Senior Clinical Psychologist

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

1. Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
2. Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
3. Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.

Job overview

SENIOR CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST (Band 8a)
CAMHS and Child Psychology Integrated Service - Preston
Permanent. Band 8a Senior Clinical Psychologist post (0.8 wte: 30 hours per week)

A newly qualified Clinical Psychologist is welcome to apply for this post on a fixed term Band 7 preceptorship (37.5 hours)

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Clinical Psychologist, currently registered with the HCPC, who has post qualification experience working with children, young people and their families.

We have the option of an appointment to an 8a post for a suitably qualified and experienced Clinical Psychologist and would welcome a newly qualified Clinical Psychologist for a fixed term Band 7 preceptorship (37.5 hours).

Main duties of the job

The core role will be to provide a specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention with children, young people and their families/carers. We support our staff to deliver high quality and innovative psychological solutions with service-users through consultation, individual, systemic/family, and group work.

As well as having a clinical caseload, there will also be opportunities to develop and consolidate clinical and leadership skills, through indirect work, consultation, delivering training, and service development/audit activities. Where required, we will also support staff to develop competencies in clinical supervision, as part of their professional development plan.

With us being integrated with a large multi-disciplinary team, we would like you to support the Principal Lead with consultation and supervision of the friendly, approachable and busy CAMHS Practitioners, as well as providing teaching and training to the team.

We regularly take trainees from the North West Clinical Psychology training courses and encourage staff to offer core and specialist placements to trainees.

Working for our organisation

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

We are committed to CPD and there will be opportunities for post-qualification support, supervision and consolidation of core and specialist competencies, alongside more experienced colleagues both locally and across the region. All clinical psychologists have an agreed Job Plan, which protects their core clinical commitments and allocated time for other aspects of their roles.

This is an exciting time to join Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust due to the regional service re-design in line with the 'Thrive' model www.annafreud.org/what-we-do/improving-help/thrive-framework/. Thrive places service-users at the heart of service-delivery with a focus on needs-led services and shared decision-making.

Person specification

Education

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
• Current registration with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical)

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology, including highly developed specialist knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, particularly the literature pertaining to two or more distinct psychological therapies for use with children, young people and their families/carers.
• 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 children and young people, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Knowledge of child protection and other key legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and supervision regarding work with children, young people and their families/carers.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist at a specialist level.
• Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist with children, young people and their families, presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including community, in-patient and residential.
• Experience of assessing and treating children, young people and their families across the full range of care settings.

Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.

Please be aware the use of artificial intelligence (AI) when submitting an application is monitored and if you have used AI to generate an application, you are required to declare this on your application form. AI-generated content may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description. Personalisation is essential when submitting an application form to convey your skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively.

Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document. Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you'd like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

• Job Description and person specification (PDF, 704.3KB)
• Job Description and person specification Band 7 (PDF, 504.3KB)
• NHS Staff Benefits - 2023 (PDF, 556.9KB)
• We Do More at LSCFT (PDF, 654.2KB)