Job summary
Following the second phase of the restructure in our local services (from a service line to a borough-based model), we are delighted to advertise a new role, Head of Psychological Professions and Trauma Informed Approaches Lead for Mental Health Services in Ealing.
This is a newly developed post and be a very welcome addition to the leadership team in the borough. The postholder will work closely with the Clinical Director, Associate Borough, Service Managers, Professionals Leads and the Psychology team to create and implement a vision for consistent, trauma-informed, intervention-based care in mental health services across the borough alongside the continued development of an exceptional psychological therapies service across the borough.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder provides senior leadership for psychological professions across borough-based adult mental health services. They are responsible for governance, professional standards, supervision, and the overall quality of psychological provision. Key duties include:
- Leading, managing, and developing psychology services and staff within the borough.
- Ensuring professional standards, effective supervision, and compliance with national and Trust policies.
- Overseeing outcome measurement for psychological interventions and reporting service performance.
- Driving innovation and development of high-quality psychological services within MINT and wider adult mental health pathways.
- Providing training, teaching, clinical supervision, and expert psychological advice to multidisciplinary teams.
- Working with senior borough leaders to deliver trauma-informed care, suicide prevention strategies, and support for those with co-existing mental health and substance use needs.
- Managing recruitment, retention, workforce planning, and resource allocation for psychology staff.
- Ensuring strong clinical governance frameworks and safe, effective, responsive services.
- Offering specialist clinical input as a senior clinician and participating fully in the borough Senior Management Team.
- Representing the Trust in external meetings, supporting commissioning relationships, and deputising for senior leaders when required.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.
The Trust is rated as 'Good' overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oRegistered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.
- oPostgraduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology or other relevant professional background in relation to psychological therapies (or its equivalent for those trained to 1996).
- oAdditional training beyond entry-level qualification in more than one specialised area of psychological practice relevant to local services through formal post-qualification training such as CBT DBT, MBT, SFT,? Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy or similar therapeutic approach for patients with complex emotional needs (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a BPS National Assessor and an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher
Desirable
- Accredited practitioner in a specific psychological therapy
- Additional post-qualification training and experience or further qualifications in specialised areas of psychological practice
- Supervision Training
- Leadership/Management Training
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of working as a fully qualified professional applied psychologist or psychological therapist
- Experience of specialist assessment and psychological treatment of clients across a range of care settings, including inpatients and community settings
- Experience of professional management of qualified practitioner psychologists and psychological therapists
- Experience of policy and multi-professional service development
- Experience of teaching, training and clinical supervision of practitioner psychologists and psychological therapists
- Experience of the applying psychology and psychological therapies in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of line management.
- Experience of multiagency co-operation /liaison and risk management.
Desirable
- Experience of service planning, change and management.
Knowledge/skills
Essential
- Leadership and management skills
- High level of knowledge, expertise, competence and skills in current models and methods of practice of psychology and psychological therapy in the area of mental health
- A well-developed knowledge of national initiatives related to mental health and psychological therapies including NICE guidance.
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and / or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised therapies in specific difficult to treat groups.
- Publications in peer reviewed and/ or other academic or professional journals or books.
Other
Essential
- Ability to form good working relationships with others and to work in a multi-professional context
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and to support others under stress.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance and audit to support and maintain clinical practice.
- Ability to contribute to service development, delivery and evaluation.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oRegistered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.
- oPostgraduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology or other relevant professional background in relation to psychological therapies (or its equivalent for those trained to 1996).
- oAdditional training beyond entry-level qualification in more than one specialised area of psychological practice relevant to local services through formal post-qualification training such as CBT DBT, MBT, SFT,? Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy or similar therapeutic approach for patients with complex emotional needs (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a BPS National Assessor and an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher
Desirable
- Accredited practitioner in a specific psychological therapy
- Additional post-qualification training and experience or further qualifications in specialised areas of psychological practice
- Supervision Training
- Leadership/Management Training
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of working as a fully qualified professional applied psychologist or psychological therapist
- Experience of specialist assessment and psychological treatment of clients across a range of care settings, including inpatients and community settings
- Experience of professional management of qualified practitioner psychologists and psychological therapists
- Experience of policy and multi-professional service development
- Experience of teaching, training and clinical supervision of practitioner psychologists and psychological therapists
- Experience of the applying psychology and psychological therapies in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of line management.
- Experience of multiagency co-operation /liaison and risk management.
Desirable
- Experience of service planning, change and management.
Knowledge/skills
Essential
- Leadership and management skills
- High level of knowledge, expertise, competence and skills in current models and methods of practice of psychology and psychological therapy in the area of mental health
- A well-developed knowledge of national initiatives related to mental health and psychological therapies including NICE guidance.
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and / or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised therapies in specific difficult to treat groups.
- Publications in peer reviewed and/ or other academic or professional journals or books.
Other
Essential
- Ability to form good working relationships with others and to work in a multi-professional context
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and to support others under stress.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance and audit to support and maintain clinical practice.
- Ability to contribute to service development, delivery and evaluation.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
