Job summary
- Main area
- Psychotherapist
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (12 months)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 213-DivisionB-8242186
- Employer
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- King's College Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £66,274 - £73,496 per annum, including HCA
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/09/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Principal Psychotherapist / Renal Psychosocial Team Lead
Band 8a
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.
We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Principal Psychotherapist to join the Renal Service at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on a 12-month fixed-term contract. This role will provide clinical leadership for the Renal Psychosocial Team, delivering specialist psychological support to patients with chronic kidney disease, dialysis and transplant needs, while driving service development and multidisciplinary collaboration.
We are looking for a compassionate and experienced clinician who is passionate about improving patient outcomes, embedding psychologically informed care, and supporting staff in delivering high-quality, holistic care. This is an excellent opportunity to influence practice, lead service innovation, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of renal patients and their families.
Main duties of the job
The Principal Psychotherapist will lead the Renal Psychosocial Team, providing clinical and operational leadership to psychological therapy and social work staff delivering specialist care to patients with kidney disease. Working as an experienced autonomous psychotherapist, the post holder will provide highly specialised psychological assessment, formulation and evidence-based therapeutic interventions for patients with complex emotional and psychological needs associated with chronic kidney disease, dialysis and transplantation
The role will support the delivery of psychologically informed and trauma-informed care across the renal service, provide clinical supervision and professional support to team members, and work closely with the multidisciplinary team to improve patient outcomes and experience. The post holder will contribute to service development, audit, quality improvement, teaching and staff support activities, ensuring the service continues to meet national standards and best practice for psychosocial care in renal services. The post holder will be professionally accountable to the Head of Nursing for Renal & Urology.
Working for our organisation
The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. In June 2026, we launched our new strategy for 2026-31. Our vision is to transform healthcare, and we have agreed six strategic ambitions to help us improve care for patients, and the working lives of our staff.
Our six strategic ambitions are delivering high-quality patient care; creating a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability.
We have also agreed four new organisational values – Caring, Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative – and these underpin everything we do, and how our teams interact with the patients under our care.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Principal Psychotherapist will lead the Renal Psychosocial Team, providing clinical and operational leadership for the delivery of specialist psychological and psychosocial care to patients with kidney disease across inpatient, outpatient, dialysis and transplant services. The post holder will work as an autonomous senior psychotherapist, delivering highly specialised assessment, formulation and evidence-based therapeutic interventions for patients experiencing psychological distress associated with chronic kidney disease and its treatment. The role is professionally accountable to the Senior Head of Nursing for Renal and Urology and will work closely with the multidisciplinary team to ensure high-quality, patient-centred care.
Key responsibilities include leading the Renal Psychosocial Team; providing clinical supervision and support to team members; delivering specialist psychotherapy interventions; contributing to service development, audit and quality improvement; supporting staff through education and reflective practice; and promoting psychologically informed and trauma-informed care across the Renal Care Group. The post holder will support services across renal wards, outpatient clinics and satellite dialysis units, ensuring patients have access to holistic psychosocial support throughout their renal care journey.
Person specification
Knowledge and qualifications
Essential criteria
- Postgraduate or Masters qualification as a psychotherapist, which confers accreditation with BABCP or BACP, or registration with UKCP
- FULL accreditation with BABCP or BACP; OR, full registration with UKCP; with evidence of meeting supervision and CPD requirements
- Postgraduate training or qualification in a psychotherapeutic modality other than core training approach (e.g. CBT, ACT, CFT)
- Significant post-qualification experience in acute setting within physical healthcare/long-term conditions services (e.g. cancer, renal, HIV, critical care), working with complex presentations
- Demonstrable experience leading a team, including line management, supervision, and coordination of multidisciplinary services
- Experience delivering therapy to individuals with complex trauma, emotional difficulties, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Desirable criteria
- Qualification in cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
- Clinical supervision training or qualification
- Additional leadership/management qualification or training
- Proven experience leading or contributing to service development, quality improvement, or transformation initiatives
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- alberto santin
- Job title
- Head of Nursing
- Email address
- [email protected]
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