Greater Manchester Mental Health NHSFT

Clinical and/or Forensic Psychologist

The closing date is 15 September 2025

Job summary

Are you passionate about delivering excellentforensic care and keen to help shape the ongoing development of a Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT)? This is an excellent time to join our SCFT and become part of a skilled and supportive integrated multidisciplinary team. This post will be attractive to a forensically orientated Practitioner Psychologist wishing to use the full breadth of their psychological skills and knowledge.

This post is a full time permanent post and we would warmly welcome hearing frompotential candidates.

SCFTis part of GMMH's Adult Forensic Services. SCFT adopts a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to achieve two primary functions: to assist service users to transition out of secure services and to support non-forensic services to help avoid unnecessary admissions into inpatient secure beds. This entails providing consultation to external teams to enhance risk formulation and management strategies to enable care to be delivered in the least restrictive setting, and to aid community reintegration by offering specialist forensic follow-up including forensic psychological interventions.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will join the wider SCFT multidisciplinary team consisting of a consultant psychologist, consultant psychiatrist, assistant psychologists, CPNs, senior nurse, advanced clinical practitioner, clinical engagement workers and operational colleagues. You will:

  • Contribute to the MDT forensic consultation process.
  • Develop and sustain close working relationships with non-forensic teams.
  • Deliver 1:1 and/or group interventions, as required.
  • Engage in research, clinical audit and quality improvement initiatives, as agreed by the Consultant Psychologist, to support the SCFTs efficacy and ongoing development.
  • Contribute to training which upskills the wider SCFT in relation to psychological concepts, interventions and tools etc.
  • Clinically supervise and/or line management psychological professionals, as agreed with the Consultant Psychologist.

About us

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.

We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford,Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.

Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.

Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.

Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.

Details

Date posted

01 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

437-7347666

Job locations

Adult Forensic Services, Prestwich Site

Bury New Road

Manchester

M25 3BL


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification

Staff benefits

  • 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
  • Excellent pension
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Salary sacrifice car scheme
  • Wellbeing programme
  • Blue Light Card Discounts
  • fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification

Staff benefits

  • 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
  • Excellent pension
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Salary sacrifice car scheme
  • Wellbeing programme
  • Blue Light Card Discounts
  • fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)

Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist

Desirable

  • Additional further professional training and/or qualification, such as neuropsychology or therapeutic models (e.g. CBT, EMDR, schema therapy).
  • Completion of post-graduate training in the clinical supervision of others.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience working as a qualified clinical or forensic psychologist in forensic settings.
  • Experience working with service users with severe mental health problems who engage in significantly risky behaviour(s).
  • Experience providing psychological consultation (including formulation) to other professionals and professional groups.

Desirable

  • Experience interfacing with criminal justice systems, e.g. MAPPA and HMPPS
  • Experience of teaching, training and supervising others.
  • Experience supervising assistant psychologists and/or trainee psychologists.

Knowledge

Essential

  • Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of psychological approaches to working with complex mental health difficulties (inc. personality and neurodevelopmental disorders) and significant, complex risk profiles.
  • Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice.
  • Developed knowledge of research methodology, statistical analysis and publication-level written communication skills.

Skills

Essential

  • Skills in conducting risk assessment, formulations and management plans
  • Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.

Desirable

  • Approved training in a specific therapeutic approach other than cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), such as mentalisation-based therapy (MBT), cognitive analytic therapy (CAT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT
Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist

Desirable

  • Additional further professional training and/or qualification, such as neuropsychology or therapeutic models (e.g. CBT, EMDR, schema therapy).
  • Completion of post-graduate training in the clinical supervision of others.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience working as a qualified clinical or forensic psychologist in forensic settings.
  • Experience working with service users with severe mental health problems who engage in significantly risky behaviour(s).
  • Experience providing psychological consultation (including formulation) to other professionals and professional groups.

Desirable

  • Experience interfacing with criminal justice systems, e.g. MAPPA and HMPPS
  • Experience of teaching, training and supervising others.
  • Experience supervising assistant psychologists and/or trainee psychologists.

Knowledge

Essential

  • Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of psychological approaches to working with complex mental health difficulties (inc. personality and neurodevelopmental disorders) and significant, complex risk profiles.
  • Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice.
  • Developed knowledge of research methodology, statistical analysis and publication-level written communication skills.

Skills

Essential

  • Skills in conducting risk assessment, formulations and management plans
  • Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.

Desirable

  • Approved training in a specific therapeutic approach other than cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), such as mentalisation-based therapy (MBT), cognitive analytic therapy (CAT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT

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

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHSFT

Address

Adult Forensic Services, Prestwich Site

Bury New Road

Manchester

M25 3BL


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHSFT

Address

Adult Forensic Services, Prestwich Site

Bury New Road

Manchester

M25 3BL


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Care Group Lead for Psychological Services

Dr Hannah Darrell-Berry

hannah.darrell-berry@gmmh.nhs.uk

01617739121

Details

Date posted

01 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

437-7347666

Job locations

Adult Forensic Services, Prestwich Site

Bury New Road

Manchester

M25 3BL


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHSFT's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)