About this role
Job summary
We are seeking a qualified Practitioner Psychologist with an interest in paediatric sleep and experience of working with sleep difficulties. This is an excellent opportunity to develop specialist expertise within a well-established Community Paediatric Sleep Service, providing evidence-based assessment and intervention for children and young people with neurodevelopmental and/or complex health needs across Lambeth and Southwark.
You will join a supportive multidisciplinary team comprising paediatricians, a Clinical Nurse Specialist and a Sleep Specialist, all committed to improving outcomes for children and families. The service has a strong track record in teaching, training, audit, research and service development, offering opportunities to contribute to quality improvement and innovation.
Based within the Children's Community Psychology Team at Evelina London, the role also includes a small caseload of broader paediatric psychology work, supporting the development of a wide range of clinical skills. This is a 0.6 WTE fixed-term post for 12 months in the first instance.
Main duties of the job
Under the supervision of a Senior Practitioner Psychologist, the post-holder will contribute to the delivery and ongoing development of a specialist Community Paediatric Sleep Service within Evelina Children's Community Services. The role involves providing evidence-based psychological assessment, formulation and time-limited interventions for children and young people experiencing sleep difficulties in the context of neurodevelopmental and/or complex health conditions. The post-holder will work autonomously with individuals, families and groups, providing therapeutic support and promoting psychologically informed practice across the service.
The successful candidate will be part of the Children's Community Psychology Team and will have the opportunity to hold a small broader paediatric psychology caseload to support continued professional development. The role also includes participation in service evaluation, audit, quality improvement, research and service development activities, contributing to the ongoing enhancement of care for children, young people and their families
About us
The Community Paediatrics Service at Evelina London Children's Hospital is a welcoming, innovative and multidisciplinary service dedicated to improving outcomes for children, young people and their families. Our teams work collaboratively across a range of specialties, combining clinical excellence with a strong commitment to compassionate, family-centred care. We foster a supportive and inclusive working environment where staff are encouraged to develop their skills, contribute ideas, and participate in service improvement, teaching and research activities.
As part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, you will join an organisation recognised for its commitment to staff wellbeing, professional development and high-quality patient care. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where diversity is valued and everyone feels respected, supported and able to thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and actively promote equality of opportunity. We also support flexible working and strive to help colleagues achieve a healthy work-life balance wherever service needs allow. Staff benefit from a wide range of learning and development opportunities, access to specialist supervision and peer support, generous NHS benefits, and the opportunity to work within one of the UK's leading children's healthcare services.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please see attached JD and Person Specification for full information. We would also strongly encourage potential applicants to make contact to discuss the role informally.
Person Specification
Knowledge/Qualifications Essential
Doctoral level qualification in clinical psychology (or equivalent for those who trained before 1996) as accredited by BPS Eligibility for Chartered status with the BPS Live MRDiverse panel information sent
Previous Experience Essential
Experience of psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of children and young people with physical health and/or neurodevelopmental conditions and their families Experience of providing both group based and individual psychological interventions Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
Desirable
Experience in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups in the area of physical health. Experience of working with sleep related difficulties
Skills Essential
A strong ability to communicate at both a written and oral level, imparting complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, and carers and a wide range of lay and professional people within and outside the NHS. This may require negotiating, motivating, training, reassuring others and demonstrating empathy Experience and ability to undertake risk assessments of clients in relation to self and others, and refer on to appropriate services as necessary Ability to take initiative and contribute to the development of the psychology component of busy and expanding community service Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and contribute to effective team functioning Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging interactions
Desirable
Specialist knowledge about psychological theories and interventions in the areas of physical health and neurodivergence and sleep Ability to adapt psychological interventions to meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people and those with physical health conditions
Additional Information Essential
Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery, and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical/health psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary physical health care services setting. A commitment to promoting equality of opportunity through all aspects of working and professional practice with both colleagues and all client groups. Well developed IT skills including data entry and analysis of research data using Microsoft programmes and appropriate statistical packages such as SPSS.
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 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Address Mary Sheridan Centre/ Sunshine House
London
SE11 4TH
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)