Job Summary
To provide a high‐quality, specialist clinical psychology service to older adults admitted to the inpatient mental health ward. The postholder will deliver psychological assessment, formulation, interventions and group therapy for individuals experiencing complex mental health difficulties, cognitive decline, and/or dementia‐related conditions. They will also contribute to staff training, supervision, and service development, supporting the ward in delivering trauma‐informed, person‐centred care.
Responsibilities
* Provide specialist psychological assessments using a range of psychometric, neuropsychological, and observational tools.
* Develop and share psychological formulations to inform multidisciplinary care planning.
* Deliver individual and group psychological interventions tailored to the needs of older adults (e.g. CBT, ACT, Compassion‐Focused Therapy, reminiscence approaches).
* Offer consultation and advice to colleagues on psychological aspects of care.
* Conduct cognitive assessments to assist with diagnosis of dementia and other neurocognitive disorders.
* Support risk assessment and management from a psychological perspective.
* Work as an integral member of the ward's MDT (psychiatrists, nurses, OTs, social workers, physiotherapists, etc.).
* Contribute to daily handovers, ward rounds, and discharge planning meetings.
* Provide psychological leadership to the team in understanding challenging behaviours and emotional distress.
Qualifications
* Training in Counselling, Forensic or Clinical Psychology. Doctoral level training in psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996).
* HCPC registered practitioner psychologist.
* Continued professional development through structured self‐study, specialist clinical supervision, and/or relevant combination of short courses.
Desirable
* Post‐doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice (EMDR, CAT, Schema Therapy, Systemic Therapy).
* Experience of teaching and training.
Experience
* Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings.
* Experience of working in multi‐agency teams and with a wide variety of client groups reflecting the full range of clinical severity, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and the threat of physical abuse.
* Demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision as a specialist clinical psychologist or appropriate alternative agreed by the Head of Psychology.
Knowledge
* Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management.
* Skills in evidence‐based psychological interventions.
* Well‐developed communication skills, orally and in writing, for complex, highly technical and/or clinical sensitive information to clients, families, carers and other professionals.
* Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non‐professional groups.
* Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex multivariable data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
* Evidence of CPD.
* Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
* Able to work effectively in a team setting.
Desirable Knowledge
* Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and therapies.
* Leadership skills.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Visa 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. Further information can be found on the UK Visas and Immigration website.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Job Details
* Position: Clinical Psychologist – Older Age Inpatients
* Location: Windemere Lodge, Tickhill Road Hospital Site, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 8QN
* Contract: Permanent
* Working pattern: Part‐time, Flexible working
* Band: 8a
* Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum, pro rata
* Reference number: 376‐DCGM‐0230‐E
* Closing date: 15 June 2026
Contact
Consultant Psychologist, DCG Psychology Lead: Kerry Sheldon
kerry.sheldon@nhs.net
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