Job summary
An excellent opportunity for a Clinical or Forensic Psychologist, who is passionate about working with women in secure care, to join the Women's Forensic Service at West London NHS Trust. This is a full-time post (1.0wte) but part-time or flexible working may also be considered. This is an 8a post but can be appointed to as a band 7/8a preceptorship.
West London NHS Trust provides a broad range of forensic mental health care across high/medium/low security and community settings. The Orchard Unit is a purpose built women-only medium/low secure unit, with an emphasis on relational security. It provides 35 medium and 15 low secure beds. It is the country's largest NHS provider of women's secure services. You will work within the Low / Medium secure wards with a warm, supportive and experienced Multi-Disciplinary Team. We actively promote CPD with opportunities to develop specialist skills, engage in research and encourage working within our large group of psychological professionals.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for providing a high quality psychology service to a female low secure ward (15 beds) and a medium secure ward (5 beds). As such you'll be able to utilise varied skills in assessment, formulation and group and individual evidence-based intervention tailored to meet the challenging needs of the inpatient client group. As a key member of the MDT, you will be responsible for developing and implementing psychologically informed treatment for a very diverse group of female service users who are detained in medium and low secure settings, who are mentally disordered offenders with severe and enduring mental disorders (both mental illness and personality disorder) and serious forensic histories and have a wide range of psychiatric, psychological and criminological problems and extremely complex needs.
As well as direct clinical work the role will involve service development and audit, staff training / supervision and frequent collaborative working within the psychological therapies department and with MDT colleagues.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.
The Trust is rated as 'Good' overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person Specification
Skills
Essential
- Able to provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive or highly contentious information, where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere
- Able to make judgements involving highly complex facts or situations, which require the evaluation of a range of options (e.g. the assessment of specialist clinical conditions and the determination of treatment options), Where expert opinions may differ
- Able to plan, prioritise and organise own service user caseload, treatment programmes (individual or group) involving other staff, and other aspects of the work such as research activity
- Keyboard skills
- Post-graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology
- Able to maintain intense concentration frequently and for prolonged periods with unpredictable patients (e.g. in the assessment and treatment of mentally disordered offender patients)
- Able to function in potentially traumatic circumstances and in highly emotionally distressing circumstances on a frequent basis (e.g. in dealing with patients with serious mental illness, histories of homicide and serious violence, self-harm, sexual abuse)
- Able to provide services in environments with patients who are disturbed and sometimes violent and where the awareness of the risk of assault must always be maintained
- Able to "hold" the stress of patients compulsorily detained in a secure hospital
- Able to respond adaptably to rapidly changing service demands
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
- Good honours degree (2:i minimum) in Psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of BPS.
- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical / forensic / counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or those in lateral transfer) as accredited by the BPS.
- Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
Desirable
- Other related academic qualifications
- Training in clinical supervision for Doctoral, and equivalent, trainees
- Evidence of post-doctoral training in psychological therapy techniques
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a qualified (specialist) psychologist for a minimum of one year in a forensic clinical setting or equivalent (or some experience of working clinically in a forensic service or similar if applying for a Band 7 preceptorship)
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups
- Experience of working clinically with female service users in secure settings
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of administration, scoring and written interpretation of formal personality tools and/or neuropsychological assessments
Knowledge
Essential
- Advanced specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of psychology applied to forensic clinical practice
- Completion of at least 1 year's supervised practice in specialist forensic clinical practice (or approximately 6 months for Band 7)
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for work with mentally disordered offenders
Desirable
- Specialist knowledge of the assessment and treatment of trauma.
- Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of the assessment and treatment of personality disorder and mental illness.
Person Specification
Skills
Essential
- Able to provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive or highly contentious information, where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere
- Able to make judgements involving highly complex facts or situations, which require the evaluation of a range of options (e.g. the assessment of specialist clinical conditions and the determination of treatment options), Where expert opinions may differ
- Able to plan, prioritise and organise own service user caseload, treatment programmes (individual or group) involving other staff, and other aspects of the work such as research activity
- Keyboard skills
- Post-graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology
- Able to maintain intense concentration frequently and for prolonged periods with unpredictable patients (e.g. in the assessment and treatment of mentally disordered offender patients)
- Able to function in potentially traumatic circumstances and in highly emotionally distressing circumstances on a frequent basis (e.g. in dealing with patients with serious mental illness, histories of homicide and serious violence, self-harm, sexual abuse)
- Able to provide services in environments with patients who are disturbed and sometimes violent and where the awareness of the risk of assault must always be maintained
- Able to "hold" the stress of patients compulsorily detained in a secure hospital
- Able to respond adaptably to rapidly changing service demands
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
- Good honours degree (2:i minimum) in Psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of BPS.
- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical / forensic / counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or those in lateral transfer) as accredited by the BPS.
- Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
Desirable
- Other related academic qualifications
- Training in clinical supervision for Doctoral, and equivalent, trainees
- Evidence of post-doctoral training in psychological therapy techniques
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a qualified (specialist) psychologist for a minimum of one year in a forensic clinical setting or equivalent (or some experience of working clinically in a forensic service or similar if applying for a Band 7 preceptorship)
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups
- Experience of working clinically with female service users in secure settings
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of administration, scoring and written interpretation of formal personality tools and/or neuropsychological assessments
Knowledge
Essential
- Advanced specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of psychology applied to forensic clinical practice
- Completion of at least 1 year's supervised practice in specialist forensic clinical practice (or approximately 6 months for Band 7)
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for work with mentally disordered offenders
Desirable
- Specialist knowledge of the assessment and treatment of trauma.
- Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of the assessment and treatment of personality disorder and mental illness.
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).
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).
