Principal Clinical Psychologist, CMHT for Older Adults, Chester

Main area

Principal Clinical Psychologist, CMHT for Older Adults, Chester

Grade

Band 8b

Contract

Permanent

Hours

• Full time
• Part time
• Job share
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

373-SMH2431-B RR

Site

Chester, Upton Lea Resource Centre

Town

Chester

Salary

£55,690 - £74,896 per annum pro rata

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

25/11/2025 23:59

Interview date

15/12/2025

Job overview

The post is offered as a permanent 8b position. Applications are also welcome from 8a Clinical Psychologists, who have a keen desire to work in this area and are looking to develop their clinical leadership skills and move into a more senior grade in time with the support of a development plan.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the older adult CMHT and memory service covering West Cheshire (Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Northwich, and rural areas), with a base in Chester. CWP community mental health services are MDTs aiming to provide person centred, psychologically and trauma informed models of care. The memory service works closely alongside the older adult CMHT to provide an assessment and diagnosis service for dementia. Psychology has been integrated and is valued within the multi-disciplinary team, providing specialist assessment and interventions, as well as contributing to the clinical thinking and decision making of the teams. Psychological skills are also applied to delivering training, staff wellbeing initiatives and service development projects.

We would like to recruit an experienced psychologist that will join an expanding older adult psychology workforce. You will support the development of a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Psychological Practitioner in your team. You will meet regularly with other senior psychologists throughout the Trust and an older adult psychology specialty group to ensure equitable service delivery.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will join a supportive multi-disciplinary team who are passionate about working with older adults. The post holder will be responsible for providing assessments (including neuropsychological if required), formulations, and therapeutic interventions (both individually and in group format) to people with complex psychological and mental health difficulties. Psychology also provides specialist neuropsychological assessment to inform MDT decisions within the memory service. The post holder will support the wider team to develop psychological understandings of people's difficulties through consultation, supervision, and training.

The post holder will be joining an established supportive team and there will be opportunities to develop the job plan for the role based on individual interests and new service developments. Based near the historic Roman city of Chester, the service has good links with the three local universities (Liverpool, Lancaster, and Manchester) providing opportunity to support trainees with research projects/audits and input into the teaching programmes.

The post holder will be expected to take a lead in service evaluations and ensure high standards of clinical effectiveness and clinical governance.

Planned shortlisting to commence on 8th December

Working for our organisation

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.

We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.

Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.

As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.

All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction / initial training requirements of the role.

Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you'll find something to suit you at CWP.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please download a copy of the job description (see 'documents to download' section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.

At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.

CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust's Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust's Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trust's Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.

An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: or by calling

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the 'essential' criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer 'YES' to the question: 'Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?'

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

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

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon

Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996)
• HCPC registration
• Additional Psychotherapy qualification relevant to working with older adult clients with complex psychological and mental health difficulties

Desirable criteria

• Post graduate diploma in clinical neuropsychology

Knowledge and Expertise
Essential criteria

• Knowledge of and skills in working with older people presenting with longstanding and complex and specialist needs
• Knowledge of and skills in conducting complex psychological assessment and intervention frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• Skills in completing neuropsychological and psychometric assesssments, interpreting and reporting the results, and communicating this complex information sensitively and clearly
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex and /or clinically sensitive information to clients and professional colleagues within and outside the NHS
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Skills in providing Consultation to other professionals and nonprofessional groups
• Evidence of supervisor training/qualification
• Experience of supervising Assistant Psychologists, other psychological practitioners and/or MDT colleagues in psychological approaches
• Experience of research, audit/service evaluation

Desirable criteria

• Ability to apply psychological knowledge creatively in developing new initiatives
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the older adult population
• Formal leadership/management training

Experience
Essential criteria

• Experience of working as a clinical psychologist therapeutically with adult clients with varied complex, psychological and mental health difficulties
• Experience of working within uni and multi-professional teams
• Experience of engaging and sustaining work with ambivalent clients
• Experience of exercising clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care
• Experience of providing teaching and training

Desirable criteria

• Experience of liaison with other health professionals
• Evidence of contributing to policy and service development
• Experience of managing others

Applicant requirements

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.

Further details / informal visits contact

Name

Dr Zeshan Khawaja

Job title

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Email address

Additional information

Rachel Beech-Woosey (Team manager)

If you consider yourself Neurodivergent and need help to complete your application form, please contact

or telephone

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