Closing date: 17 July 2026

Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and skilled clinical or counselling psychologist to work within a specialist paediatric multi-disciplinary team to meet the mental health needs of babies, children, young people and families who present to the Whittington Hospital from across our NCL boroughs.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide clinical psychology input to our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Baby Unit. They will also provide direct supervision to assistant and trainee psychologists working in our outpatient liaison and crisis pathways. This will include triaging and paediatric liaison work, complex assessment and formulation, offering evidence-based treatments and working alongside a highly skilled multi-disciplinary team. The post holder will also be expected to develop wider relationships with internal health staff, CAMHS colleagues and local voluntary sector services to ensure effective signposting where there are holistic needs, or where individuals/families might need an onward referral.

The post holder will be based at the Whittington Hospital, in a busy multidisciplinary office. Clinical work will be face to face in the majority of cases.

The post holder will offer supervision and line management (as required/ appropriate) and also offer consultation to multidisciplinary colleagues both in structured meetings and ad-hoc when required.

The post holder will be involved in participation development to ensure that the voices of babies, children, young people and families shape the work that we do.

About us
Whittington Health mission, vision and goals

We have an excellent reputation for being innovative, responsive and flexible to the changing clinical needs of the local population. We are treating more patients than ever before and are dedicated to improving services to deliver the best for our patients. Our mission Helping local people live longer, healthier lives. Our vision Provide safe, personal, co-ordinated care for the community we serve. Our goals We have developed six key strategic goals to make sure we continue to support people to live longer, healthier lives.

To secure the best possible health and wellbeing for all our community

To integrate and coordinate care in person-centred teams

To deliver consistent, high quality, safe services

To support our patients and users in being active partners in their care

To be recognised as a leader in the fields of medical and multi-professional education, and population-based clinical research

To innovate and continuously improve the quality of our services to deliver the best outcomes for our local population

Whittington values

Our values underpin everything we do. Our staff are committed to delivering the following values in everything they do.

Our ICARE values have been created by our staff and are embedded in our appraisal and planning processes and form part of our staff excellence awards.

Details
Date posted: 10 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £66,274 to £73,496 a year pro rata
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 220-WHT-4076
Job locations: Whittington Hospital, Magdala Avenue, London, N19 5NF

Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Clinical

• To rapidly engage babies, children, young people and families in assessments of psychological need and access, interpret and integrate complex data from a variety of sources to robustly analyse risk and formulate plans (including risk management plans) to reduce the distress of babies, children, young people and families and increase their safety.
• Communicate these plans effectively to a range of professionals and liaise with networks to ensure that babies, children, young people and families get their needs met.
• Provide short term, immediate advice to other professions on how to meet individuals' needs, reduce distress and increase safety. Communicate and advocate for any identified longer term needs to be met, thinking creatively about overcoming barriers to access where these exist.
• Ensuring (alongside the team manager and lead clinician) that the team only accepts referrals that meet the eligibility criteria and that other referrals are re-directed to other appropriate agencies
• Understand the wider provision in The NCL boroughs and use this information for accurate signposting of babies, children, young people and families
• Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account highly complex individual formulations co-created with babies, children, young people and their families, and taking into account the reason for referral, the goals of the patient, their treatment journey to date and evidence-based practice guidelines.
• Provide specialist expertise, advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to babies, children and young peoples formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan
• Contribute directly and indirectly to a framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all babies, children, young people and families seen by PMHT.
• Be well practiced in using psychological measures and risk assessment tools. Be able to undertake cognitive and neurodevelopmental assessments.
• Communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of babies, children, young people and families under your care.

2. Team Leadership

• To assist the team manager in ensuring that we deliver a high quality trauma-informed service for PMHT, and are achieving effective operational performance in accordance with the objectives of the babies, children, young people and families we serve, the paediatricians who refer them and the CAMHS / Children and Young Peoples Integrated Care Service Unit (CYP ICSU)
• To ensure that services are developed and provided by the service that are of the highest standard in terms of fair access, equality of opportunity and that uphold anti-discriminatory practice
• To provide professional/ clinical supervision and line management to PMHT staff, as required by the Team Manager
• To ensure (supported by the team manager and clinical lead) that practice within the team is evidence based, person centred, meets relevant standards, is appropriate, timely, effective, safe and follows agreed professional practice
• To support the management of referrals into the service, ensuring that work which is accepted into the service meets with the eligibility criteria and that other referrals are re-directed to other appropriate agencies
• To provide work as an effective team member, supporting colleagues, and offering guidance where needed from the discipline of psychology. Supporting the wider MDT in the same way.
• To establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, babies, children and young people, parents and other key stakeholders
• To attend regular meetings, training, reflective practice and team building with the goal of promoting a working environment that is transparent, safe, honest, supportive and solution focussed and support others to do so also
• To ensure the appropriate and accurate use of the Whittington client information data base systems.
• To contribute to the ongoing development of Service-User participation and ensuring the voices of babies, children, young people and parents/carers are involved in the development and shaping of the PMHT.
• To support other Team Management duties as required.

3. People Management

• To ensure that all managed staff are in receipt of regular appraisal and professional development support, liaising with Professional Leads and training departments as appropriate
• To monitor sickness absence, annual leave, training and study leave, taking any appropriate management action as required

4. Performance Management

• To contribute to the production of performance-based reports, analyse data and lead on quality improvement projects that support an effective delivery of care.

5. Self-Management

• To ensure that you are fully aware of current developments, legislation and practice in the care of babies, children and young people with mental health problems, neurodiversity, learning disabilities, physical disabilities and physical health conditions.

Person Specification
Essential Criteria

• Post-graduate/ doctoral level qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology
• Membership of HCPC
• Qualification in CBT
• Ability to form good working relationships and work flexibly with others in multi-agency settings in a hospital setting. Enthusiasm for and capability to complete designated tasks.
• Post qualification experience working in a CAMHS setting.

Desirable Criteria

• Qualification in CBT
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
• Experience offering consultation and support to other professionals in a paediatric context

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).

Employer details
Employer name: Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Address: Whittington Hospital, Magdala Avenue, London, N19 5NF, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/

Contact for questions about the job:
Senior Nurse & Team Manager, Ruth Woolhouse, ruth.woolhouse1@nhs.net, 07917921606