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Clinical/ Forensic Psychologist
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust View all jobs
Posted 2 hour(s) ago
Reference: 2444997
Job summary
HIOW NHS FT seeks a Band 8b Principal Clinical or Forensic Psychologist to join Ashford Low Secure Unit and the Forensic Community Learning Disabilities Team (FCLDT).
Our specialist service supports people with learning disabilities who pose a risk of offending or have contact with the criminal justice system. We aim to reduce reoffending, promote safer communities and prevent unnecessary secure admissions/custody.
The role offers the opportunity to lead and develop psychological services within an innovative team accredited by QNFMHS and QNLD. Our approach includes the Good Lives Model, psychological formulation, Positive Behaviour Support and adapted Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, promoting trauma-informed, person-centred care.
Working with senior management and MDTs, you will contribute to strategic development, deliver psychological interventions, complete complex formulations and risk assessments, and collaborate with partner agencies to support safe transitions between inpatient and community care.
The post would suit a psychologist experienced or interested in learning disabilities and forensic practice. We offer supervision, training, development and career progression.
If you are passionate about person-centred care and want to make a difference in a supportive, forward-thinking team, we would love to hear from you.
For an informal discussion/unit visit, contact [email protected] Consultant Clinical and Forensic Psychologist/Divisional Director of Psychological Professions
Main duties of the job
To provide psychological support to designated teams / service areas in the assessment and treatment of referred people with learning disability and associated challenging or offending behaviours. To work alongside colleagues to enhance the assessment and treatment of people admitted to low secure service, or at risk of admission, due to behaviours of concern, as well as treatment for offenders with learning disability who require psychological interventions.
The post-holder will oversee and co-ordinate service development and directdelivery of the range of psychological interventions in line with the current evidence base and best practice. To ensure the appropriate delivery of assessment, treatment and outcomes for referred people with learning disability and associated challenging or offending behaviours.
To provide advice and consultation on formulation, psychological intervention and risk to non-psychologist NHS colleagues, external agencies and non-professional carers, working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Services policies and procedures
See JD for full details
About us
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.
Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.
We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.
Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence
Details
Date posted
23 October 2026
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 8b
Salary
£66,582 to £77,368 a year
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
348-SAC-12860
Job locations
Tatchbury Mount
Calmore
Southampton
Hampshire
SO40 2RZ
United Kingdom
Job description
Job responsibilities
Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.
We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.
We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or forensic psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies. and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists or equivalent experience.
- Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Non Clinical Psychologists will need to be able to demonstrate the above competencies
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in a specialised area of assessment and/or psychological intervention e.g. DBT, trauma focused therapy, accredited offending behaviour work.
- Leadership/Management training
- Trauma informed care training
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of
- working as a qualified clinical/forensic psychologist.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to individuals, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of working with individuals with complex health problems.
- Skills in the application of interventions for individuals with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour and/or offending histories.
- Ability to contain, explore and formulate an understanding of high levels of distress both directly with individuals and indirectly via supervision of other staff.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Ability to constructively manage situations and people at times of conflict.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision. Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical
- psychologists and/or psychological therapists.
- Ability to work collaboratively with senior managers and staff in service delivery and developments.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of clinical/forensic psychology.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
- Ability to identify provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
- Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
- IT skills including email, word processing and basic databases.
- Interest in models of service delivery and an ability to articulate the value added by psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
- Ability to meet travel requirements of the post
Desirable
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of assessing and treating patients across the full range of care settings.
- Experience of working within learning disability settings.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of managing staff.
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g., personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities and severely challenging behaviours etc).
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.
- A commitment to the evaluation of services, enthusiasm for both multi-professional and uni-professional audit and a wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area.
- Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or forensic psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies. and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists or equivalent experience.
- Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Non Clinical Psychologists will need to be able to demonstrate the above competencies
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in a specialised area of assessment and/or psychological intervention e.g. DBT, trauma focused therapy, accredited offending behaviour work.
- Leadership/Management training
- Trauma informed care training
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of
- working as a qualified clinical/forensic psychologist.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to individuals, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of working with individuals with complex health problems.
- Skills in the application of interventions for individuals with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour and/or offending histories.
- Ability to contain, explore and formulate an understanding of high levels of distress both directly with individuals and indirectly via supervision of other staff.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Ability to constructively manage situations and people at times of conflict.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision. Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical
- psychologists and/or psychological therapists.
- Ability to work collaboratively with senior managers and staff in service delivery and developments.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of clinical/forensic psychology.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
- Ability to identify provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.
- Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
- IT skills including email, word processing and basic databases.
- Interest in models of service delivery and an ability to articulate the value added by psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
- Ability to meet travel requirements of the post
Desirable
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of assessing and treating patients across the full range of care settings.
- Experience of working within learning disability settings.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of managing staff.
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g., personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities and severely challenging behaviours etc).
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.
- A commitment to the evaluation of services, enthusiasm for both multi-professional and uni-professional audit and a wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area.
- Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills.
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Tatchbury Mount
Calmore
Southampton
Hampshire
SO40 2RZ
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer details
Employer name
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Tatchbury Mount
Calmore
Southampton
Hampshire
SO40 2RZ
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)