Principal Clinical Psychologist

NHS; Blackpool; On-site; GBP 62,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust is seeking a Principal Clinical Psychologist to provide clinical input and leadership within the Fylde Coast Access & Urgent Care pathway. The role involves working alongside experienced teams, offering opportunities for professional development and diverse clinical work. Candidates should have doctoral-level training and substantial experience in clinical psychology, with a focus on improving psychological services.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years experience as a qualified clinical psychologist.
• Experience with diverse client groups and clinical severity.
• Experience in teaching, training, and supervising.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical input and leadership across the AUC pathway.
• Work with multi-disciplinary teams and contribute to psychology provision.
• Deputise for the psychology lead and develop therapeutic skills.

Skills

Complex psychological assessment

Effective communication

Consultation skills

Research methodology

Knowledge of legislation

Education

Doctoral level training in clinical psychology

Job description

Go back Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Principal Clinical Psychologist

The closing date is 02 June 2025

Band 8b Clinical Psychology Role available offering clinical input and leadership across the Fylde Coast Access & Urgent Care (AUC) pathway in the Home Based Treatment Team (HBTT) & Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT).

We require a motivated, dynamic and experienced qualified Clinical Psychologist to join our Access and Urgent Care Pathway working into both the Home Based Treatment Team (HBTT) and the Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT). You will be joining teams where psychology is well-established and held in high regard. You will be working alongside a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and an Assistant Clinical Psychologist in addition to Trainee Clinical Psychologists. The HBTT and MHLT have highly skilled and experienced multi-disciplinary team members and function effectively in collaboration with psychology.

The successful applicant will be encouraged to contribute their expertise to improve and develop psychology provision within the teams. The role will provide opportunities to work with a broad range of clinical presentations across the age-span in direct and indirect/systemic clinical work alongside consultation, teaching, training, research, audit and clinical leadership. There are ample opportunities for brief clinical work within both teams however longer term clinical work can also be included within the role, and accessed via local community mental health teams, should this be of interest to the successful applicant.

Main duties of the job

As a principal psychologist, there will be opportunities for the post holder to deputise for the psychology lead alongside the other 8b in Network. The post-holder will also be part of a wider and supportive team of psychological professionals within the Fylde Coast Network, which includes Older Adult and Inpatient psychology services. We are a well-established, dedicated, friendly and supportive team of clinical/counselling psychologists and psychological therapists who meet together regularly. The successful applicant will also be able to attend the AUC Special Interest Group within the Trust that provides opportunities for support, practice development and sharing learning. The Fylde Coast offers a unique opportunity for the successful applicant to develop therapeutic skills in Internal Family Systems, EMDR, and Compassion Focussed Therapy. Clinical and peer supervision can be provided in each of these modalities.

The Fylde Coast is easily accessible via the M6 and M55 motorways. The nominated base for this is post is negotiable across the Access and Urgent Care Teams.

About us

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT

Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS.

Knowledge

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
• Knowledge of legislation, and its implications in relation to the client group and mental health
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS by completion of CPD log demonstrating a minimum of 40 hours per year.

Experience

• A minimum of 4 years experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of multidisciplinary care plan.
• Experience of teaching, training and supervising.

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.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team Blackpool

£62,215 to £72,293 a yearper annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

351-FYL600-MF-B

Job locations

Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team Blackpool