Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist (Autism and Mental Health)

Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist (Autism and Mental Health) Band 8a Main area Adult Learning Disabilities Grade Band 8a Contract 12 months (12 months fixed term) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 277-8191512-ALD Site Queen Mary's Hospital Town London Salary £63,665 - £70,887 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 23/08/2026 23:59 Job overview An exciting opportunity to join the Oxleas Adult Autism Service as we seek to appoint a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist to be part of our adult diagnostic assessment pathway This is a full time and permanent position. The emphasis of the role will be to complete highly specialist diagnostic assessments of Autism Spectrum Disorder across the whole trust (covering Bromley, Bexley & Greenwich) for adults without learning disability. The role will require a good knowledge of wide spectrum of mental health and psychiatric comorbidities and how these present in autistic people, but equally complete complex differential diagnosis between autism and other psychiatric conditions. Main duties of the job See attached job description for details of the main duties of this role and description of responsibilities. 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 See attached Job description for details of main responsibilities and duties required for this role. Person specification Qualifications
• HCPC registered
• Clin Psych training or relevant qualification at doctorate level
• ADOS 2 Training and administration Experience with Adults
• Additional studies, qualifications, formal knowledge in ASD
Experience
• Robust experience working with Adults with Autism and psychiatric disorders
• Experience of working within an Adult Diagnostic Service and conducting assessment independently
Knowledge
• Knowledge of comorbidities and conducting differential diagnosis in Autism
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. If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: armed-forces-community/ Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you're applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process. We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process. 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. Name Dr Andrea Centonze Job title Consultant Psychologist and Clinical Lead Email address

The role will require a good knowledge of wide spectrum of mental health and psychiatric comorbidities and how these present in autistic people, but equally complete complex differential diagnosis between autism and other psychiatric conditions.,
• HCPC registered
• Clin Psych training or relevant qualification at doctorate level
• ADOS 2 Training and administration Experience with Adults
• Additional studies, qualifications, formal knowledge in ASD, Robust experience working with Adults with Autism and psychiatric disorders
• Experience of working within an Adult Diagnostic Service and conducting assessment independently, You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
  
  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