Highly Specialist Clinical Health Psychologist (Physical Health)

Transformationunitgm; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 55,000 - GBP 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Highly Specialist Clinical Health Psychologist in Plymouth. You will support the development of an advanced Clinical Psychology service for burns patients, providing therapy and supervision to staff. The role demands a post-graduate doctorate and significant clinical experience. The working environment is progressive, focused on innovation and quality care. Join our team to make a meaningful impact in the lives of patients and their families.

Qualifications

• Experience of providing high-quality clinical psychology service.
• Ability to work autonomously under professional guidelines.
• Skills in teaching and training others.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological therapy for burns patients.
• Assess and devise treatment plans for inpatients and outpatients.
• Supervise the clinical work of trainees and other staff.

Skills

Demonstrable experience of working as a clinical/counselling psychologist

Experience with chronic and life-threatening illness

Experience in multi-disciplinary teams

Experience in hospital environment

Education

Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology

Post-doctorate Clinical Health Psychology specialism training

Job description

Main area Burns - Plastic Surgery Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent: 7.5 hrs Hours Part time - 7.5 hours per week (7.5 hours per week) Job ref 216-AM-DD7674977

Employer University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Derriford Hospital Town Plymouth Salary £55,690 - £62,682 Per Annum, Pro Rata Salary period Yearly Closing 18/02/2026 23:59

Highly Specialist Clinical Health Psychologist (Physical Health)

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Job overview

We are looking to recruit a psychologist to help develop and provide a highly specialist and high-quality Clinical Psychology service for adults and paediatric burns patients of the Burns Facility in University Hospital Plymouth.

Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.

Main duties of the job

To provide a highly specialist and high-quality Clinical Psychology service for adults and paediatric burns patients of the Burns Facility in University Hospital Plymouth. To be responsible for the assessment and provision of psychological therapy, advice or consultation to patients and professionals within the Trust.

To work autonomously within professional guidelines and to function as a highly specialist resource to the Trust. To provide teaching and training where required, supervision to other professionals and to support the development of increased psychological provision within the hospital.

To provide a highly specialist psychological service to patients who have suffered burns injuries including those repatriated from regional Burns Units.

In addition, to provide consultation and supervision to a wide range of staff, as required, including supervision of therapeutic work to Counsellors and Psychologists in training. You will work autonomously and support the development of initiatives that support increased psychological provision.

Main responsibilities

• The post-holder carries responsibility for own work and interventions and for the interpretation of agreed guidelines and policies acting as an autonomous independent practitioner in relation to providing a highly specialised Psychology service to burns patients within the Trust.
• To devise and provide individualised assessment and treatment of inpatients and outpatients with multi‑faceted problems.
• To provide specialist advice and consultation on psychological problems, needs and care of burns patients.
• To provide specialist support and supervision to staff involved in the care of burns patients.
• To meet the health needs, participate in, advise, and make proposals regarding service development within Clinical Health Psychology especially about Hospital patients.
• To apply Research and Development skills to perform audit within the service; audit own clinical practice; and the supervision of undergraduate students, graduate assistants, and doctoral trainees.
• To supervise clinical work of newly qualified staff, trainees, and graduate psychology assistants directly to administer psychological therapy and ensuring systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision of these staff.

For further details please see attached JD&PS.

Working for our organisation

We are a people business – where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission.

We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Person specification

3>Knowledge & Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working as a clinical/counselling psychologist.
• Demonstrable experience of working with chronic and life‑threatening illness, death and dying.
• Demonstrable experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client’s psychological care and treatment.
• Demonstrable experience of working in multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrable experience of working in a hospital environment.

Qualifications

• Post‑graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) or an equivalent counselling psychology qualification as accredited by the BPS; including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, life span developmental psychology and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
• Other related academic qualifications to Masters or Doctorate level.
• Post‑doctorate Clinical Health Psychology specialism training.
• Good analytical and judgemental skills.
• Proven knowledge and demonstrable experience of giving and receiving clinical supervision.
• Demonstrable skills in providing consultation to other professional and non‑professional groups.
• Proven advanced knowledge and competency in comparing frameworks and approaches used in clinical, counselling, health, and applied psychology.
• Proven knowledge and understanding of relevant government policies, guidelines, literature and guidance, and its implications for clinical practice about patients.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY INCLUDING YOUR JUNK FOLDER.

If you need support with the online application process or require reasonable adjustments with the application and/or interview process please contact the Recruiting Manager for this post.

We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants about less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. We recommend contacting the manager of the role prior to applying and we commit to giving requests full consideration.

We welcome and encourage applicants who identify with all protected characteristics to apply for our roles. We believe that diversity strengthens our teams and improves our patients' experience. At UHP we aim to create an inclusive workplace and hospital where everyone feels they belong and included.

Providing false information is an offence & could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal/police action if an applicant is successful.

Please note that if you are successful in your application & accept the position you agree that the Staff Health and Wellbeing Department can access your health records from your current/previous employer in order to check the status of your inoculations & screening tests. This is an automated process & the information will only be used for these purposes prior to your taking up the position with us.

For Doctors Roles:

Unsolicited CVs and Candidate Profiles/Details

University Hospitals Plymouth has a commitment to sourcing candidates directly and as such we do not accept speculative CVs from agencies.

We do, however, work with a defined list of preferred HTE Framework suppliers who may be invited to support us in sourcing candidates for particular roles.

In line with our preferred supplier list, we only pay agency fees where we have a signed agreement in place and an agency has been instructed by a member of the Trust’s Medical Workforce team.

We do not pay agency fees where speculative and unsolicited CVs are submitted to the Trust or Trust employees by any other means than the official route above. Where this is not observed the Trust reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and initiate discussions without payment of any agency fee.

Any candidate details (whether written or spoken) or CVs that are referred directly will not constitute an introduction. The Trust will under no circumstances be responsible for any recruitment fees in relation to these contacts.

Submission of any unsolicited CVs, candidate’s details and/or proposals to the Trust will not be considered further and will be deemed evidence of full and unlimited acceptance of this Agency Protocol.

In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the Trust’s agency suppliers, we ask that this Protocol is adhered to and thank you for your co‑operation.

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.