Barts Health NHS Trust

Lead Practitioner Psychologist, Sickle Cell and Thalassemia

The closing date is 26 April 2026

Job summary

Sickle cell is one of the most common of the 'rare' blood disorders and disproportionately affects people from Black African and Caribbean populations.

This much needed post has a dual purpose in the psychology support that it offers to adults with sickle cell disorder. We are looking for a practitioner psychologist who is enthusiastic about tackling health inequalities and improving access to care for those who are least well served by health services, and who has experience in working with patients with chronic health conditions.

The post holder will be joining a growing psychology team within the Haematology Service at the Royal London Hospital, which has benefitted from the establishment of several new psychology posts over the past 24 months; including an equivalent role in the paediatric sickle cell service, an assistant psychologist to support both posts, a lead psychologist with a focus on the inpatient sickle cell service, and a psychologist leading a newly established infected blood psychology service.

Base:

0.8 WTE Royal London Hospital (with travel to a range of community settings across North East London).

0.2 WTE St Bartholomew's Hospital

Barts Health has an established and expanding infrastructure for clinical health psychology, so the post holder will join a professional network committed to mutual support and development.

Main duties of the job

The main element of the post is 0.8 WTE, to continue a project funded by NHS England until March 2027, with the aim of developing 'end-to-end' pathway support for people living with sickle cell disorder, to ensure the needs of sickle cell disorder patients are being met. For this element of the role, the focus will be on continuing the work of a previous post holder, in improving service provision to this underserved population, with a concentration on community settings. Key to improving service delivery will be service user involvement, as well as working in collaboration with existing service providers to ensure effective pathways. The role also includes direct clinical work, for example, supporting MDT management of acute and persistent pain and support to manage the emotional and psychological impact of living with a chronic health condition.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplants for adult patients with sickle cell disease has recently been commissioned at Barts Health NHS Trust for eligible patients.The post also offers 0.2 WTE to support MDT decision making about potential recipients of this recent treatment option and to provide psychological input to those undergoing treatment.

About us

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

Details

Date posted

10 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£75,328 to £86,114 a year per annum inc

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

259-7929015RLH

Job locations

Mile End Hospital

London

E1 4DG


Job description

Job responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledgerequired. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledgerequired. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of having worked with people with medical conditions as a clinical specialist.
  • Experience of multi-disciplinary team working joint work and inter-agency collaboration.
  • Experience of working within multi-cultural populations.
  • Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of complex psychological and physical health needs.
  • Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists
  • Experience in implementing service improvements.

Desirable

  • Experience in the psychological management of haematological disorders and / or chronic pain.
  • Experience of undertaking and interpreting neuropsychological assessments and writing reports based on the results.

Skills

Essential

  • Leadership skills; e.g. evidence of the strategic development of services
  • Evidence of the ability to plan and deliver psychological services in an effective, efficient, and resourceful manner.
  • Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate to support and maintain clinical practice

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions, including for those living with complex medical conditions
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for people experiencing trauma
  • Understand of models of health psychology in addition to models of psychopathology.
  • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group
  • Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.

Qualifications

Essential

  • Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training)
  • Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent) OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidence portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessment by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate diploma.
  • Completed training course in clinical supervision.
  • Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist
Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of having worked with people with medical conditions as a clinical specialist.
  • Experience of multi-disciplinary team working joint work and inter-agency collaboration.
  • Experience of working within multi-cultural populations.
  • Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of complex psychological and physical health needs.
  • Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists
  • Experience in implementing service improvements.

Desirable

  • Experience in the psychological management of haematological disorders and / or chronic pain.
  • Experience of undertaking and interpreting neuropsychological assessments and writing reports based on the results.

Skills

Essential

  • Leadership skills; e.g. evidence of the strategic development of services
  • Evidence of the ability to plan and deliver psychological services in an effective, efficient, and resourceful manner.
  • Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate to support and maintain clinical practice

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions, including for those living with complex medical conditions
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for people experiencing trauma
  • Understand of models of health psychology in addition to models of psychopathology.
  • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group
  • Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.

Qualifications

Essential

  • Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training)
  • Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent) OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidence portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessment by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate diploma.
  • Completed training course in clinical supervision.
  • Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Barts Health NHS Trust

Address

Mile End Hospital

London

E1 4DG


Employer's website

https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Barts Health NHS Trust

Address

Mile End Hospital

London

E1 4DG


Employer's website

https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Anna Meadows

anna.meadow2@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

10 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£75,328 to £86,114 a year per annum inc

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

259-7929015RLH

Job locations

Mile End Hospital

London

E1 4DG


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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