About this role
Job summary You will be involved in:
Providing and promoting psychological formulation to inform care planning and clinical decision-making Delivering psychological assessments and brief interventions for service users in acute crisis Supporting risk assessment and management, including facilitating team-based risk formulation discussions Developing MDT psychological skills, through training, consultation, supervision and reflective practice Working collaboratively with partner services, supporting discharge planning and onward referrals Contributing to service development, including evaluation, audit and quality improvement initiatives
Main duties of the job This post is offered at Band 8a, however we welcome applications from Band 7 clinicians, (on a development role) with a job plan tailored to reflect competencies and development needs. This role offers excellent opportunities for professional growth, including developing leadership skills, expanding acute-care expertise, and contributing meaningfully to service development.
About the Role
As a Psychological Professional within Acute Services, you will play a key role in embedding psychological approaches within multidisciplinary team working, enhancing patient care through formulation-led, evidence-based practice.
You will be involved in:
Providing and promoting psychological formulation to inform care planning and clinical decision-making Delivering psychological assessments and brief interventions for service users in acute crisis Supporting risk assessment and management, including facilitating team-based risk formulation discussions Developing MDT psychological skills, through training, consultation, supervision and reflective practice Working collaboratively with partner services, supporting discharge planning and onward referrals Contributing to service development, including evaluation, audit and quality improvement initiatives
About us
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community services for over 4.9 million people living in the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and across Essex.
We work to ensure our patients, their friends and family, feel confident that their health needs are well met. With an excellent reputation for research and development, our skilled health professionals are at the cutting edge of evidence-based innovation, opening up the possibilities for better ways of working and delivery of care.
Job description Job responsibilities
Are you a passionate psychological professional looking for a rewarding role where your expertise will directly shape patient care in a fast-paced, supportive acute setting?
We are seeking an enthusiastic, skilled and committed Psychological professional to join our Acute Services, (Inpatient Wards and the Home Treatment Team). This is an exciting opportunity to bring high-quality psychological thinking into crisis and acute care pathways, supporting service users at some of the most critical points in their recovery journey.
This post is offered at Band 8a, however we welcome applications from Band 7 clinicians, (on a development role) with a job plan tailored to reflect competencies and development needs. This role offers excellent opportunities for professional growth, including developing leadership skills, expanding acute-care expertise, and contributing meaningfully to service development.
Why Join Us?
This is a dynamic and varied role offering rich clinical experience with complex presentations and high-impact intervention work. You will gain exposure to integrated acute pathways, while being supported to develop skills in crisis-focused assessment, formulation, and delivery of evidence-based interventions both individually and within groups.
We are looking for someone who thrives in multidisciplinary settings, values compassionate care, and is motivated to make a tangible difference to service users’ recovery.
If you are ready to bring psychological leadership to acute services—and to grow your career within a supportive and progressive team—we would love to hear from you.
ARD Psychology
The Acute and Rehab psychology service is an exciting and dynamic team of psychological professionals working in crisis settings – home treatment crisis teams, psychiatric inpatient wards and a range of other settings.
This opportunity is for a full time Clinical/Counselling psychologist and psychotherapists post for Home Treatment Team and Inpatient Services.
The successful applicant would join our well respected and exciting Acute Psychology Service. We are passionate about tackling social inequalities and making therapy accessible to everyone. Our work focuses on supporting people from marginalised communities, creating welcoming, inclusive spaces where they feel seen and supported.
The team have been at the forefront of national developments in inpatient and acute working. We are actively involved in research and keen to recruit people who share that vision of contributing to best practice, national guidelines and an evidence base. For example, a number of our team were involved in contributing to the psychological services for acute adult mental health BPS/ACP-UK guidelines, several studies and publications.
We are committed to supporting staff development through our CPD, and where funding allows, we aim to open up further training opportunities in models like Systemic Family Therapy, EMDR, and CBT for psychosis
If you are interested in the vacancy, please get in touch with Dr Faiza Anwar (Principal Psychologist) 07715053610.
Starting with NELFT NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
Probationary Period This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London (B&D, Redbridge, Havering and Waltham Forest, Goodmayes) This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,870 to a maximum of £6,137 p.a. pro rata for part time).
Working for Us
Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
As part of the Trust’s objective to redeploy as many staff as possible, this role is restricted to existing internal administration staff that have contracted hours for the Trust only. If you are a current bank/agency worker that feels you have met the legal criteria to be eligible to apply for the role or are not a current administrative member of staff but seeking redeployment for other purposes, please clarify this in your application form so that this can be considered.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Please refer to JD and Person Specification
Desirable
Please refer to JD and Person Specification
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.
Employer details Employer name NELFT North East London Foundation Trust
Address Goodmayes Hospital
Ilford
Essex
IG3 8XJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)