Job summary
Clinical Psychologist Band 8a or 7/8a Development post.
PLEASE NOTE THIS VACANCY MAY CLOSE EARLY
We have an exciting opportunity for several passionate and compassionate clinicians to join our team of psychologists & mental health practitioners, in our Complex Needs Service. This service primarily focuses on working with individuals that attract a diagnosis of 'personality disorder'.
You would be joining a team that includes a Consultant, Principal and Clinical Psychologist to help offer assessment, formulation and interventions to our local community. The main modalities of DBT, SCM and MBT are a core part of working, alongside therapeutic skills developed in clinical training and shaped in individual sessions. We are a warm and friendly team and importance is placed on your own supervision and CPD. Training in evidence based interventions will be provided.
The post is offered as a permanent 8a position for an experienced Clinical Psychologist, and applications are also welcome from recently /soon to be qualified individuals who have a keen desire to work in this area. For newly qualified applicants, the post will be offered as a development post, band 7-8a, in line with the trust's Preceptorship and Development post protocol.
Informal discussions and visits are welcomed.
Shortlisting for this vacancy is due commence on 5th May and the proposed interview date is 19th May 2026, please note interviews will be face to face only.
Main duties of the job
To provide a high-quality specialist psychology service, including specialist psychological assessment, therapy and consultation to adults who are referred into the Complex Needs Service in East Cheshire & typically attract a diagnosis of 'personality disorder'.
In CWP, wehave good links with Northwest doctoral training programmes and regularly offer trainee placements. The post holder would be expected to clinically supervise and manage the workloads of trainee clinical psychologists and assistant psychologists within the service as required.
Supervision will be from the Principal or Consultant Clinical Psychologist and the post holder will be expected to work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service's policies and procedures.
There will be opportunities to work with your Clinical Psychologist colleagues to support ongoing service development.
You will be committed to your own continuing professional development and have a role in supporting the development and training of the multi-disciplinary team as well as a critical awareness of the importance of building and maintaining good relationships with other services. There will be opportunities to contribute to service evaluation, audit, and research.
About us
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.
We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.
Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.
As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.
All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction / initial training requirements of the role.
Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you'll find something to suit you at CWP.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please download a copy of the job description (see documents to download section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.
At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.
CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trusts Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trusts Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.
An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: cwp.recruitment@nhs.net or by calling 01244 393100.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon!
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please download a copy of the job description (see documents to download section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.
At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.
CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trusts Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trusts Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.
An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: cwp.recruitment@nhs.net or by calling 01244 393100.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon!
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996)
- HCPC registration
Desirable
- Additional Psychotherapy qualification relevant to working with clients with complex psychological and mental health difficulties
Knowledge & Expertise
Essential
- Skills in conducting complex psychological assessment and intervention frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Skills in completing neuropsychological assesssments, interpretation of results, and ability to communicate these sensitively as appropriate
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex and /or clinically sensitive information to clients and professional colleagues within and outside the NHS
- Evidence of continuing professional development.
- Skills in providing Consultation to other professionals and nonprofessional groups
- Evidence of supervision training/qualification
- Experience of supervising Assistant Psychologists, other psychological practitioners and/or MDT colleagues in psychological approaches
- Experience of research, audit/service evaluation
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a clinical psychologist therapeutically with adult clients with varied complex, psychological and mental health difficulties
- Experience of working within muliti-professional teams
- Experience of engaging and sustaining work with ambivalent clients
- Experience of exercising clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care
Desirable
- Experience of liaison with other health professionals
- Experience of providing teaching and training
Values (6 Cs)
Essential
- Demonstrate alignment with Trust values (6C's: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996)
- HCPC registration
Desirable
- Additional Psychotherapy qualification relevant to working with clients with complex psychological and mental health difficulties
Knowledge & Expertise
Essential
- Skills in conducting complex psychological assessment and intervention frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Skills in completing neuropsychological assesssments, interpretation of results, and ability to communicate these sensitively as appropriate
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex and /or clinically sensitive information to clients and professional colleagues within and outside the NHS
- Evidence of continuing professional development.
- Skills in providing Consultation to other professionals and nonprofessional groups
- Evidence of supervision training/qualification
- Experience of supervising Assistant Psychologists, other psychological practitioners and/or MDT colleagues in psychological approaches
- Experience of research, audit/service evaluation
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a clinical psychologist therapeutically with adult clients with varied complex, psychological and mental health difficulties
- Experience of working within muliti-professional teams
- Experience of engaging and sustaining work with ambivalent clients
- Experience of exercising clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care
Desirable
- Experience of liaison with other health professionals
- Experience of providing teaching and training
Values (6 Cs)
Essential
- Demonstrate alignment with Trust values (6C's: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
