Specialist Senior Clinical Psychologist
Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Nhs Trust
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Job summary
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Senior Clinical Psychologist (Band 8a) to join the North West Spinal Injuries Centre. The role covers inpatients, potential outreach, and MDT collaboration, with opportunities to train in EMDR. Interviews w/c 30 November 2026.
The post requires extensive experience in clinical psychology with physical health conditions, and a track record in teaching and multi-disciplinary teamwork within a reactive hospital setting.
Qualifications
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology accredited by the BPS.
- Professional registration with HCPC.
- Experience of working with adults with long-term physical health conditions.
Responsibilities
- Provide a highly specialist clinical psychology service to inpatients within the NWSIC.
- Lead on development of paediatric psychology service within NSIC and supervise junior colleagues.
- Deliver highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment to adult inpatients.
- Provide consultation to non-psychologist colleagues regarding inpatient psychological care.
- Contribute to strategic planning of clinical psychology services within the NSIC; lead development of paediatric psychology.
- Represent psychology in MWL and contribute to teaching and training commitments.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Job summary
Senior Clinical Psychologist - Band 8a
1.0 WTE (37.5 Hours Per Week)
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a newly forming psychology team developed for the North West Spinal Injuries Centre. You will work clinically with spinal injuries patients in line with national spinal standards, onto the inpatient ward, have opportunity to support outreach work, outpatients and work with spinal MDT colleagues to increase the psychological mindedness of the whole service. You will be part of a broader network of multi-specialist Psychologists across MWL who pride themselves on being high quality and dynamic.
Southport is a lovely place to live and work. A seaside town with thriving businesses and a great welcoming and friendly culture.
Our psychology workforce are all trained in EMDR and the successful candidate will be offered the opportunity to be trained in EMDR too once these pathways are established for our spinal injury service users.
Interviews will take place w/c 30th November, 2026
The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are submit to change
- To provide a highly specialist clinical psychology service to inpatients within the NWSIC, across the acute and rehabilitation wards with some outreach where clinically indicated
- To lead on the ongoing development and delivery of a highly specialist clinical psychology service to the paediatric and young person's SCI rehabilitation service and supervise junior colleagues as needed
- To deliver highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment to adult inpatients at the NSIC, on an individual and group basis
- To provide advice and consultation regarding inpatients psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues
- To provide consultation to the NSIC outreach service regarding admission of inpatients with complex psychological / psychiatric needs
- To contribute to the strategic planning of clinical psychology services within the NSIC, including leading upon the ongoing development and delivery of the paediatric psychology service within the NSIC, with the aim of maintain high levels of psychosocial care for patients
- To represent Clinical Psychology in aspects of the NWSIC's wider organisational development and as part of MWL Psychology.
- To contribute to the planning, development and delivery of the Department's teaching and training commitments
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Date posted 16 September 2026
Pay scheme Agenda for change
Band Band 8a
Salary £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum
Contract Permanent
Working pattern Full-time
Reference number 409-S8043850
Job locations NWSIC, Southport General Hospital, Southport, PR8 6PN, United Kingdom
Please see the attached job description and person specification for full details.
The applicant should be an established Clinical Psychologist with experience of working with clients with long term physical health conditions, ideally in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Applicants should have the ability to work closely with medical and surgical colleagues and other disciplines, and have experience of multi-disciplinary team work and consultation to non-psychology staff.
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training (or equivalent) in clinical psychology, including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS.
- Professional registration as Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed specialist knowledge of clinical psychology in physical health, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, particularly the literature pertaining to two or more distinct psychological therapies for adults referred to Clinical Health Psychology
- Skills in the use of highly complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- A high level of ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to adults, 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 design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- Knowledge of safeguarding vulnerable adults and other key legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and supervision regarding work with adults and their families/carers.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
- Ability to plan and prioritise own clinical workload and research programmes.
- Advanced word processing skills. Advanced use of presentation software such as MS PowerPoint. Use of internet for searching documents and research. Use of email.
Desirable
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in Spinal trauma
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies
- Experience of conducting holistic and comprehensive assessments for the purpose of producing psychological reports.
- Completion of supervisor training to enable the supervision of practicing Clinical Psychologists/ trainees
- Skills in the use of statistical packages such as SPSS. Use of MS EXCEL or similar spreadsheets to analyse data numerically and graphically.
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist at a specialist level.
- Experience of working with adults with long term physical health problems in a hospital setting.
- Experience of working with adults with complex psychological presentations
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified autonomous practitioner and also within the context of a multidisciplinary treatment plan
- Experience of delivering teaching, training and/or offering professional and clinical supervision to other professionals working with adults who have psychological difficulties
Desirable
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of assessing and treating adults across the full range of care settings, particularly inpatient and outpatient.
- Experience of working in pain management and complex pain.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of working with clinical risk.
Essential
- Ability to sit in constrained positions when working with clients
- Ability to sustain intense levels of concentration, responding and participating as required.
- Ability to self-reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately
Essential
- We are Kind
- We are Open
- We are Inclusive
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer name Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address NWSIC, Southport General Hospital, Southport, PR8 6PN, United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact details For questions about the job, contact: Consultant Clinical Psychologist Alice Plummer Alice.Plummer@MerseyWestLancs.nhs.uk 01704704333
Date posted 16 September 2026
Pay scheme Agenda for change
Band Band 8a
Salary £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum
Contract Permanent
Working pattern Full-time
Reference number 409-S8043850
Job locations NWSIC, Southport General Hospital, Southport, PR8 6PN, United Kingdom
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)
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