Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Principal Clinical Psychologist

The closing date is 06 November 2025

Job summary

Principal Clinical Psychologist - Clinical Health Psychology, Central Lancashire Moving Well Service, Pain and CFS/ME - Band 8b

The Central Lancashire Moving Well Service provides joined up care and treatment for individuals via a number of services including Rheumatology, Community Physiotherapy, Musculoskeletal (MSK), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and a Community Pain Service.

The Community Pain and ME/CFS Service consists of multiple specialists working together with people to help reduce any negative impact that persistent pain or ME/CFS may understandably be having on people's health and well-being. We work collaboratively with individuals to identify and build upon their strengths and skills and provide strategies to help individuals manage chronic pain and chronic fatigue effectively.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Clinical Psychologist with experience of working with individuals with long term health conditions, to join a dynamic team of health professionals including Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurse Specialists, Consultants, Pharmacist and Consultant Clinical Psychologist who are motivated and committed to offering high quality care to individuals with persistent pain and ME/CFS and supporting individuals to make meaningful change. We are looking for someone who enjoys MDT working and who really values team cohesion and wellbeing.

Main duties of the job

We would love to hear from Clinical Psychologists with a wide range of experience and with the skills and enthusiasm to take our service forward. If you may be interested, we welcome any visits to the service so that you can meet the team and get a feel for the service.

Psychology provision is well integrated and highly valued within the team and we are keen to provide the best development opportunities for our staff and the post holder will have options to access continuing professional development and training and to be supported to develop their own area of relevant specialist interest alongside developing their leadership skills. We are keen to support innovative projects that the candidate is passionate about through links with the Trust's Quality Improvement Team.

The successful applicant will assess and manage a caseload of service users with persistent pain and ME/CFS both on a 1:1 basis and also alongside MDT (Multi Disciplinary Team) colleagues, offering a range of high quality, evidence-based psychological interventions, supervision, consultation, teaching and clinical leadership.

The applicant will also take a lead role in the development and delivery of group interventions such as the Pain Management Programme and a Compassion Focused Therapy group.

About us

The post will include exciting opportunities to be involved in service development, audit and evaluation. The service is also keen to maintain well established links with the North West Clinical Psychology Doctorate Courses and welcomes core and specialist trainee clinical psychologist placements, which the successful candidate will supervise.

For further information or an informal discussion please contact us using the details provided

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.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT

Date posted

24 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£64,455 to £74,896 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

351-CEN2294-EB

Job locations

Minerva Health Centre

Preston

PR1 6SB

Job description

Job responsibilities

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

Job description

Job responsibilities

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

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Doctoral level training 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.

Knowledge

Essential

Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Knowledge of legislation, and its implications in relation to the client group and mental health
Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS by completion of CPD log demonstrating a minimum of 40 hours per year.

Experience

Essential

Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems.
Experience of making decisions, which can involve performing highly complex analysis regarding treatment interventions, in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team.
Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of multidisciplinary care plan.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Doctoral level training 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.

Knowledge

Essential

Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Knowledge of legislation, and its implications in relation to the client group and mental health
Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS by completion of CPD log demonstrating a minimum of 40 hours per year.

Experience

Essential

Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems.
Experience of making decisions, which can involve performing highly complex analysis regarding treatment interventions, in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team.
Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of multidisciplinary care plan.

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

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Minerva Health Centre

Preston

PR1 6SB

Employer's website

https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Minerva Health Centre

Preston

PR1 6SB

Employer's website

https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)