceptional care and a trusted partner, working together with our communities to innovate for the mental health of everyone. Our values are that we are Fair (providing equal opportunity, recognise hard work and give power to people's voices); Compassionate (we are kind and inclusive with each other's wellbeing in our hearts) and Learning (we collaborate, we innovate, we are accountable for our promises).

We will not tolerate any form of discrimination and we resolve to tackle inequalities and prejudice that our people face, within our organisation and communities.

Details of our benefits and other important information are contained in the attached document.

For all substantive new staff who are appointed, there will be a 6-month probation period.

All jobs will require permission to work in the UK.

For all jobs, the cost of any DBS disclosure required will be met by the individual.

Job responsibilities
Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

This post attracts a recruitment premium of £3000 for external staff only. This is a one off payment with half paid on appointment and half paid after the completion of a satisfactory probation period (6 months). The premium is taxable. Please note that should you leave employment, or choose to move to an alternative post within the Trust that does not attract this recruitment premium, you will be required to reimburse all or some it, as follows: 100% of the value of the premium in the first 12 months; 50% of the value of the premium in the period 12 months to 2 years following appointment.

Previous Applicants Need Not Apply

Person Specification
Other
Essential

• Undertake physical intervention training and remain trained in techniques, as required by role.

Qualifications
Essential

• Post-graduate degree (or its equivalent if trained prior to 1996) in clinical psychology or counselling, accredited by BPS
• Registered as a practitioner psychologist with the Health and care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Further post-qualification, post-graduate training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice

Desirable

• Evidence of CPD in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice

Experience
Essential

• Specialist complex psychological assessment and treatment of people with a wide range of mental health problems, of varying severity and complexity.
• Application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Extensive experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist and evidence of specialist knowledge gained through practice and ongoing training.

Desirable

• Experience of clinical work in a setting relevant to the post.

Knowledge
Essential

• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnosis, people with additional disabilities etc.)
• Practitioner level knowledge of at least two models of psychological therapy.
• Legislation and its implication for clinical practice and the appropriate management of people presenting with mental health problems.

Skills
Essential

• Use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management.
• Assessment, evaluation and management of risk associated with mental ill health and related psychopathology

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.

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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).