Head of Psychology

Posting date:	08 September 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	Negotiable
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	13 October 2025
Location:	London, SE7 8LJ
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Contract
Job reference:	B0427-JOB0260

Summary

Role Purpose To provide psychology leadership and oversight across Vias services with a specific focus on the organisations community portfolio, as part of a multi-disciplinary clinical leadership team. Reporting to the organisations Executive Medical Director, the role includes clinical management responsibility for psychological professionals and associated trainees across Vias community services. To work collaboratively with internal and external colleagues to drive and deliver excellent core practice, clinical modelling and innovation. Key duties and activities of the role To provide excellent leadership, developmental and practice development support and supervision. To support and provide leadership to enable improvement against internal and external clinical standards, including CQC KLOEs and NICE guidelines. To support clinical and operational modelling across all adult and young people service types, supporting the development and delivery of high quality, high impact, value for money intervention and programme delivery. Together with the People Team, to oversee psychology qualification and registration monitoring and clinical training, including the development and delivery of clinical training and the embedding of psychology trainee, assistant and student roles, developing links with relevant clinical psychology doctoral courses and/or counselling psychology courses. To be responsible for developing and implementing a range of specialist psychological interventions for people who use our services, their carers, and groups, within and across teams, employed singly and in combination, adjusting and refining psychological formulations as practice and experience demand, and drawing upon different explanatory models to maintain a number of provisional hypotheses. To hold a small specialist caseload. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, developmental and cultural processes and systems which have shaped the individual, family or group. To record, monitor and report on clinical work and communicate, in a skilled and sensitive manner, complex clinical information, including assessment, formulation, treatment plans and progress to a variety of recipients, e.g. people who use our services, carers, other professionals, formal panels, statutory and voluntary organisations, orally, in writing and electronically. To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, contributing directly to formulations and treatment plans; including advice on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management. To employ a broad theoretical knowledge of psychology and specialist clinical skills to develop and support the psychological skills of others through participation in the development and delivery of teaching, training and supervision programmes. To provide a psychological perspective and psychologically-based framework for understanding and care for multidisciplinary team activities, including clinical care, team dynamics, team organisational systems, promotional activities, within a wide range of settings including MDT meetings, case discussions, team meetings, and group supervision. To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision. To develop and maintain the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with management. To provide leadership on risk, safeguarding and quality assurance, including input identifying themes across audits and feeding into the audit framework. To work collaboratively with service and people leads to ensure effective development and performance management of psychologists, including assistants, trainees, students and placements, and to support skills development across non clinical practitioners. To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence -based practice in own work and work with other service and team members. To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research. To organise and supervise research undertaken by assistant and trainee psychologists where appropriate. To maintain high quality dialogue and public relations with partner agencies and commissioning bodies, supporting the development of effective strategic relationships. To undertake any other appropriate tasks that may be allocated by the Executive Team. Responsibilities for all Via staff To work within the Via values of Care, Be human and Do the right thing. Support and collaborate with all colleagues and engage with the wider organisation. To promote and deliver positive, inclusive and anti-discriminatory practices in line with Via policies, professional and sector requirements, and legislative frameworks. To act on all Safeguarding concerns so that all statutory and organisational Safeguarding responsibilities are met and that all learning is shared. To observe professional integrity and candour at all times and with all people. To comply with all organisational policies and procedures including GDPR and all Health and Safety policy and guidance, taking responsibility for your own safety and contributing to that of colleagues and others as applicable. To regularly participate in one-to-one, supervision sessions, objective setting and review, training, practice and learning forums. A commitment to learning and to continuously improve everyones knowledge and skills. To work flexibly to enable the delivery of effective services. This may include flexibility across sites or flexible hours and any other duties that may reasonably be required of you within your role.