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Job summary
We have two opportunities to join our dedicated Staff Psychological Support Service at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. The posts provide invaluable support within two clinical areas: Leeds Childrens Hospital and Womens Services covering maternity and gynaecology. Staff in these areas are exposed to potentially distressing events, as well as facing the usual demands of working within the NHS. Maternity and Neonatal services will be subject to Independent Review, which will involve working under significant and prolonged scrutiny and media attention. The posts will involve supporting staff during this time. Both areas have an established and highly valued Staff Psychological Support service, with leaders and staff being enthusiastic and welcoming of psychological approaches to wellbeing. Both posts will be supported by Principal Clinical Psychologists already embedded in the Childrens Hospital and Womens services. The two roles are: 0.6 WTE Part time, permanent - working into Leeds Childrens Hospital 1 WTE Full time, fixed term 2 years - working into Womens Services maternity and gynaecology Shortlisting Date: 24th August 2026 Interview Date: Womens Services role on 8th September 2026 at St James Hospital & Childrens Hospital role on 23rd September 2026 at Leeds General Infirmary.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking a skilled and compassionate Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to provide specialist psychological support to enhance the wellbeing of colleagues in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The post/s offer an excellent opportunity to gain experience in the innovative field of Staff Psychological Support. In doing so, you will develop a variety of skills, working with leaders, teams and individuals. There will be opportunities to deliver short term individual psychological interventions for staff; to facilitate reflective practice groups; to develop bespoke formulation-driven team interventions and training. In addition, the post-holder/s will support the Post Event Support pathway, developing the pathway and facilitating individual and group debriefs following distressing events at work. The role requires self-directed working and excellent organisational skills. We encourage opportunities to collaborate with the Leeds Clinical Psychology training course and to provide trainee placements and research projects. The roles will involve supporting staff with work related difficulties such as stress and burnout which are often the result of working in demanding clinical environments. Maternity and Neonatal services will be subject to Independent Review and the post will involve supporting staff during this time.
About us
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is committed to delivering the highest quality and safest treatment and care to every patient, every time. Our vision is to provide the highest quality specialist and integrated care. We will do this through delivery of our multi-year goals and strategic priorities, which you can read about on this page. Central to it all is The Leeds Way our values and behaviours that are at the heart of everything we do.
Details
- Date posted: 18 August 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 8a
- Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
- Reference number: 001573
- Job locations: Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3EX, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
For questions about this job, contact:
Name: Dr Joanna Farrington-Exley (for the Children's Hospital post), Principal Clinical Psychologist Email joanna.farrington-exley@nhs.net
Name: Dr Helen Horton (for the Women’s post), Principal Clinical Psychologist
Email helen.horton3@nhs.net
Job Summary
We have two opportunities to join our dedicated Staff Psychological Support Service at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. The posts provide invaluable support within two clinical areas: Leeds Children’s Hospital and Women’s Services covering maternity and gynaecology.
Staff in these areas are exposed to potentially distressing events, as well as facing the usual demands of working within the NHS. Maternity and Neonatal services will be subject to Independent Review, which will involve working under significant and prolonged scrutiny and media attention. The posts will involve supporting staff during this time.
Both areas have an established and highly valued Staff Psychological Support service, with leaders and staff being enthusiastic and welcoming of psychological approaches to wellbeing. Both posts will be supported by Principal Clinical Psychologists already embedded in the Children’s Hospital and Women’s services.
The two roles are:
- 0.6 WTE Part time, permanent - working into Leeds Children’s Hospital
- 1 WTE Full time, fixed term 2 years - working into Women’s Services – maternity and gynaecology
Shortlisting Date: 24th August 2026
Interview Date: Women’s Services role on 8th September 2026 at St James Hospital & Children’s Hospital role on 23rd September 2026 at Leeds General Infirmary.
You will hear if you are invited to interview for the Women’s post approx. 24th August and you will hear if you are invited to interview for the Children’s post on approx. 9th September.
Why you should join our Team
Leeds Children’s Hospital has a large workforce of over 1800 staff. Our Maternity and Gynaecology services employ over 900 staff. Importantly, all these clinical services are enthusiastic about supporting staff, and engaged with psychological approaches to wellbeing. As such they are welcoming and keen to work with a psychologist to optimise the conditions and support for their workforce.
