Principal Psychologist Older People Inpatients

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust; Northampton; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Northampton is seeking a Principal Psychologist to lead inpatient services for older people with dementia. The ideal candidate will have post-graduate training in Clinical Psychology, at least four years of clinical experience, and strong leadership skills. The role includes supervising staff, conducting assessments, and contributing to service improvement initiatives. Exceptional professional development opportunities exist within this respected team, with a focus on integrated care schemes.

Benefits

Supervision from the Principal Clinical Neuropsychologist

Opportunities for joint work with 3rd sector organizations

Professional development through regular meetings

Qualifications

• Minimum of 4 years working as a qualified clinical psychologist.
• 2 years as a Senior Clinical Psychologist required.
• Experience supervising others in a clinical setting.

Responsibilities

• Lead psychologists for older people within inpatient services.
• Offer psychological assessments and interventions.
• Build systems supporting person-centred care for dementia patients.

Skills

Confident in offering advice

Capable of evaluating treatment options

Confident in providing specialist psychological advice

Education

Post-graduate training to Doctoral level in Clinical Psychology

Job description

Go back Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Principal Psychologist, Older People inpatients

The closing date is 13 February 2026

We are pleased to advertise a key role for a Clinical Psychologist to join the Dementia & Older People’s Clinical Psychology Service (DOPPS) within Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT). We are looking to recruit a Principal Clinical Psychologist to lead our inpatient services for older people. The post can be based within our Liaison Psychiatry service for Older People (LPOP) at Northampton General Hospital or within our older people’s inpatient services at Berrywood Hospital.

LPOP offers psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for people over the age of 65 years with dementia, as well as those experiencing distress from emotional disorders or psychosis, who are under the care of the General Hospitals. There are also opportunities to be involved in staff training, service development and case formulation with teams.

The role within LPOP will focus on work within the general hospitals and link in with the psychological provision within the 4 Older People’s Community Mental Health Teams (OPCMHTs), 2 in‑patient psychiatric units in the county and the Memory Assessment Services (MAS), each of which has its own psychology provision.

Main duties of the job

• Lead the psychologists working with older people within the inpatient services in NHFT.
• Offer assessment, formulation and intervention for a wide range of presentations.
• Offer Case Formulation and training sessions for staff teams to extend psychological ways of working, including joint training within the Frailty pathway.
• Offer enhanced neuropsychological assessment to support dementia diagnosis for older people with more complex presentations.
• Build on systems and processes that support person‑centred care for people with dementia at the general hospitals.
• Support the development of a Structured Clinical Management pathway for older people with personality disorder.
• Support the service in using outcome information to inform and develop good practice.
• Contribute to service user forums and audit projects to collect data that can inform Trust management, commissioners and other relevant stakeholders of the needs of this population.

About us

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be ‘outstanding’ by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.

There are a significant number of psychologists employed within the Trust working across different specialties and there are excellent opportunities for professional development through regular monthly psychology meetings and active peer supervision networks. We welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds who are under‑represented in service delivery.

Joining this service can offer:

• Supervision from the Principal Clinical Neuropsychologist.
• Opportunities for innovative joint work with 3rd sector organisations.
• Potential for training in other therapeutic approaches relevant to the role.
• Links and participation in the BPS Faculty of Psychology for Older People (FPOP) & LPOP special interest groups within the BPS.
• The opportunity to work within a well integrated Psychology Service that meets regularly for CPD, case audits and organisational support.

Job responsibilities

For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading.

Person Specification

Behaviours and Values

• Belief in the value of lived experience in the development and provision of the service and ability to incorporate this skillfully into the service model.
• Demonstrates the ability (and commitment) to work as a collaborative and reflective practitioner and to support others to do likewise.
• Highly values team working.

Knowldege and Experience

• Post‑graduate training to Doctoral level in Clinical Psychology or equivalent accredited by BPS.
• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of 4 years with 2 years as a Senior Clinical Psychologist.
• Post‑doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice, including substantial experience of issues.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as recommended by the BPS.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Experience of supervising others.
• Experience of representing and leading psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.

skills and Abilities

• Confident in offering advice, consultation, supervision and training to a range of professional staff to support improving patients’ functioning.
• Capable of evaluating and making decisions about treatment options, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes.
• Confident in providing specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients’ formulation, diagnosis or equivalent and treatment or management plan.

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.

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust