Specialist Psychologist (Autism & Mental Health)

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Sidcup; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 59,000

Job description

Band 7

Main area Adult Learning Disabilities Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 277-6975498-ALD-B

Site Queen Mary's Hospital - Sidcup Town Sidcup - London Salary £51,883 - £58,544 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 22/04/2025 23:59

Job overview

An exciting opportunity to join the Oxleas Adult Autism Service as we seek to appoint 2 Specialist Psychologists to be part of our multidisciplinary team working with Autistic adults without Learning Disability and complex mental health conditions.

The service is responsible for neurodevelopmental assessments / diagnostic assessments of Autism Spectrum Disorder within the Trust for the three boroughs of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.

The team led by Psychology brings together a variety of disciplines including Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Clinical Psychology.

The Oxleas Adult Autism Service is currently in a phase of development and expansion enabling increased multi-disciplinary working and evidence-based practice tailored to the needs of Autistic adults with complex mental health comorbidities. This is a very exciting opportunity to be part of a growing service aimed at reshaping how Autism is understood and supported within the mental health local services.

Previous experience in Autism diagnostic assessments alongside knowledge of use of specialist interview and assessment tools is desirable but not essential. A robust training program will be provided by the service.

The position is advertised as full time and permanent, however part time opportunities will also be available for the right candidates.

Main duties of the job

• To provide specialist neurodevelopmental assessments/Autism diagnostic assessments for Adults without a learning disability and complex mental health conditions and psychiatric comorbidities.
• To provide specialist psychological assessments, differential diagnosis and cognitive assessments when needed, of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
• To provide highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan. Specifically for clients with neurodevelopmental conditions and to apply specialist knowledge about the ways they impact upon and interact with complex mental health conditions.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For details about job description and main responsibilities please refer to the JD and person specification attached.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology or counselling psychology
• Registration with the Health Professions Council - HCPC
• Desirable completion of further post-qualification specialist training in Autism

Experience

• Appropriate level of experience working with adult client group in Autism and comorbid mental health difficulties
• Experience of working within a neurodevelopmental team and/or an ASD diagnostic pathway
• Experience of completing ASD diagnostic assessments with adults or children

Knowledge

• Knowledge of aspects of diagnostic assessment considerations in adults with suspect ASD and complex mental health comorbidities

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process. We also discourage overuse of AI during the application process because this can negatively impact the quality of your application and may hinder your chances of being shortlisted. Thank you.

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high volume of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.