Job summary
Please note this role is currently only being advertised to staff members who are currently working within the Kent and Medway ICS
The Cancer Psychological Service for Kent and Medway is a small new regional service, hosted by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which offers a specialist level 4 psycho-oncology service to four local Acute Trusts (Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust (EKHUFT), Medway Foundation Trust (MFT) and Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (DGT). The service is currently funded by the Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance and Macmillan, and this has recently been extended for another year, but we hope that we will receive permanent funding from the NHS from April 2027.
This role will suit an experienced, motivated and passionate clinical or counselling psychologist who is excited to work in a developing, innovative, supportive and highly committed service which began in 2024.As a team, we are highly value-driven and work very closely with cancer multi-disciplinary teams and with existing cancer counselling services to embed the service across the region. Whilst the role will have a significant clinical component, it is also an excellent opportunity for someone with an interest in developing leadership skills in the context of setting up a new service.
Main duties of the job
The role will involve delivering specialist psychological assessment and interventions for patients with a cancer diagnosis and their families with complex difficulties, as well as providing clinical supervision to an assistant psychologist, and teaching, consultation and supervision to multi-disciplinary and psychological colleagues. The post-holder will also take a lead in developing the service in Medway Foundation NHS Trust and Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, by working closely with multi-disciplinary clinical teams to raise awareness and understanding of the role of cancer psychological services and to develop collaborative relationships.
About us
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 and 2024 NHS Staff Survey.
We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.
Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.
Looking for flexible working?We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it's adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.
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Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:
- At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).
- Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a employer contribution of 23.7% and life assurance benefits
- Blue Light card eligibility
- And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below
Job description
Job responsibilities
Weve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children). If a role involves regulated activity and requires a DBS check with a barred list check, you cannot apply if you are on the barred list.
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Weve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children). If a role involves regulated activity and requires a DBS check with a barred list check, you cannot apply if you are on the barred list.
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level qualification in clinical or counselling psychology plus post-doctoral training in one of more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings.
- Post qualification experience of working in a clinical setting, with experience spent in a clinical health psychology speciality.
- Experience of working within a MDT team, showing respect for different approaches and a desire to work to collaboratively to enhance team unity and support.
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.
- Extensive experience of working as a qualified psychological in a variety of different setting (acute trusts, community mental health).
- An understanding of the specific needs and difficulties of people with cancer
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
- Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a cancer service.
- Experience of psychological work with people with a range of physical health problems
- Experience in clinical supervision
- Experience of service development.
- Experience of audit, project work and research.
Skills
Essential
- Excellent presentation skills.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management.
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Computer literate and has appropriate keyboard skills
- Ability to work to tight timescales and reprioritise effectively.
- To be aware of the Data Protection Act and implement changes to working practice with regard to new legislation.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level qualification in clinical or counselling psychology plus post-doctoral training in one of more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings.
- Post qualification experience of working in a clinical setting, with experience spent in a clinical health psychology speciality.
- Experience of working within a MDT team, showing respect for different approaches and a desire to work to collaboratively to enhance team unity and support.
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.
- Extensive experience of working as a qualified psychological in a variety of different setting (acute trusts, community mental health).
- An understanding of the specific needs and difficulties of people with cancer
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
- Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a cancer service.
- Experience of psychological work with people with a range of physical health problems
- Experience in clinical supervision
- Experience of service development.
- Experience of audit, project work and research.
Skills
Essential
- Excellent presentation skills.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management.
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Computer literate and has appropriate keyboard skills
- Ability to work to tight timescales and reprioritise effectively.
- To be aware of the Data Protection Act and implement changes to working practice with regard to new legislation.
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.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
