Principal Clinical Psychologist

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board; Wrexham; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

This exciting opportunity with a leading health organization in North Wales invites an experienced Clinical Psychologist to join a dedicated team focused on enhancing mental health services for older adults. The role involves providing specialized clinical input, leading psychological assessments, and developing therapeutic strategies. With a strong emphasis on professional development, the successful candidate will benefit from excellent support and training opportunities. This position not only offers a chance to make a significant impact on community mental health but also allows for collaboration with educational institutions, ensuring a fulfilling career path in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Family-friendly benefits

Work-life balance policies

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Must hold DClinPsy Qualification and HCPC registration.
• Extensive experience as a senior clinical psychologist is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist clinical psychology services to older adults.
• Lead psychological therapy and neuropsychological assessments.

Skills

Clinical Supervision

Communication Skills

Leadership Skills

Consultation Skills

Psychological Assessment

Education

DClinPsy Qualification

HCPC Registration

Training in Supervision

Job description

If you relish a challenge, have a passion to help others or simply fancy a fresh start, then Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) North Wales, has all the right ingredients. The largest health organisation in Wales, providing a full range of primary, community, mental health, acute and elective hospital services for a population of around 700,000, across North Wales. Join our team and get the support you need, in line with our Organisational Values and ‘Proud to Lead’ competence framework.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and are proud to welcome applicants under the “Disability Confident Employer” scheme. We also offer a number of family-friendly benefits, including work-life balance policies.

Please check your email account regularly. Successful applicants will receive all recruitment related correspondence via the email account registered on the application form.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh. Applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

The salary scale above has been agreed as part of the NHS Agenda for Change pay award for 2024/2025 and will be implemented in November 2024 backdated to 1st April 2024 where applicable.

Job overview

Principal Clinical Psychologist (Band 8b) – Older Adult Clinical Psychology (32.5hrs). Based in BCUHB East area (Wrexham).

This is a very exciting opportunity to help make a real difference to Memory Assessment Services and Older People’s Community Mental Health services in North Wales: taking a leadership role in psychological therapy and neuropsychological assessment development, training, supervision, in supporting multidisciplinary staff and contributing to strategy.

The BCUHB Older Adult Psychology service consists of a friendly and supportive team of colleagues spread out across North Wales but with excellent ongoing peer support and supervision. The successful candidate will be well supported, mentored, and provided with further opportunities for training and advancement. You will receive professional leadership and support, with excellent clinical and research links with the School of Psychology and the North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme at the University of Wales, Bangor. The post holder will benefit from BCUHB wide professional links across North Wales within Clinical Psychology, with opportunities for research and clinical networking both in North Wales and All Wales wide. The countryside of North Wales offers an excellent quality of life, and you will be joining BCUHB at an exciting time of transformation and growth.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Main duties of the job

This is a permanent 8b post, and the post holder will be expected to provide specialist clinical input and support to both the Memory Assessment Service (MAS) multidisciplinary team and the Older People’s Community Mental Health Team (OPMH CMHT). The role involves direct clinical work undertaking specialist neuropsychological assessment and formulation, pre- and post-diagnostic support and intervention, and delivering tailored psychological therapies to an Older Adult clinical population.

We are looking for an experienced, resilient, and highly motivated Clinical Psychologist to take up this exciting opportunity to be a part of service developments in North Wales which will support and shape the implementation of improvement initiatives locally and organisation-wide. This post will involve working indirectly through others by training, supervision, and formulation work. The post holder will be expected to integrate well and form good working relationships with their MDT colleagues, providing specialist psychological knowledge, expertise, and consultation to the team. It will also entail attendance at clinical MDT meetings, referral meetings, and business meetings, and undertaking strategic and clinical leadership as part of the Older Adults Clinical Psychology Service.

Working for our organisation

If you relish a challenge, have a passion to help others or simply fancy a fresh start, then Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) North Wales, has all the right ingredients. The largest health organisation in Wales, providing a full range of primary, community, mental health, acute and elective hospital services for a population of around 700,000, across North Wales. Join our team and get the support you need, in line with our Organisational Values and ‘Proud to Lead’ competence framework.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and are proud to welcome applicants under the “Disability Confident Employer” scheme.

Please check your email account regularly. Successful applicants will receive all recruitment related correspondence via the email account registered on the application form.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh. Applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide a highly specialised clinical psychology service to clients of the sector, providing specialised psychological assessment and therapy to clients, and consultation to staff.
• To work autonomously in accordance with The British Psychological Society Code of Conduct, Ethical Principles and Guidelines 2004, and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• To provide effective clinical leadership by demonstrating and promoting excellence in the provision of highly specialist assessment, formulation, evidence-based intervention and offer advice and consultation in complex clinical cases to other health professionals.
• To act as a highly specialist resource to the wider professional community.
• To hold designated responsibility for the systematic governance of sector staff’s psychological practice, in order to ensure the delivery of high-quality clinical psychology services within the framework of the team/service policies and procedures.
• To exercise delegated responsibility for the management and supervision of designated staff up to and including Senior level, including staff appraisal/PADR, and informal grievance.
• To contribute to the development of local team policies and procedures in order to facilitate improvements in service quality.
• To advise service and professional management on aspects of the service related to the team where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
• To provide clinical placements and supervision for Doctoral level trainee clinical psychologists and to deliver training to other professionals.
• To utilise highly specialised research skills for audit, policy and service development, and research.
• To act as a panel member in the recruitment of designated staff, as appropriate.
• To assist Consultant Clinical Psychologists, in conjunction with other senior staff, in the efficient day-to-day management of the service.

Person specification

Qualifications

• DClinPsy Qualification (or equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or those trained overseas)
• Registration with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Clinical Psychologist.
• Substantial assessed experience of working as a qualified and senior clinical psychologist, normally including significant post-qualification experience within the designated speciality where the post is located.
• Demonstration of further specialist training/experience through having received extensive and demonstrable clinical supervision of working as a specialist Clinical Psychologist or an alternative agreed by the Head of Profession.
• Training in supervision.
• Record of publications in peer-reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.
• Qualification or additional training in leadership and management.
• Experience of managing/supervising junior staff.

Skills

• Well-developed skills in the supervision of other staff, including Trainee Clinical Psychologists.
• Well-developed skills in effectively communicating very complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information, both orally and in writing, to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Developed skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Ability to demonstrate a range of qualities essential to the role, eg compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.

To work in the UK, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa, unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply should self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship by visiting Work in the UK. If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Name Dr Joanne Kelly-Rhind Job title Head of BCUHB Older Adult Clinical Psychology Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 03000 840317