Head of Psychology and Psychological Therapies: Sponsorship Available

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

Are you an experienced Clinical Psychologist looking for an opportunity to shape the future of adult mental health services while continuing to make a meaningful difference in clinical practice?

This is a highly influential leadership role within Community Mental Health Services (CMHS), where you will play a pivotal part in driving service excellence, innovation, and strategic development across adult psychology services. As a key member of the Senior Leadership Group, you will provide professional and clinical leadership to psychologists and multidisciplinary teams, helping to deliver compassionate, effective, and evidence-based care for people accessing mental health services.

You will balance strategic leadership with hands-on clinical practice, maintaining a specialist clinical caseload while leading service transformation, workforce development, and quality improvement initiatives. This is an outstanding opportunity to influence service delivery at both local and county-wide levels, work collaboratively with senior leaders and partner organisations, and leave a lasting impact on the future of mental health care.

Main duties of the job

In this role, you will:

  • Provide inspirational clinical and professional leadership for adult psychology services across Community Mental Health Services.
  • Lead the development and delivery of high-quality, responsive, and evidence-based psychological services.
  • Influence strategic planning and service transformation across the Adult Mental Health Directorate.
  • Maintain an expert clinical caseload, delivering consultant-level assessment, formulation, therapy, consultation, and supervision.
  • Support and develop psychological skills across the wider workforce through training, coaching, consultation, and supervision.
  • Lead service improvement, quality assurance, audit, research, and innovation programmes.
  • Work collaboratively with senior leaders, service users, carers, clinicians, and external partners to improve outcomes and patient experience.
  • Champion safe, effective care by promoting strong governance, risk management, and continuous learning.
  • Contribute to workforce planning, recruitment, staff development, and succession planning to build resilient and high-performing teams.
  • Represent the service and Trust at senior-level meetings, partnerships, and multi-agency forums.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Doctoral Clinical Psychology qualification or equivalent as accredited by the BPS.Eligible for Chartered Clinical Psychologist status.Registration with the Health Professions Council

Desirable

  • Relevant specialist CPD qualification (Diploma/Masters etc)Management training/ qualificationClinical supervision trainingAccreditation in eitherCBT, CAT, FT or Art Therapy

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive clinical experience working with complex adult mental health.Work across service settings and agencies.Consultancy work in multi professional settings.Clinical audit work in specialist area.Experience of translating strategic plans and policies into operational realityExperience of significant contribution towards organisational planning and policy developmentExperience of developing and managing complex mental health servicesSubstantial management role with psychology/ multi-disciplinary staff, including budget management responsibilities.

Desirable

  • Relevant National role/links (e.g. NHS England, DCP, BABCP, NICE etc.).Leadership or management experience with other professions. Senior academic roles, substantive or honorary.National/ International recognition of expertise in a relevant field.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of 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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Closing Date: 18 August 2026

To apply for this job please visit somersetft.tal.net.