Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust • Leatherhead KT22 8SD
About this role
Surrey Downs Health & Care
We are currently recruiting for a part time Specialist Diabetes Psychologist which has become available within our Community Diabetes Team in Surrey Downs. This is an exciting opportunity for a Diabetes Psychologist working jointly within our friendly multi disciplinary team of Consultants, Nurses, Dieticians and Podiatrists to offer specialist advice and input appropriate for a diverse range of complex and challenging problems including high levels of distress and risk, interpersonal difficulties and mental health problems for patients across Surrey Downs Health and Care.
To be responsible for the provision of a high-quality Clinical Psychology Service to the Diabetes Service, within Surrey Downs community team aimed at reducing emotional distress and disability and promoting wellbeing, adherence to treatment and treatment outcomes in adults with diabetes. This will include providing highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy, offering advice and consultation on psychological aspects of diabetes to other health professionals and supporting clinical team members who provide psychosocial care. The postholder will be responsible for the delivery of the Clinical Psychology Service within the diabetes team and as such work autonomously, within recognised professional guidelines. The post holder will be expected to utilise their knowledge of evidence based psychological interventions and research skills to implement audit, research and service development projects. The postholder will also be involved in the training and continuing professional development of clinical psychologists and other health professionals.
Surrey Downs Health and Care deliver care closer to people’s own communities through our Primary Care Networks, Community Hospitals, Specialist Services and our innovative partnership of local NHS organisations.
Surrey Downs Health and Care has a track record of providing person centered care that goes beyond organisational boundaries to do what is best for the individual.
This partnership includes
- The three GP federations GP Health Partners, Dorking Health Care and Surrey Medical Network representing practices that operate in the Surrey Downs area
- Epsom and St Helier’s University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Surrey Council County
Historically, there have been boundary lines between the organisations that provide care to people in their homes, in GP surgeries and in hospitals, but we have always been united in our mission to provide great care to the people who need us.
It’s on those grounds that the Surrey Downs Health and Care was formed – we want local people to receive the care that they need in the right environment. By bringing together our expertise, we can improve patient care and enable local people to access the right support, care and treatment more easily than ever before.
In bringing this partnership together, we are working to the same set of values that will translate into better care for our residents.
Clinical
1. To be responsible for providing a comprehensive, specialist assessment service for patients referred by Diabetes team members. This input will be based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client's care.
2. To identify the nature, severity and complexity of the client's problems and to communicate this information in a skilled and sensitive manner to client, referrer and other health professionals involved in the client's care
3. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, considering a range of theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes and medical factors that have shaped the individual, family or group. Decision making will also consider knowledge about the provision of and involve liaising with other local specialist services.
4. To advise clients, family members and others involved in the client's care on the appropriate management of difficulties and arrange referral to other services if needed.
5. Implement a range of psychological interventions with individuals, couples and families, continually adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing on different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provision hypotheses and employing methods based upon evidence of treatment efficacy.
6. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the efficiency of all aspects of the Clinical Psychology Service within the Surrey Down’s team including assessment, treatment and discharge of patients.
7. Where patients present with multiple needs e.g. patients with severe mental health problems and persistent pain, to liaise with other local specialist services eg mental health services to enable effective case management, and to offer specialist advice, consultation and guidance to other health professionals concerning the management of such cases.
8. To develop educational materials for use with the Diabetes team to inform clients on psychological aspects of diabetes.
9. To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team.
10. To ensure that all members of the team at the Diabetes Centre have access to a framework for understanding the range of psychosocial difficulties that clients present with through the dissemination of psychological research and theory.
Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more details.
This advert closes on Sunday 3 May 2026