Senior Clinical Psychologist

NHS; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Lancashire is looking for a dedicated Senior Clinical Psychologist to join their team. This role involves delivering high-quality psychological services to the Pain Management Service and contributing to a multidisciplinary approach to care. The ideal candidate will have a Doctoral level qualification in clinical psychology and substantial experience within NHS settings. Expectations include engaging in clinical assessments, implementing treatment plans, and offering training and supervision to staff. Competitive salary between £55,690 and £62,682 per annum is offered.

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology or equivalent.
• Experience as a clinical psychologist within the NHS.
• Ability to teach and train others using complex materials.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessments and treatment plans.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams for patient care.
• Supervise and train junior staff and trainees.

Skills

Complex psychological assessment

Effective communication

Psychological intervention methods

Consultation expertise

Teaching and training

Education

Doctoral level training in clinical psychology

Job description

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Clinical Psychologist

The closing date is 09 February 2026

If you have a passion for delivering high quality Clinical Psychology provision into mental health services, this could be the post you are looking for.

We are seeking to appoint a positive and enthusiastic Senior Clinical Psychologist with an ability to deliver high quality psychological services to clients of the Pain Management Service. As part of a newly developing team of psychologists, you would be supported to develop new and innovative interventions at an individual and group clinical level, and at a teams level. A knowledge or awareness of appropriate psychological models for formulation based interventions appropriate for clients with complex pain states and mental health presentations is required. You will be supported and led by an 8b Clinical Psychologist Lead for the provision of psychology services in the Pain Management Service.

Main duties of the job

To contribute to the strategic planning of psychological services with the aim of maintaining high levels of psychosocial care for patients who experience persistent pain conditions, taking a lead and working with and supporting psychology colleagues and the MDT.

To work across organisational boundaries in order to lead and ensure the delivery of a coordinated psychological service for patients who experience complex health needs in relation to their conditions.

To provide expertise in the application of psychological theories, models and approaches to the service.

To contribute to in-service training and supervision of multidisciplinary staff in relation to psychological issues.

To carry a caseload of patients, providing expert specialist advice, psychological treatment and consultancy to patients within the service and integrated within the multidisciplinary team.

To work, with the direction of the Head of the Psychology Directorate, as an autonomous professional ensuring that the guidelines and the overall framework of policies and procedures within the Psychology Directorate, the PMS and the Trust are adhered to.

To be individually responsible for clinical decisions reached and take full responsibility for working with complex presentations utilising specialist knowledge in psychological approaches to the management of persistent pain conditions.

About us

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides services to the 440,000 residents of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre and North Lancashire, as well as specialist tertiary care for Cardiac and Haematology patients. Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust already employs a number of experienced clinical psychologists working in other services such as the specialist physical health services covering cardiac, cancer, haematology, chronic pain, cystic fibrosis and critical care, adult mental health, the acquired brain injury service and CAMHS. Networking and attendance at joint training events is encouraged and there are good links already established between these teams.

We employ more than 6,500 staff, and if you have the right skills and values we would love you to be one of them.

Informal enquiries about the post are welcome; the psychology team would also be happy to arrange a visit if you like to find out more about us.

Job responsibilities

Clinical

Working within a specialised clinical area, as directed by the Head of the Psychology Directorate, and led by the Lead clinician - to respond appropriately to referrals, carrying individual accountability for clinical decisions and taking responsibility for working with complex psychological and physical presentations.

To jointly plan, deliver and evaluate specialised formulation-driven treatment plans in a team-based approach in conjunction with other multidisciplinary team members, providing expertise and advice to facilitate effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all team members.

To provide highly specialist psychological assessments of patients referred to the service, based on appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources (including psychometric measures, rating scales, neuropsychological tests, direct and indirect observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the patients care). To provide feedback on the outcome of the assessment to patient/carers. This can involve providing and receiving highly complex and sensitive information with the need to use a high level of interpersonal and effective communication skills in a sometimes hostile and highly emotive atmosphere, requiring frequent intense concentration. To summarise for multidisciplinary colleagues the outcomes of assessments, formulation and treatment. To work to engage patients in decision-making and in the assessment, formulation and intervention process, as appropriate.

To formulate and implement plans for psychological therapy and / or management of a patients needs, based upon an appropriate therapeutic framework pertinent to the patients presenting issues and employing methods based on evidence of efficacy across the full range of care settings. Negotiating the implementation of such plans and the sharing of complex and sensitive information.

