Principal Clinical/Counselling/Health PsychologistNHS

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Torquay, TQ2 7AA Permanent £57,528 to £64,750

Posted 12 August 2026 Closing date 26 August 2026

Torre Rail Station (0.7 miles away) Paignton Bus Station (3.3 miles away)

Job summary

An exciting leadership opportunity in two award winning services - Weight Management and Clinical Health Psychology

An opportunity has arisen to join our Clinical Health Psychology team as a Band 8a HCPC-registered Practitioner Psychologist. In this split role, the postholder will primarily work as the Principal Psychologist leading psychological input within a dynamic and innovative Tier 3 weight management (bariatric) service (0.5wte). The post-holder will also work as part of the wider Clinical Health Psychology Service supporting delivery of clinical care and contributing to the development of psychological care pathways across a range of long-term condition pathways (0.18wte).

As such, you will experience the benefit of being embedded in a specialist multi-disciplinary weight management team, providing training, support and supervision to staff as well as maintaining a clinical caseload, whilst also reaping the benefits of a supportive Clinical Health Psychology service.

Main duties of the job

You will work as a Principal Practitioner Clinical/Counselling/Health Psychologist embedded within both the established Weight Management Service (WMS) multidisciplinary team and the Adult Clinical Health Psychology Service. The role combines highly specialist clinical practice with consultation, supervision, training, service development, quality improvement, research and audit, leadership activity, and continuing professional development.
As a core member of the Weight Management Service multidisciplinary team, you will contribute psychological expertise to multidisciplinary discussions, treatment pathway decisions, and care planning for patients referred to the Tier 3 weight management pathway. Clinical work will include specialist psychological assessment, individual and group-based therapeutic work, and consultation to colleagues across the service. You will play an important role in supporting the ongoing development of psychologically informed obesity care within an evolving treatment landscape.
Alongside your work within the Weight Management Service, you will contribute to the Adult Clinical Health Psychology Service. In addition to maintaining a clinical caseload, this is likely to include providing clinical supervision and line management to psychology staff, supporting service development initiatives, delivering teaching and training, and contributing to the delivery of high-quality psychological care across physical health services within the Trust.

Job description

Communication and working relationships

Maintain effective communication in a highly skilled and sensitive manner and build effective working relationships with a range of health and social care staff across all levels, both within and outside of the organisation.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills to ensure that any correspondence is of a high standard.
Provide excellent, professional communication and patient care representing our service.
To liaise and work collaboratively with colleagues within the department. To be respectful and value the people you work with.
To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, highly complex, sensitive or contentious condition specific information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients, where there may be barriers to acceptance and within highly emotive environments.
To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers to ensure co-ordination of work across the wider Clinical Health Psychology service

Analytical and Judgement

To undertake highly skilled psychological assessments of individuals presenting with complex physical and psychological health conditions.
To develop and revise complex biopsychosocial formulations that integrate psychological, physical health, social, cultural and systemic factors.
To analyse highly complex and potentially conflicting information and make clinical judgements where evidence may be incomplete or where service users present with multiple interacting difficulties.
To make autonomous decisions regarding treatment options, drawing on a range of evidence-based psychological models and interventions.
To monitor and evaluate progress throughout assessment and intervention, adapting formulations and treatment plans in response to changing needs and outcomes.
To undertake risk assessment and risk management, including assessment of psychological distress, self-harm, suicidality, safeguarding concerns and health-related behaviours, and to provide specialist advice to other professionals regarding risk formulation and management.
To provide specialist psychological consultation to multidisciplinary teams and support reflective practice to enhance psychologically informed care.

