Practitioner Psychologist: Outlook

Job Overview
A vacancy has arisen, part time (5 sessions) for an experienced practitioner psychologist to join the highly specialist and national Outlook service at Southmead Hospital. This post is a fixed term, until end April 2026, to cover maternity leave. The post holder will offer specialist assessment and interventions to people living with appearance related concerns either from birth or arising from injury or illness, liaising with referrers and other members of the MDT nationwide.

Main duties of the job
An experienced practitioner psychologist is sought to join the Outlook team at Southmead Hospital. Outlook is a small team of psychologists who provide interventions and guidance for people affected by appearance concerns either from birth or arising from injury or illness. The two-days a week band 8a vacancy has arisen because of maternity leave and is available immediately through to early 2026. The post is well-suited to a psychologist wishing to broaden their experience of working in an acute hospital setting, liaising with surgical and medical teams based in the hospital and elsewhere, as well as engaging in innovative project work to further develop effective and impactful methods within the only specialist team of its kind based in an NHS setting. Applicants should be HCPC registered and have NHS therapeutic experience of relevance along with an understanding of the challenges faced by people served by the Outlook team.

Working for our organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
Overview: An important characteristic of the job responsibilities is that the post holder is autonomous and personally accountable for their clinical decisions. To this end, it is a requirement that the post holder ensures an appropriate level of consultation/supervision is undertaken and that appropriate overall supervision arrangements are made in accordance with professional practice guidelines to support this high level of clinical responsibility.

The Post Holder Will Be Required
Clinical, organisational, and leadership

• To provide high quality, specialist interventions for patients and their relatives
• To develop and deliver training and quality improvement programmes to support the psychology lead and foster an organisational culture of compassionate leadership.
• To build strong relationships with key stakeholders within the acute care setting and with related services
• To ensure outcome and service data is routinely collected, in line with service evaluation and clinical governance requirements.
• To provide clinical supervision to junior Practitioner Psychologist colleagues and have flexibility for cross-cover as may be required in exceptional circumstances
• To be aware of and adhere to Trust and departmental policies and procedures and the professional practices for psychologists at NBT.
• To liaise with other disciplines and agencies working in the specialism to promote effective interventions and ensure best practice.
• To advise the clinical managers and others of any identified service gaps, risks, and other needs, the need for change or adjustments, policy, protocol, guideline, or activity, as appropriate.
• To agree a job plan and undertake performance review for professional development with the Line Manager, implementing the agreed plan for this on an annual cycle or more frequently as required.

These duties and responsibilities will be regularly reviewed with the post holder and changes may be agreed over time.

Professional

• To maintain and further develop high standards of clinical psychology practice through cooperative work with clinical colleagues.
• To adhere to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulations required as a registered Practitioner Psychologist, and to fully observe the BPS Code of Conduct and the DCP Professional Practice Guidelines.
• To adhere to any professional guidance from the British Psychological Society, Department of Health, and the Trust, with particular reference to: informed consent, note-taking, confidentiality, information sharing, and safeguarding.
• To undertake regular clinical supervision in line with NBT and professional practice guidance.
• To engage with the appraisal process, continuing professional development, essential training, and clinical supervision, as required by the Trust and the HCPC.
• To attend and actively participate in professional and clinical specialty meetings, and to keep the team updated with key issues, updates, developments, and risks.
• To provide cover within Clinical Health Psychology as may be needed in exceptional circumstances.
• To be aware of and comply with all policies, guidelines, and directives within this Trust with regard to professional and clinical governance, and to contribute to policy and service development and implementation at Trust, national levels as relevant and indicated.
• To be aware of and comply with legislation, guidance, and training pertaining to safeguarding, relevant national standards, and NICE guidance.

Person specification
Education/training/qualifications
Essential criteria

• UK Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, or Psychotherapy, British Psychological Society accredited or with a BPS statement of Equivalence.

Personal qualities, special circumstances
Essential criteria

• Registration with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Formal training and a portfolio of experience in supervision of practitioner psychologists and other NHS professionals
• At least 5 years full-time NHS experience of clinical practice in an acute care setting encompassing trauma and long-term conditions
• Advanced communication skills relevant to this service setting
• Knowledge of legislation/guidance regarding safeguarding, confidentiality, consent, clinical governance of psychological services
• Able to provide evidence of and/or demonstrate leadership capability in a work context relevant to this role that combines clinical, operational, and strategic aspects of service provision
• Able to build and maintain effective working relationships with service users where these are complex and sometimes challenging
• Able to prioritise and manage competing demands on time and resources in circumstances where demand exceeds capacity

Desirable criteria

• Post-doctoral training in trauma-focused psychological interventions
• Experience of managing a service or sector of service including representing that service in liaison with senior managers and external organisations
• Experience of effective multi-disciplinary team working in a relevant acute care setting
• At least 4 years of experience of teaching and supervising practitioner psychologists in an acute care setting
• Knowledge of NICE guidance and other standards relevant to this service setting
• Able to demonstrate realistic awareness and management of the personal impact of work-related stress inherent in this specialist area and job role.