Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist

NHS National Services Scotland; Kilmarnock; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in Kilmarnock is seeking a Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist. This role involves providing specialist psychological assessment and contributing to service development within Older Adult Psychology Services. The position requires HCPC registration and relevant experience. The post is full-time, based on-site at Crosshouse Hospital, and offers the opportunity to impact patient outcomes through collaborative work in a multidisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist with older adult psychology specialty.
• Experience with complex psychological and cognitive needs.
• Ability to form part of an integrated multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessment for frail patients.
• Contribute to service development and impact assessment.
• Supervise another Clinical Psychologist in an acute site.

Skills

HCPC registration

Older adult psychology specialty training

Team collaboration

Clinical supervision

Research methodology

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Job description

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Who we are

NHS Ayrshire and Arran is one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland.

In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.

To find out more about NHS Ayrshire and Arran visit NHS Ayrshire & Arran - Home (nhsaaa.net).

Position

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist within Older Adult Psychology Services to be part of a new innovative service development within the Discharge Without Delay (DWD) Programme, specifically within an Acute Frailty Multidisciplinary Team. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of whole system change for psychology workforce that will have a real impact on patient outcomes. The post will be based at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, working in an integrated team that has shared values, vision, drive and an improvement focus.

Hours

From 1 April 2026, the working week for NHS Agenda for Change staff in Scotland will be reduced. Full-time hours will reduce from 37 to 36 hours (pro rata for part-time staff) without loss of earnings.

This post (37 hours) is offered on a full-time basis (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm), but variation in contracted hours may be considered.

Attending the University Hospital Crosshouse for daily huddles and providing an on-site clinical role is a key requirement of the post.

This post is offered on a fixed term basis for 18 months or until 30th March 2027. Secondments may be considered.

UK Driving Licence/Car Ownership

Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential to this role.

What you will do

Job Purpose: The post holder will form part of an expanded integrated MDT as part of an innovative whole system approach to meet the aims of the Discharge Without Delay Programme in Ayrshire and Arran. Specifically, the role will provide Specialist Psychological Assessment at the ‘Front Door’ of patients being admitted with complex Frailty within the Acute Frailty Unit and Medicine for the Elderly inpatient wards. The role will contribute to team assessment, inform team decision making, whilst liaising and working closely with Health, Community, and Social care partners, ensuring patients with complex psychological and cognitive needs are managed throughout their journey of care by supporting other teams involved in supported discharge and preventing readmissions. The role also includes service development and impact assessment for the programme locally specific to psychology impact, and possibly wider regarding research methodology support to the team, whilst supervising another member of psychology workforce within the programme at another acute site.

• Work with Acute Frailty leads and clinicians, providing highly specialist psychological care and contributing to programme development.
• Provide clinical supervision of another qualified Clinical Psychologist delivering a clinical role within Frailty/DWD programme.
• Support service development within Frailty/DWD and pathway development, and provide research methodology support.
• Formally assess the impact of the role and expanded MDT via Quality Improvement and formal research.
• Disseminate updates, impact assessments and data outcomes to the DWD programme.
• Engage with key members of the team, collaborating together and ensuring whole system strategic consideration.
• Provide specialist psychological assessment and consultation for complex frail patients at risk of long stays in acute hospitals.
• Supervise one other Clinical Psychologist in another acute hospital site.

Knowledge, training and/or experience required to do the job

You will be an HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist, with older adult psychology specialty training, knowledge and experience relevant to the post.

For further information on the role please click the link below to view the job description

Contact Dr Ying Teh at [e-mail] or Dr Leigh Whitnall at [e-mail].

Additional information for overseas candidates

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found within the attached Candidate Information Pack.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

The Recruitment Team are unable to answer individual queries at application stage about this, please visit here for further information.

We are unable to provide sponsorship for bank contracts.

Additional information for all candidates

You should apply for this post by completing the application process on JobTrain.

• Do NOT upload a CV as this will not be used for shortlisting purposes.
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