To be responsible for developing and implementing a range of specialist psychological interventions for, carers and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations, drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining multiple (sometimes conflicting) provisional hypotheses.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all patients of the service across all settings and agencies serving the client group. To contribute directly to multidisciplinary formulations and intervention plans. To support psychological ways of working across the specialist service and the Directorate of Psychology.

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultations to increase understanding of psychological approaches by other professionals. This requires specialist knowledge underpinned by appropriate clinical and psychological theories and models.

To exercise responsibility and autonomy for the assessment, treatment and discharge of ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and intervention, communicating with relevant colleagues and others involved with the care of the patient as necessary.

To make skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes, that have shaped the individual and their significant others. To deliver specialist psychological interventions on an individual basis.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To act as main care provider, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of a care package appropriate for the patients needs, co-ordinating with the work of others involved with their care.

TEACHING, TRAINING AND SUPERVISION

To receive regular clinical and professional supervision, keeping an appropriate record in line with Directorate procedures and Trust policy.

To provide specialist advice, consultation, training and clinical supervision to colleagues as appropriate for the provision of psychologically based interventions. To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the patient group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

To disseminate knowledge and skills on the management of, and good practice with, patients with complex health presentations by offering teaching, consultation and shared learning with members of the MDT, with other Trust staff, and with colleagues from the family of psychology roles as required. To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical psychology trainees, as appropriate.

To contribute to the supervision of assistant psychologists and volunteers on placement if appropriate.

To provide specialist clinical placements for doctoral level clinical psychology trainees from the regional training courses, as appropriate, and to provide clinical supervision to clinical psychology trainees.

To undertake regular line management and clinical supervision.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

To jointly plan and implement systems for the evaluation and monitoring of the service, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit and ensuring use of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high quality care.

Research includes auditing the service and may involve quantitative and qualitative methods, making decisions on appropriate use of psychometrics, clinical outcomes, assessments and reflective scientist-practitioner skills.

Provide descriptive and evaluative data on services provided, including collection of relevant statistical data.

To provide research advice to other staff undertaking research within the service and if, appropriate, supervision of trainees research and development, and of other professionals.

To utilise theory and evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work, group work, and work with other team members, and across the service.

MANAGEMENT, RECRUITMENT, POLICY & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

To participate in the development of a high quality, responsive and accessible service including liaising with the Principal Clinical Psychologist and the Head of the Psychology Directorate on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

To exercise delegated responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service/team.

To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistant, trainees and qualified clinical psychologists.

To be responsible for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service, including maintaining systematic clinical record keeping and records of relevant professional meetings.

Implement appropriate local policies & guidelines and propose changes to these in consultation with line manager and team.

Contribute to service development and propose changes to practice as appropriate.

To participate fully in the Psychology Directorate by attending meetings and supporting workstreams as required.

IT RESPONSIBILITES

To apply computer skills for research and teaching purposes (such as Word, Outlook, SPSS, PowerPoint).

To access and contribute to computerised patient record systems as required.

GENERAL

To ensure the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external Continuing Professional Development training and development programmes. In particular, to continue to develop expertise in the specialist clinical area and within clinical psychology through participation in CPD activities in accordance with professional guidelines, as agreed with line manager and Head of Directorate.

To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology within the Directorate and contribute across the service by exercising the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines and connecting with national groups of psychologists working in appropriate fields.

To maintain high standards of clinical record keeping, including electronic data entry and recording where relevant, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society, HCPC and in line with Trust policies and procedures.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and the practice of clinical psychology.

The above list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be fully comprehensive and may be amended to take account of changing circumstances or requirements following consultation with the post holder.

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.
• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

EXPERIENCE

• Post-qualification experience of working as a clinical psychologist within the NHS.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a range of care settings, including outpatient, community care and inpatient settings.
• 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 teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience of management and support to junior staff.
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• 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 the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc.).
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

PERSONAL

• Ability to sustain intense levels of concentration responding and participating as required.
• Ability to self reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately.
• Ability to cope and deal with highly distressing emotional circumstances.
• Ability to cope with unpleasant working conditions.

OTHER

• Ability to teach and train others using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.

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.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum (pro rata for part time)