Principal Practitioner Psychologist in Chester

We are excited to advertise a permanent 1.00 WTE Principal Practitioner Psychologist post (Clinical, Counselling, Forensic, grade 8b) to work in Tameside and Glossop's adult acute inpatient service. We are committed to flexible working and welcome applications from candidates wishing to job share or work part time. Job-share arrangements, such as 0.5 WTE x 2, will be actively considered.

The two adult acute wards, Saxon and Taylor, are based at Tameside General Hospital and provide specialist assessment, care and treatment for men and women aged 18 to 65 years old with a variety of mental health needs. People will often be admitted via A&E, Liaison, Home Treatment Team, a Mental Health Act Assessment within the community or from an outpatient clinic and are often experiencing distress, a mental health deterioration and/or may be in crisis.

Saxon and Taylor are friendly, dynamic ward teams who are keen for a full MDT to help them provide the best possible care they can. We are looking for a skilled and compassionate Practitioner Psychologist to join us and provide high-quality psychology input within our acute inpatient services. The post holder will be part of an acute pathway psychology team with a network of colleagues around them and will be supported and supervised by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

Main duties of the job

• To provide clinical leadership and direction in the continual development and provision of a high quality specialist psychology service within the adult acute inpatient service, embedding trauma informed care.
• To support with the transformation of acute inpatient care, in line with national direction.
• To hold a clinical caseload undertaking evidence-based psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention (individual and/or group). This may include a range of mental health difficulties at the point of crisis including experiences of psychosis, depression and/or Complex Emotional and Relational Needs (CERN).
• To provide specialist psychological support, consultation and guidance to other professionals contributing directly to the assessment, formulation and intervention plan.
• To ensure the team have access to a psychologically-based framework for understanding and caring for the service user, through the provision of advice, consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory.
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
• To support inpatient colleagues through the provision of supervision, reflective practice and post-incident reflective spaces.
• To contribute to audit, policy/service development and research. To propose and implement policy changes within the areas served.

About us

Our acute and crisis pathway provides an evidence-based, high quality service across adult acute wards, Home Treatment Teams and Mental Health Liaison teams covering half of Greater Manchester. The Trustwide acute pathway psychology team meets regularly for team meetings, CPD and a facilitated reflective group and has leadership from a dedicated 8c consultant clinical psychologist and clinical lead for the acute pathway.

We are passionate about staff well-being and compassionate leadership. Our staff survey results support this. In the latest national NHS Staff Survey (2024) Pennine Care was ranked as the best mental health and learning disability trust in the North. We support staff to work flexibly and recognise and respect the roles our colleagues hold outside of working hours. This focus helps us to retain staff and ensure people are happy in their place of work.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the top of our agenda. We know a diverse, inclusive and engaged culture is vital; that everyone's value should be recognised and respected. There are also opportunities to link with local higher education providers and the research & innovation (R&I) team to engage with related research projects.

Person Specification

• Education/ Qualification
• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical/counselling/forensic psychology, (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, or post-graduate training in Forensic Psychology or Counselling Psychology.
• Current registration as a Clinical, Forensic or Counselling psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Experience
• Demonstrable post-qualification experience of specialist assessment, formulation and treatment of adult clients and those with psychological difficulties.
• Demonstrable post-qualification experience of working with complex mental health problems, including distressing psychosis, problems associated with complex relational and emotional needs, and severe depression, anxiety and trauma.
• Demonstrable experience of working with people experiencing a suicidal crisis.
• Demonstrable experience of working within multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience of clinical leadership within a previous role.
• Demonstrable experience of providing clinical supervision to psychologists, psychological practitioners or other core health professions.
• Demonstrable experience of providing teaching/ training upon clinical interventions.
• Demonstrable experience of managing demand for psychological services within a form of stepped-care framework.
• Knowledge
• Understanding of the national and regional legislation, guidance and policy directives in relation to the development and delivery of psychological therapies within inpatient services.
• Evidence of post-qualification CPD as recommended and/or accredited by the BPS, or other professional body.
• Up to date knowledge of the needs of people with complex mental health problems, and of psychological approaches to recovery.
• Awareness of the principles of a trauma informed care approach.
• Familiarity with computing technology, including keyboard skills, and use of word-processing, e-mail, and internet software.
• Skills and abilities
• Ability to work with service users, carers and families to engage with their needs and provide them with appropriate psychological support and intervention.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Skills in working within an MDT to bring and share a psychological understanding of distress.
• Well developed, effective communication skills, both oral and in writing, enabling complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to be shared with service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues within the NHS and other agencies.
• Ability to prioritise work, operate a waiting list, meet short deadlines and an unpredictable work pattern that requires regular revision of plans.
• Ability to sit in constrained position for service user assessment, formulation, individual and group therapy sessions and for computer work.
• Ability to work at a high level of professional autonomy and responsibility, in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment and also as a lone worker in circumstances where there may be exposure to verbal and sometimes physical aggression.
• Able to sustain the intense concentration necessary for service user assessment and formulation, individual and group therapy sessions.
• Ability to work and communicate highly sensitive, contentious information effectively in a highly emotive or hostile atmosphere, and to overcome barriers to acceptance/psychological resistance to potentially threatening information.
• Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to staff and carers exposed to highly distressing situations.
• 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.