Clinical Psychologist QA Lead

Clinical Quality Assurance Lead

(Clinical Psychologist)

Location: Hybrid – in‑person clinical work and meetings, with some remote working (clinic location to be agreed)

Hours: Full‑time preferred; flexibility across weekdays – talk to us about your availability

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £65,000–£75,000 pro rata, depending on experience

About Held Health

Held Health is a fast‑scaling healthcare organisation redefining assessment and support for neurodiversity, Autism, ADHD, learning differences, and mental health across the UK. We deliver evidence‑based clinical pathways supported by strong governance, high‑quality data, and a genuinely neuro‑affirming culture.

As we grow, our ambition is simple but exacting: to deliver care of such consistent quality that it earns the trust of patients, families, commissioners, and regulators alike. Quality at Held Health is not an afterthought — it is a clinical commitment.

Role Overview

This is a clinical leadership role for an experienced clinician whose professional passion lies in assuring and elevating clinical quality.

The Clinical Quality Assurance Lead plays a pivotal role in bringing our quality and governance frameworks to a gold‑standard level, ensuring that what we promise patients, families, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies is delivered safely, ethically, and consistently in practice.

The role is deliberately split:

• Approximately 2 days per week in clinical practice, maintaining hands‑on credibility through direct work with children and young people
• Approximately 3 days per week leading clinical quality assurance, governance, and improvement

You will be a visible clinical authority, trusted by frontline clinicians and senior leaders alike, supporting teams to deliver care that is not just compliant — but excellent.

What a Typical Working Week Might Look Like

Your week balances direct clinical practice with strategic quality leadership.

On clinical days, you work directly with children, young people, and families, contributing to multidisciplinary assessments, delivering psychological evaluations, and supporting complex presentations. This direct work ensures your QA leadership is grounded in lived clinical reality, not theory.

Alongside this, you lead Held Health’s clinical quality assurance agenda. You review audit findings, assess clinical documentation and outcomes, identify risk trends, and translate data into meaningful improvement. You work closely with Clinical Leads and the Academy Lead to strengthen governance processes, embed best practice, and support clinicians to meet — and exceed — regulatory expectations.

You may spend time preparing for or responding to external audits and inspections, reviewing CQC standards against current practice, or refining policies and clinical frameworks to ensure clarity, consistency, and safety.

Throughout the week, you act as a point of expert clinical advice on quality, risk, and patient safety — helping teams make confident, ethical clinical decisions aligned with evidence‑based practice and Held Health’s values.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Practice (approximately 2 days per week)

Assessment and Clinical Delivery

• Conduct comprehensive psychological assessments for children, adolescents, and young adults presenting with complex emotional, behavioural, and developmental needs
• Contribute to multidisciplinary and neurodevelopmental assessments, including diagnostic formulations
• Utilise evidence‑based assessment tools, outcome measures, and clinical interviews to inform care planning
• Integrate trauma‑informed and attachment‑aware approaches into assessment and intervention

Care Planning and Collaboration

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary colleagues to develop and review individualised, trauma‑informed care plans
• Provide guidance and psychoeducation to families, supporting understanding and engagement
• Maintain high‑quality, clear, and timely clinical documentation and reporting

Supervision and Clinical Mentorship

• Provide clinical supervision and professional guidance to clinicians working with complex cases
• Model reflective, ethically grounded clinical practice

Clinical Quality Assurance & Governance (approximately 3 days per week)

Clinical Quality Leadership

• Lead the development and delivery of Held Health’s clinical quality and effectiveness programme
• Own and evolve clinical QA frameworks, policies, and procedures
• Provide expert advice to clinical teams on quality standards, risk management, and patient safety

Audit, Effectiveness & Improvement

• Lead internal and external clinical audits, including prioritisation, delivery, and follow‑up
• Produce quality reports, learning summaries, and improvement plans
• Evaluate clinical outcomes and identify areas for service improvement
• Promote and embed evidence‑based practice and clinical guidelines

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure services align with regulatory requirements, including CQC standards
• Support preparation for inspections and external reviews
• Maintain robust governance documentation and assurance records

Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with senior leadership, Clinical Leads, and external stakeholders
• Communicate quality findings, risks, and improvement actions clearly and proportionately
• Build confidence in Held Health’s clinical quality both internally and externally

Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• Qualified and experienced Clinical Psychologist (or equivalent clinician), with current HCPC registration (or equivalent professional body)
• Significant experience delivering high‑quality clinical assessments using standardised tools
• Demonstrable experience in clinical governance, quality assurance, audit, or effectiveness roles
• Strong working knowledge of CQC standards, regulatory frameworks, and clinical governance principles
• Evidence of leading or contributing to quality improvement initiatives
• Commitment to ongoing CPD and evidence‑based practice
• Strong communication, influencing, and professional judgement skills
• Clear passion for neuro‑affirming, ethically grounded care

Desirable

• Experience working within scaling or fast‑growing clinical services
• Training in quality improvement methodologies (e.g. QI, Lean)
• Specialist training in trauma‑informed or attachment‑based therapies

Who You Are

You are a clinician who cares deeply about standards, not because regulation demands it, but because patients deserve it.

You bring:

• A calm, thoughtful, patient‑centred presence
• Strong organisation, attention to detail, and follow‑through
• Confidence to challenge constructively and support clinicians to grow
• Credibility earned through practice, not just policy
• Comfort working in complexity, ambiguity, and change

Above all, you are motivated by the satisfaction of knowing that quality is real, measurable, and felt by the people receiving care.

What you get in return

• Salary £65,000 - £75,000 (pro rata), DOE
• Company Pension scheme where applicable
• Holidays – 34 including bank holidays (pro rata)
• Induction Programme
• Opportunities for professional learning and development with career advancement
• Supportive and collaborative work environment, including a proactive Multi-disciplinary Team
• Dedicated regular clinical supervision for our full-time roles - creating a safe, reflective space with clear boundaries, tasks, and expectations. This person-centred focus allows our staff to feel heard, supported, and equipped to grow in their roles.
• Maternity / Paternity / Adoption Leave
• Regular Team events
• Cycle to work scheme

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.