Job summary
- Main area
- Psychology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 301-VS-26-8378801
- Employer
- Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Haywood Lodge, St. Georges Hospital
- Town
- Stafford
- Salary
- £66,582 - £77,368 pa
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 05/11/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Job overview
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join our new CYP Eating Disorders Day Hospital and Intensive Support at Home Service. If you have experience of working in eating disorders settings and are creative and motivated with strong leadership skills we would love to hear from you. Whilst this post is an 8b role, an 8a-8b development could be considered.
The service is currently mobilising to deliver intensive, evidence-based care to young people experiencing moderate/severe eating disorders. This innovative specialist provision aims to bridge the gap between inpatient and community care, offering a safe and structured alternative to admission and facilitating earlier discharge from hospital settings. The MDT collaboratively provides holistic, person-centred care including in-reach and outreach support, intensive day hospital interventions, meal support and psychoeducation, as well as training and consultation.
The day hospital is in Stafford; the EDISH team covers Staffordshire and Shropshire, both working collaboratively with the community ED teams. This role will be based in Stafford but there may be scope for hybrid working as well as some travel.
Main duties of the job
As the Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist, you will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of psychological provision within the day hospital and ED-ISH team, ensuring all members of the clinical team have access to psychologically based frameworks for understanding and informing the care of young people, through the provision of advice, consultation and supervision and the dissemination of psychological research and theory. In your own clinical work, you will provide highly specialist psychological assessments and interventions, working with young people with eating disorders requiring intensive support.
In your role as a senior clinician and Psychological Professional you will contribute to maintaining a psychologically-safe team culture, support with ensuring team effectiveness and participate in/lead service developments. There will also be scope for delivering training and consultation internally and to partner agencies and representing the team at a senior level within the wider Care Group and Trust organisational meetings.
We have a clear Psychological Professions structure within the Children & Families Care Group and MPFT Psychological Services Directorate, supported professionally by the Care Group Lead for Psychological Services. This enables connections across services and opportunities for CPD, research, teaching on local doctoral courses and the provision of trainee Psychologist placements.
Working for our organisation
Come and work with us at our award-winning NHS Trust, leading the way for trying new and better ways of working to help improve life for our local communities.
We have around 9,000 staff who provide physical and mental healthcare, support for people with learning disabilities, and adult social care across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin. We also run regional and national services, including help for new parents (perinatal care), eating disorders, forensic services, sexual health, and support for people in prison with mental health, drug, or alcohol problems.
We offer great career development for both clinical and non-clinical roles, with ongoing training and support to help you learn and grow.
We are ‘United in our Uniqueness’ and committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome and can be themselves, no matter their background or identity. We want our staff to feel supported and valued, and we aim to build a team that reflects the communities we serve. Together, we can make sure every voice is heard, and every difference is respected.
Please note, we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications
Please note: If you use Artificial Intelligence (AI) as part of your application, we encourage you to review the Trust's guidance on the use of AI within the recruitment process. Further information can be found on Join Us :: Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust or www.mpft.nhs.uk/joinus
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see Job Description and Person Specification attached.
As the Principal Psychologist, you will be part of the clinical leadership for the service and responsible for the delivery of psychological provision. You will also work clinically, providing assessments and interventions, contributing to MDT discussions, and providing consultation.
Person specification
essential
Essential criteria
- HCPC registration as a practitioner psychologist. Trained in clinical supervision and the supervision of doctoral trainees.
essential & desirable
Essential criteria
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical / counselling psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Post doctoral training in specific psychological models and specialised areas of psychological practice (e.g. CBT-E) as required for specific clinical post.
Desirable criteria
- Membership of the British Psychological Society or Association of Clinical Psychologists (as appropriate to professional training).
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice such as: • DBT- or RO DBT • FT-AN or FT-BN • NVR
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
- Rachel Bradley
- Job title
- Consultant Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 790 7000
- Additional information
You can also contact Emily Jones (Project Clinical Lead) [email protected] for more information about the service
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