The wider Staff Psychological Support service is made up of Psychologists, Counsellors and Trainees Psychologists, which sits within the large Psychological Services Department. The department is extremely welcoming and supportive, with a breadth of experience and skills and strong links to the regional clinical training programme. We benefit from a range of regular SIGs and EDI working groups.
The successful candidate/s will work alongside other experienced psychologists, in consultation with leaders in the clinical service area, to offer a range of individual, group and service level interventions to respond to the needs of the workforce. The post holder/s will be supported by the Trust Wide Staff Psychological Support team, which comprises 10 friendly psychological professionals. We actively protect opportunities to share expertise, attend peer supervision, co-work and provide collegial support in this relatively new and innovative clinical specialism.
The posts are advertised as Band 8a positions, however we can offer a Band 7 preceptorship post for the right candidate and are willing to consider applications from current third year Trainee Psychologists. Please indicate in your application if you are interested in a Band 7 to 8a preceptorship. We value and support a positive work-life balance and therefore requests for flexible working through part time hours will be considered.
If applying as a current third year Trainee Psychologist, please select ‘Yes’ to the preemployment question about HCPC registration, and explain in your application that you will be applying for registration on completion of your doctorate.
What you will bring to the role
We are seeking a skilled and compassionate Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to provide specialist psychological support to enhance the wellbeing of colleagues in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The post/s offer an excellent opportunity to gain experience in the innovative field of Staff Psychological Support. In doing so, you will develop a variety of skills, working with leaders, teams and individuals. There will be opportunities to deliver short term individual psychological interventions for staff; to facilitate reflective practice groups; to develop bespoke formulation-driven team interventions and training. In addition, the post-holder/s will support the Post Event Support pathway, developing the pathway and facilitating individual and group debriefs following distressing events at work. The role requires self-directed working and excellent organisational skills. We encourage opportunities to collaborate with the Leeds Clinical Psychology training course and to provide trainee placements and research projects.
The roles will involve supporting staff with work related difficulties such as stress and burnout which are often the result of working in demanding clinical environments. Maternity and Neonatal services will be subject to Independent Review and the post will involve supporting staff during this time.
Services are based across both St James’ Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary, as well as other sites across the Trust. A visible presence and across-site working is essential for fostering effective working relationships and engaging staff.
Please see the attached job description for further information about this vacancy.
About Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
Our Trust values
The Leeds Way is working together to support each other and deliver the best possible care to patients.
We are….
Responsible Open and Honest One Team Kind
Our Trust priorities
Our purpose: Excellent, safe and sustainable care for every patient every time
Our priorities:
People Improvement and Innovation Partnerships Outcomes
To comply with UK Government regulations on Skilled Worker sponsorship, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust is unable to provide sponsorship to applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria or the salary threshold concessions set out under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please take this into consideration before submitting your application. Full guidance on these concessions, including details of who may qualify, can be found here.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for specific difficult to treat groups
- Advanced level knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Experience of teaching, training and supervision.
- Experience of working in medical multi-disciplinary teams and offering systemic interpretations to have impact on the team functioning in patient care.
- Experience of delivering staff psychological support or working within an occupational health setting
Desirable
- Experience of working with medical multi-disciplinary teams and supervising healthcare staff.
- Experience of working with psychological trauma.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Ability to exercise the full clinical responsibility for patient's psychological care and treatment within the clinical specialty and to co-ordinate the psychological care provided by others.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
Desirable
- Ability to provide emotional support and professional mentorship to multi-disciplinary team members.
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Post graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the British Psychological Society.
- Further training in a specialised area of clinical practice through formal post-doctoral training (diploma or equivalent) or a combination of specialist short courses together with an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice as assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equivalent level to a postgraduate diploma.
- Completion of (or completion by the time of starting the post) formal clinical supervisor training sufficient to be able to supervise doctoral trainees.
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
- Degree qualifications
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3EX, United Kingdom, United Kingdom. It is listed as a Band 8 Psychologist role. The advertised salary is £57528.00 to £64750.00. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 01 Sep 2026.
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