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Job summary

Main area
Neonatal Psychology
Grade
Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Cross site role)
Job ref
197-RF7093
Employer
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
University Hospital Lewisham
Town
London
Salary
£47,810 - £54,710 per annum plus HCAS
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
10/08/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust logo

Neonatal Psychologist

Band 7

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over  staying comfortable; Listening  over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

LGT has 2 Level 2 Local Neonatal Units providing care to babies delivered form 27 weeks gestation and above 800gms in weight. We also deliver care to babies repatriated from our Tertiary Neonatal Intensive care units.

We are looking for a motivated Band 7 Neonatal psychologist to join our team.

 

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work systemically, supporting the neonatal MDT to deliver psychological informed care to babies and their families. They will work to provide targeted and specialist psychological input to infants and families during their neonatal stay and transition home (or to another inpatient setting) as well as support the staff team through consultations and training.

They will be supervised and supported by the Senior Clinical Psychologist across the two Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and will also form part of a wider network of regional and national psychologists. Regular supervision will be provided.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

  1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
  2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
  3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
  4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
  5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To contribute to the effective working of the multi-disciplinary NICU Team, with promotion of Trauma Informed Care (TIC) and Family Integrated Care (FICare).

To provide specialist psychological assessments of patients referred to the service 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 implement a variety of highly specialist psychological interventions as part of such a treatment plan with individuals, families or carers, keeping formulation and

intervention under constant review, and making adjustments/decisions based on analysis of complex individual/family and therapeutic factors.

With the support of the Senior Psychologist, to exercise professional responsibility for assessment, treatment options and discharge planning, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

To communicate effectively, empathically and clearly with individuals, families and carers regarding psychological or medical matters which can be highly complicated. To have an empathetic awareness that parents/ carers are frequently in a traumatised state (for example following a difficult birth, complications in their baby’s physical health and perinatal losses), which may impede their understanding and retention of information and heighten their sensitivity to staff communication styles.

To communicate effectively and clearly with clinical colleagues regarding psychological assessments and interventions by organizing and putting across the highly complex information involved in a relevant and usable form (written and spoken), as well as in day-to day liaison and consultation.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management as appropriate for individual patients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management. To signpost to other services and colleagues when appropriate.

 Undertake other appropriate duties to meet the needs of the Service and individuals.

To maintain the highest standard of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to mental health.

 To maintain registration as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health and Care Professional Council.

Person specification

Education/Qualification/Training

Essential criteria
  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent (pre 1996)
  • Eligible for chartered status as a clinical psychologist
  • HCPC Registered

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience in individual therapy, work with families and group work
  • Competence in assessing and managing risk
  • Ability to administer, score and report on psychometric measures.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of work within a neonatal environment
  • Experience of clinical work in perinatal mental health settings and/or of clinical work with children & families experiencing acute or chronic illness.
  • Experience of clinical work with infants/ children and families experiencing acute or chronic illness.
  • Experience of clinical work within an acute hospital or neonatal or paediatric setting.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Trust IDCapital Nurse, LondonVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoTimewise helps businesses to attract and develop the best talent through flexible working.No smoking policyLondon Living Wage is a voluntary commitment made by employers, who can become accredited with the Living Wage FoundationAge positiveDisability confident leaderArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)We offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.NHS Rainbow badgePrince's Trust - Proud to support the Prince's trust - Youth can do itStep into healthHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingArmed Forces Covenant

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Dr Sarah Crowley
Job title
Senior Neonatal Psychologist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0208 333 3000
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