Job summary
- Main area
- Applied Psychology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8c
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-7863230
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Ladywell Unit - Lewisham Hospital
- Town
- Lewisham
- Salary
- £85,431 - £97,148 per annum inclusive of HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Consultant Psychotherapist or Consultant Practitioner Psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 8c
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
We are looking to recruit a highly skilled and motivated Consultant Psychologist/Psychotherapist to join the Ladywell Unit team at the University Hospital Lewisham, working across the adult inpatient services. There are two male and two female acute inpatient wards based at Ladywell as well as a male Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit and the post-holder will work across all these services and particularly support an additional new ward in the unit.
Clients present with complex and enduring serious mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, other psychotic problems and personality disorder. In addition, clients present with emotionally difficult situations (e.g. abuse, trauma, threats to others, self-harm, suicide attempts).
Main duties of the job
You will provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients admitted to the inpatient wards and PICU. An essential part of your role will be to support ward staff and advise teams as to how to provide specialist psychological care and assist in the development of robust behavioural and risk management plans. As a Lead Consultant you will act as a Team Leader and will supervise Junior Psychological Therapists including trainees, Assistants and Clinical Associate Psychologists.
You will have experience of both individual and group work and be able to provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions for patients, carers and families. You will be expected to develop and carry out Quality Improvement projects, research and audits as required and lead service development within the acute and crisis pathway.
This is a varied role with excellent opportunities to develop desirable and transferable skills working with adults experiencing an acute phase of their mental illness. You will receive regular clinical supervision and be supported by the broader inpatient team.
Working for our organisation
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) is one of the UK’s leading providers of mental health services, with a rich history, strong community links, and an international reputation for excellence. We deliver specialist care across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Lambeth, Southwark, and Croydon, supporting over 45,000 people in the community each year.
As part of Lewisham Community Services, you’ll be working in a diverse, forward-thinking team committed to recovery-focused, person-centred care. We value compassion, inclusion, and innovation, and offer extensive opportunities for professional development, reflective practice, and career progression.
SLaM is proud to be part of King’s Health Partners, giving staff access to cutting-edge research, academic collaboration, and world-class training. By joining us, you’ll be part of an organisation that combines clinical care, science, and education to improve mental health locally, nationally, and globally.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
· To develop strategy for and lead, manage and plan the delivery of a highly specialist psychological therapy service to the inpatient acute wards and PICU at University Hospital Lewisham including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes; and personally provide expert clinical input.
· To be responsible to the Professional Head of Psychology and Psychotherapy for the monitoring and implementation of professional standards in the practice of psychological therapy and for the systematic and effective provision of professional supervision.
· To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
· To ensure the conduct of research, service evaluation and audits relevant to the service and the research agenda
· To be develop standards for and take a lead in ensuring the good clinical governance, quality and appropriateness of the work of psychological practitioners in the service.
· To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures, and interpret these and be responsible for their implementation within the service areas of responsibility.
· To take a lead on staff support within their area, working closely with Corporate Psychology and Psychotherapy to support colleagues and ensure all staff in SLaM have access to evidence-based support. To participate, as a recipient, in staff support work when appropriate.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- To have undertaken a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions, e.g. psychiatric nursing, clinical psychology, medicine, social work and occupational therapy OR to have equivalent relevant experience and demonstrable competence to work in the mental health field in the NHS.
- Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
Desirable criteria
- Training in CBT, DBT and Family Intervention relevant to acute care settings
Experience
Essential criteria
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in multi-disciplinary adult mental health teams.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in secondary care adult mental health services
- Experience of supervising assistants and trainees having completed the relevant training.
- Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of management and leadership.
- Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment
- Advanced knowledge of the theory of psychological practice/processes and their therapeutic application.
- Awareness of assessment and clinical psychometrics.
- Advanced knowledge and experience in the administration of assessment tools.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act relevant to Adult Mental Health Hospital based Treatment
Skills
Essential criteria
- To deliver specialist therapy across cultural and other differences.
- To select and administer specialist assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources, on which expert opinion may differ.
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
- To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers (and for meetings such as CPA and case reviews where appropriate).
- To plan allocation of tasks to assistants/trainees as appropriates.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of delivering and supervising brief CBT skills groups Experience of delivering and supervising family support and intervention
Abilities
Essential criteria
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
- Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of staff support eg provision of reflective practice and formulation groups for multi-disciplinary teams
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Stephen Goggins
- Job title
- Head of Psychology & Psychotherapy
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07794222494
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