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Planning and organisation
Under guidance from supervisor or line manager be able to plan and organise daily workload.
Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills to meet an ever-changing workload.
Be responsive to change and able to work in an environment which has constant interruptions.
Help to plan and organise any teaching/training, seminars, workshops under the direction of service lead.
Physical skills
o Advanced keyboard and IT skills for the maintenance of electronic clinical records, outcome measures, reports and correspondence.
o Ability to use standardised psychological assessment tools and outcome measures accurately.
o Ability to travel independently between clinical locations where required.
o Ability to maintain concentration for prolonged periods during psychological assessment, formulation, therapy, supervision and report writing.
Patient and client care
To provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for adults with complex physical health conditions and associated psychological difficulties.
To develop and implement individualised programmes of care based upon evidence-based psychological models and interventions.
To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for assessment, treatment planning, intervention and discharge in accordance with professional and organisational policies.
To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to service users, carers and multidisciplinary colleagues.
To work collaboratively with service users to promote self-management, adjustment to health conditions and behaviour change.
To contribute to psychologically informed pathways of care across Clinical Health Psychology services.

Policy and service development

Implement policies and propose changes to practices, procedures for own area
To participate in developments within the services, the wider organisation and community to facilitate the appropriate provision of services.
To contribute as appropriate to service evaluation, research and audit
All staff have a responsibility to ensure that the needs of the service are met in a timely and efficient manner.
Encourage and welcome feedback to ensure that we as individuals, and as a collective team, learn and continually improve.
To contribute to the development of psychologically informed systems of care across physical health pathways.
To contribute to service redesign, pathway development and quality improvement initiatives informed by service user feedback, evaluation and evidence-based practice.
Finance, Equipment and Other Resources
Everyone has a responsibility to ensure effective and conservative use of resources.
Maintain paperless filing wherever possible (excluding where any statutory duty may exist). Do not print/ photocopy unless necessary.
Ensure conservative use of stationery, not using equipment to excess.
Ensure that any stationery or resource needs are reported to the appropriate person for future orders.
People management and training
To provide professional leadership within the bariatric pathway and contribute to the ongoing development of Clinical Health Psychology services.
To provide clinical and professional supervision to CAP apprentices, assistant psychologists and other psychological professionals as appropriate.
To provide consultation, training and supervision to multidisciplinary staff delivering psychologically informed care.
To contribute to teaching and training on local professional and postgraduate training programmes as appropriate.
To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a suitably experienced Practitioner Psychologist.
To maintain professional competence through continuing professional development, reflective practice, peer supervision and engagement with current evidence, policy and guidance.
To develop leadership skills and contribute to succession planning within the service.
Information Technology and administrative duties
To ensure information governance is adhered to in all aspects of your work.
To ensure you are adhering to GDPR regulations/Data Protection Act 2018.
To be proficient in use of trust IT systems
To keep up to date with patient related admin (e.g. patient records and letters) and be able to co-ordinate and communicate well with the admin team

Research and Development

To lead and contribute to audit, service evaluation and quality improvement projects. To support the translation of research evidence into clinical practice and contribute to the evaluation of service outcomes.
To critically evaluate and utilise contemporary research evidence to inform clinical practice and service development.
To support routine outcome monitoring and the evaluation of clinical effectiveness.
Freedom to act
Act with integrity and professionalism, ensuring that you are demonstrating responsible behaviours at all times, in accordance with our Trust values.
To be accountable for own professional actions and to fully observe the BPS (2009) Code of Conduct and the DCP Generic Professional Practice Guidelines (2008). To reflect and learn from our mistakes.
Be responsible for your dedicated workload.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise independent judgement in the management of complex clinical situations.
To be professionally accountable for clinical decisions and recommendations within the scope of HCPC registration and professional competence.

About us

The Adult Clinical Health Psychology Service is a specialist service within the Clinical Health Psychology Department at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust. We are a well-established and expanding department, providing specialist psychological care across a wide range of physical health pathways within both the acute trust and the wider healthcare system.

The Torbay and South Devon Weight Management Service is a forward-thinking, multidisciplinary team dedicated to delivering high-quality, evidence-based care for people living with obesity. Drawing on expertise from a range of clinical professions, the service provides comprehensive, patient-centred assessment, intervention and support. The team is at the forefront of innovation in obesity care, leading the development of new models of treatment that respond to the rapidly evolving evidence base, advances in medical and pharmacological interventions, and changing national guidance.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a central role within a well-established and innovative Weight Management Service while also contributing to the wider delivery and development of Clinical Health Psychology across Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust. You will join a supportive, ambitious and highly skilled department with a strong commitment to clinical excellence, service improvement, and multidisciplinary working.

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