Job summary
- Main area
- Psychology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 285-3945-LD
- Employer
- Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Wolverhampton Learning Disability Team
- Town
- Wolverhampton
- Salary
- £47,810 - £62,682 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 16/03/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Developmental (B7-8a) Applied Psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is growing and changing. We provide specialist mental health, learning disability and community services across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, and we’re hiring people who want to shape what comes next.
Formed on 1 April 2020 through the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, we’re now focused on the future with a new Trust Strategy and our Best for the Black Country programme.
What we do
· Adult and older adult mental health
· Children and young people’s mental health
· Specialist learning disability services
· Community healthcare for children, young people and families in Dudley
Why join now
· We’ve got real momentum right now. New strategy, clear priorities and our Best for the Black Country work mean things are moving in the right way, fast.
· Our values aren’t just posters. People are genuinely compassionate, take responsibility, treat you with respect and help you feel confident and empowered.
· You’ll be looked after. Flexible working, family-friendly policies, supportive teams, proper wellbeing support and chances to learn with coaching and development.
· There’s room to grow. Loads of services to explore and real space to try ideas and be heard.
· It’s a good place to live. Friendly diverse communities, easy transport, good schools and colleges, shopping, food, lots to do, plenty of green space and a lower cost of living than many other city regions.
What it’s like to work here
You’ll join friendly, skilled teams who look out for each other. We plan together, share caseload pressures, and celebrate wins. New starters get a warm welcome and clear induction; early careers colleagues have preceptorship and buddying; experienced staff can lead, teach and innovate. You’ll have space to do good work, speak up, and see the difference you make.
Who we are
We’re 4,000+ colleagues from many backgrounds, committed to improving health and wellbeing for our communities and for each other. If you’re excited about the role but don’t tick every box, please apply. We value potential and transferable experience.
Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified Applied Psychologist interested in working within learning disability services. We would welcome applications from newly/ soon to be qualified Applied Psychologists wanting to follow a progression pathway to band 8a, or more experienced clinicians ready for an 8a position.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated clinician who enjoys working as part of an MDT. The role is diverse and rewarding with excellent cross division support. The successful candidate will be delivering 1:1, group based and systemically informed evidence-based interventions for individuals with learning disabilities and their support networks. There are opportunities to get involved in service development projects and contribute to pathway working. There are strong links and support systems in place to enable cross divisional working which is core to the psychology offer.
You will be based with the Wolverhampton Community Learning Disability Team working alongside psychology and MDT colleagues supporting people with a learning disability experiencing significant mental health needs and/or displaying significant behavioural distress. The team is supportive, forward-thinking & committed to improving patient care. It is part of a whole-pathway model linking with the IST, FCT, A&T Inpatient services & local Commissioning services.
Main duties of the job
The CLDT provides a full range of assessments, interventions, support, training and advice to individuals themselves, their families and paid carers and the network of multi-agency stakeholders who are involved in the care and support of people experiencing complex behavioural and/or emotional distress. The post-holder will be part of a team committed to MDT working with people with a learning disability. They will bring experience combining the best of evidence based clinical assessment & formulation with integrative, client centred, therapeutic interventions.
Guided by recovery principles, the teams maintain close liaison and pathways with a range of external agencies including social support accommodation services and social care agencies across the region in order to ensure that people with a learning disability and mental health and/or behavioural distress needs are also well supported by the full range of services and opportunities that meet their whole life person centred needs and aspirations.
Working for our organisation
The post-holder will be part of a team committed to MDT working with people with a learning disability. They will bring experience combining the best of evidence based clinical assessment & formulation with integrative, client centred, therapeutic interventions. They will be skilled in both individual and group work adapted to match the different intellectual & emotional abilities within the client group. They will have experience and skills to oversee the performance and development of existing psychological pathways, such as Trauma, PBS and Dementia. There are opportunities to develop new and existing group programmes. The post-holder will support in training/supervising others, including practitioners & trainees working within the team at different times.
Psychologists throughout services across BCHFT have good links with the full range of Doctoral Psychology courses at the Universities of Birmingham, Coventry and Warwick and Wolverhampton. Key staff are closely involved with Research and Innovation. CPD and supervision for all grades of staff is highly valued. Psychological professionals are thoroughly integrated at all levels in the quality, governance and service development infrastructure of the Trust.
We look forward to receiving applications from HCPC registered Applied Psychologists who can demonstrate the breadth and depth of experience required for this role.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To ensure high quality, specialist psychology provision to people with a learning disability with complex mental health needs and/or displaying significant behavioural distress . Working within community settings in the Wolverhampton locality.
- To offer advice, specialist psychological assessment/intervention and or consultation and supervision on this client group’s psychological care either directly with the client or indirectly with their systemic support networks.
- Liaise with psychology colleagues, non-psychology colleagues, external agencies and other non-professional carers regarding client's psychological support needs.
- To perform an important leadership role and work alongside MDT colleagues within and across the settings.
- To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for systematic governance of psychological practice within the service. To propose and implement policy changes with the areas served by the service.
- To utilise doctoral level research skills for audit, policy and service development and research. To supervise research carried out by Assistant and Trainee psychologists.
- Guided by the person centred Transforming care principles of the recovery model ensure that people with a learning disability and additional support needs are safely supported by the full range of services and opportunities that meet their whole life needs and aspirations, in the least restrictive context.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Qualifications
- Working with a learning disability population
- Experience of assessment, formulation and intervention
- Experience of a range of evidenced-based therapeutic interventions e.g. CBT, Third Wave models, Systemic therapy
Desirable criteria
- Post graduate training
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 Chinenye Njuko
- Job title
- Principal Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01902 44 44 47
- Additional information
For an informal discussion about this post or to arrange a visit please contact:
Dr Chinenye Njoku (Principal Psychologist)
via email at [email protected]
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