Job summary
Clinical Psychologist (band 7 leading to 8a on completion of preceptorship) - Adult Learning Disabilities
We are recruiting a clinical psychologist to join our friendly and supportive Learning Disability Service covering North Staffordshire. The role will sit across our inpatient service and Intensive Support Team with some opportunities to work within other settings in order to develop skills and areas of interest.
This post may suit someone at the start or early stage of their career (including those qualifying in Autumn 2025) and offers a preceptorship pathway from Agenda for Change Band 7 to 8a (to be reviewed within the first 18 months).
The team offers highly specialist assessment, support and interventions to people with complex learning disabilities and mental health difficulties. We have a broad range of psychological models represented within the service and we encourage and support supervision and continuing professional development.
The psychology team has a close relationship with the local training courses and offer both core and research placements. The wider MDTs consist of Nursing, Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language Therapists, Healthcare Support Workers & Psychiatrists.
We are looking for clinicians with excellent clinical skills and a commitment to collaborative MDT working to support our work. We are keen to recruit clinicians who are passionate about the field of learning disabilities.
Main duties of the job
To deliver psychologically informed assessment and intervention services (within inpatient/community settings as the post requires).
The postholder will work independently, with supervision from senior Clinical Psychology colleagues.
The postholder is accountable for their own professional practice in the delivery of highly specialist psychological care to patients with learning disabilities who have highly complex physical and mental health conditions which may include challenging behaviours that place themselves and others at risk.
The post holder may be required to work with clients who are highly distressed and anxious.
To be compassionate in meeting the needs of patients, their carers' and family members.
To provide clinical supervision and training to less experienced colleagues within the service and to multidisciplinary colleagues.
To contribute to formal and informal research as an integral part of the post.
To be proactive in continual service improvement within own service area.
To promote at
About us
As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.
We pride ourselves onensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.
We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first 'carbon net zero' national health system by 2045 (Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk). As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike. For 2024/2025, we have launched our "Proud to be Green" engagement campaign which is aligned to the targets set out in our Green Plan. As a Trust, you can be assured that we will commit to supporting you in working towards our net zero ambitions, set out in our Green Plan, through our sustainability programme".
The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
Provides highly specialist psychological assessment of patients with complex needs based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources/tools.
Skilfully select, administer, interpret, and feed back (both in person with patients and via report-writing) assessment data derived from a variety of sources including psychological and tests, self-report measures, informal and structured observations and medical information from notes and liaison with appropriate colleagues.
Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, effective and timely risk assessment and management, and reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for prioritising, identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children and adults who may be at risk.
Formulates plans for, and delivers, highly specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients presenting emotional/cognitive/behavioural/physical difficulties based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers and members of the MDT.
Adjusts and refines psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, and makes clearly communicated decisions about treatment options.
Delivers group interventions to patients and evaluates/refines same in response to patient feedback.
Provides highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other staff contributing directly to clients formulation and intervention plan.
Communicates in a way which recognises difference and ensures that people feel included and their individual communication needs are met.
Communicates complex and sensitive information to clients during the course of any contacts where the atmosphere may be emotive; where there may be barriers to understanding; or where the client may react in and challenging manner.
Shares information relating to psychological assessment and formulation with clients, carers and families in a responsive, empathic manner, taking into consideration the possible complexities of the circumstances and the highly sensitive nature of the information.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
Provides highly specialist psychological assessment of patients with complex needs based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources/tools.
Skilfully select, administer, interpret, and feed back (both in person with patients and via report-writing) assessment data derived from a variety of sources including psychological and tests, self-report measures, informal and structured observations and medical information from notes and liaison with appropriate colleagues.
Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, effective and timely risk assessment and management, and reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for prioritising, identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children and adults who may be at risk.
Formulates plans for, and delivers, highly specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients presenting emotional/cognitive/behavioural/physical difficulties based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers and members of the MDT.
Adjusts and refines psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, and makes clearly communicated decisions about treatment options.
Delivers group interventions to patients and evaluates/refines same in response to patient feedback.
Provides highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other staff contributing directly to clients formulation and intervention plan.
Communicates in a way which recognises difference and ensures that people feel included and their individual communication needs are met.
Communicates complex and sensitive information to clients during the course of any contacts where the atmosphere may be emotive; where there may be barriers to understanding; or where the client may react in and challenging manner.
Shares information relating to psychological assessment and formulation with clients, carers and families in a responsive, empathic manner, taking into consideration the possible complexities of the circumstances and the highly sensitive nature of the information.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical / counselling psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including models of psychological distress, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- HCPC registration as a clinical/counselling practitioner psychologist
Experience
Essential
- Working therapeutically within a clinical setting with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity across a range of care settings.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical / counselling psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including models of psychological distress, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- HCPC registration as a clinical/counselling practitioner psychologist
Experience
Essential
- Working therapeutically within a clinical setting with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity across a range of care settings.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
