Principal Clinical Psychologist in Skelmersdale

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

As an integrated Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) delivers a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults, including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, and forensic services with low and medium secure care.
• Specialist mental health inpatient care for individuals with learning disabilities, alongside specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Extensive community physical health and well-being services for children and adults, covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term condition management.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,500 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health, general nurses, children’s nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers, as well as those specialising in learning disabilities and community physical health services.

We are seeking an experienced, compassionate and forward-thinking Principal Clinical Psychologist to join our Children and Young People’s Mental Health service in West Lancashire. This is an excellent opportunity to take a senior clinical role within a comprehensive multidisciplinary team, helping us deliver high-quality, formulation-led and evidence-based care to children and young people, their families and carers.

You will bring highly specialist clinical expertise alongside the confidence to provide leadership, consultation and supervision across the service. Working autonomously within professional guidelines, you will also play an important part in clinical governance, service improvement, research, audit and the development of psychological practice across the locality

Main duties of the job

As Principal Clinical Psychologist, you will:

• provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for children and young people with complex needs;
• draw on evidence-based models and specialist therapies, which may include CBT, systemic approaches and EMDR;
• undertake and advise on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management;
• offer specialist advice, consultation and clinical leadership to multidisciplinary and multi-agency colleagues;
• contribute to care planning and, where appropriate, act as care coordinator;
• provide clinical and professional supervision to qualified and assistant psychologists, psychological therapists and colleagues from the wider MDT;
• support trainee clinical psychology placements and contribute to teaching, training and workforce development;
• help oversee the governance and quality of psychological and therapeutic provision, including outcomes monitoring, professional development and job planning; and
• lead and contribute to research, audit, service evaluation, policy development and improvement work.

Working for our organisation

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you’d like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support 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 and flexi-time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

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

Person specification

Qualifications

• Doctorate 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.
• Professional Registration with appropriate professional body (HCPC registered as a clinical Psychologist)

Knowledge

• Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health.

Experience

• Evidence of substantial post-qualification experience.
• Demonstrable experience of conducting complex audit, research and service evaluation.
• Experience of teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision.

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 four 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.

Please note that further communication from 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 ensure that you read the person specification as your application will be measured against this document.

If you use AI to assist with your application, you must declare this. Undeclared use may result in withdrawal. Please ensure your application reflects your own skills and experiences. While AI tools can assist, they may produce generic or inaccurate content. We encourage you to provide personal examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria.

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).

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

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