Specialist Practitioner Psychologist

We are looking for a creative, forward thinking and motivated Principal Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical/Forensic) to join our friendly and professional multi-disciplinary team based at Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge.


Recently commissioners provided investment into the Psychology pathway for inpatient services, to enable the development and delivery of more psychologically informed services and increase access to psychological assessment, intervention and therapy.


The psychology team works as part of our multidisciplinary adult mental health in-patient pathway. You will be working alongside Clinical Psychologists on three wards (Admission, Treatment and Rehabilitation) and you will be supported by a Band 5 Assistant Psychologist. You will have an exciting opportunity to contribute to developing the patient pathway across the adult inpatient service.
To provide psychological assessments of clients referred to the locality team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client's care.


To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management in line with Trust and inter-agency policies and procedures.


To communicate, in a skilled and sensitive manner, to clients, family carers and others as appropriate, information that may be contentious or highly distressing concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.


Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental & physical health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.


As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people & members of our ethnic minorities & LGBTQ+ communities.
To provide leadership and supervision to a team of psychologists and psychological professionals responsible for the provision of psychology at our adult mental health inpatient service - Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge.


This will involve providing specialist psychological assessment, including neuropsychology assessment and formulation-driven NICE guideline compliant specialist psychological therapy. The post-holder will provide advice and consultation on clients psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to other non-professional carers as well as leading on the training requirements for psychological professionals and non-psychology colleagues. The post-holder will need to be able to work with considerable autonomy within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the policies and procedures of the service. There will be the need to carry out recruitment and selection activities to ensure the continued provision of the psychology service.


The post holder will be responsible for building and developing links with other teams within the adult and specialist directorate and for supporting the transition between directorates. The post holder will be responsible for building and maintaining links with members of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.


The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the completion of annual service performance reports and carrying out service audits as required. Doctorate level training in clinical / counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical, psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS and HCPC.
Undertaken training in the supervision of trainee clinical psychologists.
Registered with Health and Care Professions Council as a practitioner psychologist

Undertaken relevant post-doctoral training in working with clients with complex psychological needs.
Undertaken post-qualification further training in a specialised area of psychological practice e.g. neuropsychology, EMDR CBT, CBTp, CBTpd, CAT, DBT, solution focused therapy, analytical therapy, systemic / family work etc.
Evidence of further training in leadership and management

Substantial experience of working as a qualified clinical/counselling psychologist at post-qualification and specialist level.
Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of clients across the full range of adult mental health care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings.
Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care-plan.

Experience of delivering supervision to non-psychology MDT staff.
Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
Experience of working with people with severe and enduring mental illness within a secondary care setting
Experience of leading service development projects

Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning.
Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information, including contentious and highly distressing information, to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.

Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
High-level knowledge and skills in specialist neuropsychological assessment of adults.
Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, psychological aspects of physical health difficulties, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
Knowledge concerning the management of qualified psychologists, including recruitment and retention, appraisals, and other HR policies and processes.
Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of psychological medicine.
Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the patient group and mental health.
Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by BPS.

Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups
High-level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
Ability to articulate clearly the role of the profession of clinical psychology based upon a good understanding of the framework of government and national professional policy.
Ability to exercise appropriate levels of self-care and monitor own state, recognising when it is necessary to take active steps to maintain fitness to practice.

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


Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Fulbourn Hospital