Principal Clinical Psychologist - Lead

Job Summary

We are recruiting a Band 8b Clinical Psychologist to co‑lead a new Enhanced MHIST Function supporting people who may attract a diagnosis of "personality disorder", who are not yet ready for therapy, and who frequently present in crisis or struggle to build trusting relationships with services.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape an innovative, psychologically informed pathway for individuals with complex emotional needs. The job will require travel across the whole of the CWP patch.

• Supportive, psychologically minded MDT.
• Opportunities to shape a new enhanced function within MHIST.
• Regular supervision and access to CPD relevant to role.
• A compassionate, reflective, recovery-focused service culture.

• Co‑develop the pathway.
• Provide senior clinical leadership for the Enhanced MHIST Function.
• Deliver specialist biopsychosocial assessment, trauma‑informed formulation, and support staff to provide approaches focussed on relational safety and stabilisation.
• Support individuals with repeated crises, high service contact, and relational difficulties.
• Offer consultation, supervision, and reflective practice to MDT colleagues.
• Lead formulation‑driven care planning to reduce avoidable admissions and improve continuity of care.
• Champion compassionate, non‑stigmatising approaches to "personality disorder" and complex emotional needs.
• Contribute to service development, evaluation, and quality improvement.

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.

• 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 understanding human problems, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• HCPC Registered

• Post‑doc­toral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
• BPS chartered status.

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well‑developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing Consultation to other professionals and non professional groups.

• Well‑developed knowledge of the theory and practice of applied psychology and specialised psychological therapies in working with people with complex difficulties (e.g. severe MH problems; personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).

• Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a number of years.

• Involvement in local and/or national DCP and other professional activities.

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.