Job summary
The Royal Free London Fatigue Service is seeking a skilled and compassionate Practitioner Psychologist (Band 7) to join its specialist Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / ME (ME/CFS) service, based at Royal Free Hospital, on a 0.6 WTE (22.5 hours per week) basis. This post is offered as a 12-month Fixed Term Contract.
The post holder will provide high-quality, evidence-based psychological assessment and intervention to adults experiencing chronic fatigue and related conditions. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, the role involves supporting patients with complex physical and psychological needs, contributing to holistic care planning, and promoting engagement in rehabilitation and self-management.
The Practitioner Psychologist will work autonomously within professional and service frameworks, offering specialist psychological input, consultation, and advice to colleagues. The role also includes supervision of assistant psychologists and psychology students, and contribution to service evaluation, audit, and development, in line with the Trust's commitment to World Class Care values.
Main duties of the job
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and evidence-based treatment for adults referred to the Fatigue Psychology Service, including people with ME/CFS.
Deliver interventions informed by approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).
Manage an autonomous clinical caseload, including treatment planning, risk assessment, review, and discharge.
Communicate assessment findings and care plans clearly and sensitively to patients, carers, and professionals, using high-quality written and verbal communication.
Work collaboratively with patients, support networks, and the multidisciplinary team to promote holistic, person-centred care.
Provide psychological consultation and advice to non-psychologist colleagues and liaise with internal and external services as required.
Offer supervision and support to assistant psychologists, undergraduate students, and contribute to the learning environment within the service.
Contribute to service development, audit, and quality improvement activities, including the use of outcome and experience measures.
Maintain professional registration, high standards of clinical record keeping, and engage in CPD, supervision, and mandatory training in line with Trust policies.
About us
The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's biggest and most innovative trusts. Across four main hospitals, our dedicated team of staff care for over 1.6 million patients, treat more than 200,000 in A&E, deliver over 8,000 babies and carry out more than 17 million tests.
Our size, scale and influence offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward-thinking approach to working that works around your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next level training, we make it easier to take your career to the top
For more information please visit
https://www.royalfreelondonjobs.co.uk/
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description for more information about this role and working at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description for more information about this role and working at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
Person Specification
Royal Free World Class Values
Essential
- oDemonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values
Education & professional Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 2000) as accredited by the British Psychological Society
- HCPC registration as Practitioner Psychologist.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including community, primary care, outpatient and inpatient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
- Experience of delivering group interventions in a physical health setting, ideally with ME/CFS.
- Experienced in oral presentations, working with people in groups
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of work within interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary environments, including joint consultations with medical/physical health staff
Desirable
- Experience of working within a fatigue or community/acute health setting, providing specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients, including outpatient and inpatient settings.
- Experience of delivering group interventions in a physical health setting, ideally with ME/CFS.
- Experience in working with people who have experience fatigue, chronic health conditions and other health problems across the lifespan.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience in audit and/or research methods
Skills and aptitudes
Essential
- 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, 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 to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and quantitative data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the British Psychological Society/HCPC.
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting.
- Knowledge of theoretical models and psychological interventions relevant to the needs of patients with fatigue and those experiencing psychological difficulties secondary to their health condition
Desirable
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Skilled in joint work with occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and medical doctors
Personal Qualities & attributes
Essential
- Able to manage stressful situations
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Able to use time effectively and prioritise workload
- Ability to be reflective about own practice and style
- Enthusiastic about psychology in health settings.
Other
Essential
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice and service delivery.
- Interest in and ability to contribute to service development.
Desirable
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.DA/I
- Ability to demonstrate using psychological skills and knowledge in medical settings
Person Specification
Royal Free World Class Values
Essential
- oDemonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values
Education & professional Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 2000) as accredited by the British Psychological Society
- HCPC registration as Practitioner Psychologist.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including community, primary care, outpatient and inpatient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
- Experience of delivering group interventions in a physical health setting, ideally with ME/CFS.
- Experienced in oral presentations, working with people in groups
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of work within interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary environments, including joint consultations with medical/physical health staff
Desirable
- Experience of working within a fatigue or community/acute health setting, providing specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients, including outpatient and inpatient settings.
- Experience of delivering group interventions in a physical health setting, ideally with ME/CFS.
- Experience in working with people who have experience fatigue, chronic health conditions and other health problems across the lifespan.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience in audit and/or research methods
Skills and aptitudes
Essential
- 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, 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 to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and quantitative data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the British Psychological Society/HCPC.
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting.
- Knowledge of theoretical models and psychological interventions relevant to the needs of patients with fatigue and those experiencing psychological difficulties secondary to their health condition
Desirable
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Skilled in joint work with occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and medical doctors
Personal Qualities & attributes
Essential
- Able to manage stressful situations
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Able to use time effectively and prioritise workload
- Ability to be reflective about own practice and style
- Enthusiastic about psychology in health settings.
Other
Essential
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice and service delivery.
- Interest in and ability to contribute to service development.
Desirable
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.DA/I
- Ability to demonstrate using psychological skills and knowledge in medical settings
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).
