Principal Clinical Psychologist

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Who we are:

NHS Ayrshire and Arran is one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland.

In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.

To find out more about NHS Ayrshire and Arran please visit our website - NHS Ayrshire & Arran - Home (nhsaaa.net)

Position:

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Principal Clinical Psychologist based at Ayrshire Central Hosptial.

What you will do:

An exciting Clinical Psychology vacancy has arisen within 'Foxgrove', the new National Secure Adolescent In-Patient Service (NSAIS), sited at Ayrshire Central Hospital. Foxgrove is a new specialist medium secure mental health service for Young People, age 12-18, who are liable for detention for assessment and treatment of mental disorder under relevant sections of Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003; or Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. All patients admitted to the service will be considered to present a significant risk of harm to others and some patient may also pose a risk of harm to themselves. Clinical work will be focused on delivering a high standard of clinical care to young people accessing Foxgrove, both directly and through work with the multi-disciplinary team within the Service. The young people who will be admitted are anticipated to have a range of complex needs, focused around mental health difficulties and neurodevelopmental conditions. In addition, as Foxgrove is a national service, taking young people from across Scotland, the post holder will be expected to have a role in considering whether a young person from any Health Board in Scotland would benefit from admission.

We would welcome interest in this post from qualified Clinical Psychologists, as well as final year Trainees on a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Programme. The applicant must be HCPC registered as a Practitioner Clinical Psychologist. Trainee Clinical Psychologists would not be expected The applicant must be HCPC registered as a Practitioner Clinical Psychologist. Trainee Clinical Psychologists would not be expected to be HCPC registered at the point of applying for the post, but would need to have attained registration before they would be eligible to commence the post.

For further information on the role please click the link below to view the job description

Knowledge, training and/or experience required to do the job:

• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or equivalent).
• Honours degree in Psychology (minimum upper 2nd class).
• Registration with HCPC as a Clinical Psychologist.
• Experience of delivering psychological assessment, formulation and highly specialist therapies to adults and/or young people with complex psychological and psychiatric disorders (including neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental presentations).
• Experience of team working in multi-disciplinary /multi agency settings.
• Experience of working within the NHS.
• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
• Requires experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings. This includes skill in maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• A high level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS
• 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
• Ability to work with and contain organisational and client stress.
• Self-motivated to produce optimum outcomes for clients
• Effective and considerate communicator
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Self-awareness of the emotional impact of clinical practice

For further information on the requirements for the role please click the link below to view the person specification

Hours:

37 hours per week

UK Driving Licence/Car Ownership:

A UK car licence/car ownership is essential to this role.

If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact or

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR OVERSEAS CANDIDATES

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found within the attached Candidate Information Pack.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

The Recruitment Team are unable to answer individual queries at application stage about this, please visit here for further information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR ALL CANDIDATES

You should apply for this post by completing the application process on JobTrain.

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• Please note, for all vacancies where a driving licence is required this must be a full UK/EU/EEA licence.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran has a legal obligation to ensure that it does not employ any worker who has not been granted the relevant permission to work in the UK. This permission is, without exception, granted by UK Visas and Immigrations. We are required to check the entitlement to work in the UK of all prospective employees, regardless of nationality or job category. Candidates who require a Certificate of Sponsorship can access further information at

We are unable to provide sponsorship for bank contracts .