B8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist, Paediatric Eating Disorders

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust; Bristol; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Part time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in Bristol is seeking a Specialist Clinical Psychologist to work in the Paediatric Eating Disorders team. The successful candidate will provide psychological care to children and families, supporting their journey through challenges related to eating disorders. Candidates must hold a postgraduate qualification in clinical psychology and current HCPC registration. The role offers flexible part-time hours, emphasizing the need for strong interpersonal skills and experience in clinical settings.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Commitment to staff well-being

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• Post qualification experience of working as a clinical psychologist in physical health settings.
• Experience of formal teaching/training to health and other professionals.
• Experience of clinical work with adults with acute/long term health crises.

Responsibilities

• Deliver respectful and collaborative care to children, young people, and families.
• Work within a focused multidisciplinary specialist team.
• Support children and families in the inpatient setting.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Empathy

Ability to manage time

Assessment of psychological needs

Formulation and intervention

Education

Postgraduate qualification in clinical, counselling, or health psychology

Current registration with HCPC

Job description

B8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist, Paediatric Eating Disorders

Band 8a

Main area Psychological Health Services Grade Band 8a Contract 12 months (Fixed term) Hours

• Part time
• Flexible working

18.75 hours per week (Flexible) Job ref 387-WC7490-NG-A

Site Bristol Royal Hospital for Children Town Bristol Salary £55,690 - £62,682 Per annum, pro rata for part time roles. Salary period Yearly Closing 01/01/2026 23:59

As an organisation we recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) describes algorithms that can be used to produce new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, and videos. It is developing all the time and is now being used as a support mechanism for all kinds of content-based creations. Please note the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic, innovative clinical/counselling Psychologist with current HCPC membership as a Practioner Psychologist, committed to the delivery of respectful and collaborative care of children, young people and families supported by the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (BRHC) Specialist Eating Disorder Team. You will be part of an experienced focused multidisciplinary specialist team in which psychology is highly valued. You will have excellent opportunities to further develop your knowledge and skills in working with children, young people and their families in the inpatient setting. You will be supported by an experienced Principal Clinical Psychologist in these roles.

Experience of working clinically with children and families post qualification is essential. This role can be combined with other roles in PHS (see Trac for current vacancies).

Main duties of the job

For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and Person Specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Working for our organisation

Our mission is to improve the health of the people we serve by delivering exceptional care, teaching and research every day.

UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ - our staff are proud to deliver excellent care. As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer .

Sustainable healthcare - We have joined the international movement to declare a climate emergency, recognising the impact climate change is having on the world. Climate change is labelled as the greatest threat to health in the 21st century, with a range of conditions related to heat, cold, extreme weather and air pollution predicted to rise. To lead the way in healthcare the Trust has set ambitious goals to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Diversity & Inclusion
A core principle of the Trust is to ensure that patients and staff are treated with dignity and respect.

Promoting equality, diversity and human rights and challenging any form of inequality, discrimination, harassment or abuse are central to the Trust’s Values.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and Person Specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• Postgraduate qualification in clinical, counselling or health psychology recognised for registration by the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist – Clinical/Counselling/Health Psychologist
• Current registration with HCPC

Knowledge and Experience

• Post qualification experience of working as a clinical psychologist in physical health settings
• Experience of formal teaching/training to health and other professionals
• Experience of clinical work with adults with acute/long term health crises (
• Experience of presenting psychological formulations, assessments and interventions to multiprofessional teams
• Experience of clinical work with loss, death and dying
• Experience of clinical work with adjustment and/or acceptance-focused approaches
• Experience of working in cancer care
• Compassionate and kind, values driven approach to patient care
• Empathic
• Excellent communication skills at all levels
• Ability to manage competing demands

Skills and abilities

• Able to assess the psychological needs of adults, including the use of cognitive and developmental psychometric tests, in a physical health setting
• Able to generate systemic and individual formulations and interventions based on applying psychological theory to the complex information generated by the person, family, health and social care systems relating to individuals engaging in care pathways
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of the roles of a clinical/counselling/health psychologist in relation to a patient, their family, the staff teams and the wider organisational systems around them
• Advanced communication skills with the ability to provide and receive highly complex and sensitive information in a developmentally and culturally appropriate manner and in highly emotive situations, including end of life care
• Able to demonstrate successful use of strategies to prioritise and manage time when there are conflicting demands
• Able to demonstrate a realistic awareness of the potential for work related stress and distress in this type of clinical work plus strategies to manage this

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

· As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

· The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.

· UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

· To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.

· If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.

· The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

· By applying for this post, you are agreeing to University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

· Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

IMPORTANT:

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.