Lead Clinical Psychologist

Position Overview

**Relocation assistance available up to £8,000**

This relocation support is designed for individuals who may need to move to accept a position with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership. Terms and conditions apply.

We are thrilled to present an opportunity for a dedicated and passionate Lead Clinical Psychologist (band 8b) to become part of our Cheshire West Community Mental Health Service. This role involves spearheading the provision of psychological evaluations and therapeutic interventions across the three Cheshire West Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs).

This position offers an exceptional chance for the ideal candidate to engage with clients and guide a team during a transformative phase for Community Mental Health Services.

The selected individual will be instrumental in establishing a new team that fosters mutual support and aims to deliver outstanding care to its patients.

Our team is committed to positively influencing a service user's recovery journey while ensuring that team members receive ongoing support and opportunities for professional development through regular supervision and training access.

This role is full-time; however, flexible working arrangements or job sharing may be considered for the right candidate.

Key Responsibilities

As an organization, we prioritize the enhancement of Clinical Skills to provide evidence-based interventions for our patients. The successful candidate will join a highly skilled and supportive team with diverse expertise. The post-holder will be responsible for coordinating Trainee Clinical Psychology placements within the Cheshire West Community Mental Health Service and fostering the development of psychological skills and knowledge within the teams.

• Lead the provision of specialized psychological services to clients engaged with Community Mental Health Services (West locality).
• Conduct specialized psychological assessments and deliver therapy/treatment interventions.
• Provide guidance and consultation on clients' psychological care to multidisciplinary colleagues and non-professional caregivers.
• Offer training, supervision, and support to multidisciplinary team members.
• Supervise assistant psychologists, trainee clinical psychologists, qualified clinical psychologists, and other psychological practitioners as agreed.
• Operate autonomously within professional guidelines and take responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practices within the service/team.
• Utilize research skills for auditing, policy development, and service enhancement.
• Propose and implement policy modifications within the service area.

About Our Organization

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of health and care services for local communities, including mental health, learning disabilities, community physical health, and all-age disability care.

Our mission is to empower individuals to reach their full potential, adopting a compassionate, person-centered approach in all our endeavors. We have recently received an Outstanding rating for Caring from the Care Quality Commission, with an overall Good rating.

We offer a variety of roles at all levels, making us an ideal employer for those starting their careers or seeking to leverage their skills and experience in a new position.

We are dedicated to ensuring our recruitment practices are inclusive for all. We promote equality and diversity and strive to cultivate a culture that values differences.

To support this commitment, we provide up to three weeks of induction, tailored to the role, through our Prepare to Care program for all new employees. This program equips you with the knowledge and guidance necessary for growth and success within our organization.

We encourage applications from individuals with direct experience of utilizing our services.

Job Responsibilities

For comprehensive details, please refer to the job description.

Our recruitment selection processes are competency-based (see Person specification) and value-driven.

We seek individuals who can exemplify the Trust's Values and Behaviors in their daily lives. If invited for an interview, you will participate in a Values Based Interview/Assessment , which will explore not only your actions but also your motivations and reasoning.

Prior to applying, we encourage you to review the Trust's Values and Behaviors, which encompass the 6 Cs: Communication, Competence, Courage, Care, Compassion, and Commitment. Your application should reflect your understanding of these values and associated behaviors, providing examples from your work experience and/or personal life that demonstrate these values in action.

An applicant guide to assist you through the recruitment process is available on our website. If you require further assistance with your application, please reach out to our recruitment team.

If you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 and meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification for an available position, please indicate your interest in being considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

Please inform the team of any special support needs you may have during the interview and selection processes.

We are proud to be an accredited Veteran Aware organization, committed to providing exemplary care for our armed forces community. As a Veteran Aware organization, we adhere to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold a Silver award with the MOD Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (DERS).

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the position and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.

Please note that applicants will be responsible for the cost of their DBS check, which will be deducted from their salary. We encourage enrollment in the DBS Update Service, which incurs a small annual fee.

New entrants to the NHS will start at the minimum of the stated scale.

We advise applicants to apply early, as we reserve the right to close the vacancy if a large number of applications are received.

We wish you the best of luck with your application and hope to welcome you to our team soon.

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) accredited by the BPS.
• Post-doctoral training in one or more specialized areas of psychological practice.
• HCPC registration.

Desirable

• Formal qualification in supervision.
• BPS chartered status and/or membership of ACP-UK.

Knowledge and Expertise

Essential

• Highly specialized skills in conducting complex psychological and cognitive/neuropsychological assessments, interventions, and evaluations requiring sustained concentration.
• Well-developed skills for effectively communicating highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, caregivers, and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Formally trained and proficient in supervising Trainee Clinical Psychologists.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the theory and practice of applied psychology and specialized psychological therapies for individuals with complex challenges (severe mental health issues, personality disorders, dual diagnoses, and additional disabilities).

Desirable

• Leadership training and/or awareness of various leadership models and systems thinking.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience as a qualified clinical psychologist.
• Experience in providing consultation, training, support, and supervision/reflective practice to other professionals and non-professionals.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience in service development.

Desirable

• Involvement in local and/or national academic and/or professional organizations and activities.