Senior Perinatal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist | North London NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 08 April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £63,665 - £70,887 per annum pro rata inclusive of HCAS |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 08 May 2026 |
| Location: | London, N12 9RH |
| Company: | Camden And Islington NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7921992/455-NLFT-0686-B |
Summary
The North London Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service (SPMHS) is a community mental health service for pregnant and postnatal women and birthing people with severe and complex emotional difficulties. The aim of the team is to detect, prevent and treat perinatal mental health needs to improve the experience of pregnancy and the two years postpartum for service users, the babies and their families.
The model operates with 3 clinical sub-teams:
South Team (Camden & Islington): First Floor, West Wing, St Pancras Hospital, 4 St Pancras Way, NW1 0PE
East Team (Enfield & Haringey):Forest Road Primary Care Centre, Ground Floor, 308A Hertford Road, London, N9 7HD
West Team (Barnet): Cedar Place, North London Partners NHS, 890 High Road, North Finchley, N12 9RH
The SPMHS is made up of a full MDT: consultant psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, family therapist, nursery nurses, peer support workers and pharmacist. MDT sub-teams staff work closely with the maternity sites in North Central London, Barnet Hospital, Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital, University College Hospital and Whittington Hospital. Clinics normally run at team bases, maternity sites, children’s centres, and community centres across the boroughs as well as home visits. Some clinical work is additionally carried out via video call.
• To work with service users with complex perinatal mental health needs; to identify their goals using specialist assessment and interventions tools.
• To plan and deliver psychological interventions to parents caring for their babies to meet required standards in their babies' developmental needs.
• Good awareness of adult mental health and parent infant relationships theoretical models
• To work in partnership with parents, individuals or in group situations to promote appropriate play activities with children.
• To work in a variety of settings e.g., home, clinics and within the local community.
• To liaise with the wider multi-disciplinary team when there are concerns regarding the well-being of the parent and the child. To follow trust Adult & Child Protection process and strategies.
• To work with families who have children under Children’s Social Care; contributing to care plans and working within trust guidelines.
• To ensure accurate and concise record keeping for service users and interaction with their babies.
• To communicate effectively using a variety of communication skills: verbal and non-verbal, written, and electronic, with a range of individuals and organisations within and external to the organisation.
• To establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of the MDT using excellent interpersonal skills.
Working for North London NHS Foundation Trust
Why choose to join the North London NHS Foundation Trust?
We believe that by working together, our Trust can achieve more for the residents of North Central London and our patients than we can by working apart.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.
Why NLFT?
· Transforming and creating a positive environment for our service users, staff and visitors.
• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave allowance and NHS pension scheme
• We have excellent internal staff network support groups.
Thepostholderwillneedtobecomfortableworkinginanenvironmentofcomplexmatrixmanagement arrangements and will at all times behave and align with our Trusts’ values andculturalpillars:
Services offered by the post-holder will include providing psychological assessments and interventions to service users in line with the evidence base and NICE guidelines. They will also offer advice and consultation based on psychological formulation to referrers, staff of the North London Partners Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service and other professional and non-professional groups.
The post holder will actively contribute to the planning, development and evaluation of perinatal mental health services using advanced clinical leadership skills and knowledge to provide training and consultancy in clinical psychology within the specialty area of perinatal mental health. The post holders will be responsible for assessing and treating service users in up to two boroughs. 20% of their workload is expected to be management & leadership and 80% will be clinical interventions. They are expected to hold a highly complex caseload. The post holder will oversee the Psychology caseload of their sub-team.
They will ensure the formulation of profession specific highly specialist care and treatment plans which provide specialist interventions / care to service users with complex mental health conditions. The post holder will be responsible for supporting and supervising a band 7 Psychologists or trainees, ensuring that the Psychology team understands and operates to the requirements of the service line operational policy and service line strategy and that safe, evidence based, NICE concordant, effective, culturally competent care is delivered in a timely manner to service users.
This job description is written as an indication of the nature and scope of duties and responsibilities. Additional competencies may be required to fulfil the needs of specific areas and client groups. NHS England’s Long-Term Plan for Perinatal Mental Health means that the service is under continual development so there are many opportunities for innovation and creativity. This job description is not intended as a fully descriptive list and does not include specific skills or therapeutic interventions that may be required of the specialist service area.
The post-holder will be expected to carry out other duties assigned by the Operational Service Manager, which are appropriate to the grade.
This advert closes on Sunday 19 Apr 2026