R2 Clinical Psychologist; AP

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.

• Location:
  
  Clinical Psychology (Learning Disabilities Specialist Inpatient Services)
• Based at:
  The Islay Centre, Royal Edinburgh Hospital
• Contract:
  
  Permanent
• Job type:
  Part Time
• Grade:
  Band 8B
• Hours:
  
  21.09 (0.57 WTE)

Please note:

As this post is part-time, the salary will be pro‑rate.

You have an exciting new opportunity for a Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist, Band 8B, in the Department of Psychology’s Learning Disabilities Service. You will play a key clinical leadership role in our specialist learning disability inpatient services at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Your clinical input will focus on the Islay Centre, our specialist service for people with learning disabilities who present with significantly distressed behaviours that cannot be safely managed in the community.

You will provide direct assessment, formulation and intervention around complex casework requiring a multi‑disciplinary approach, and provide psychological consultation to the MDT. You will also work closely with colleagues in other leadership roles to embed high quality psychological care across our inpatient learning disability services, with a particular focus on implementation of Positive Behaviour Support and trauma‑informed care. This is a newly created post, in recognition of the key clinical leadership role that psychology plays within the inpatient learning disability service.

You will possess demonstrable passion for providing excellent psychological services to people with learning disabilities and those who support them. As the post involves providing supervision and leadership to qualified psychologists, multi‑disciplinary colleagues, and pre‑qualified team members, it is essential you are skilled and confident in addressing the needs of people with learning disabilities who present with significant behaviours of distress and you will possess substantial post‑qualification experience of working with this group.

You will also possess a demonstrable aptitude for systemic, multi‑disciplinary working.

• Demonstrable passion for providing excellent psychological services to people with learning disabilities and those who support them.
• Substantial post‑qualification experience working with people with learning disabilities presenting significant behaviours of distress.
• Aptitude for systemic, multi‑disciplinary working.
• Skill and confidence in addressing the needs of people with learning disabilities who present significant behaviours of distress.
• Leadership experience providing supervision to qualified psychologists, multi‑disciplinary colleagues, and pre‑qualified team members.

NHS Lothian’s Learning Disability Psychology Service provides a friendly, supportive and stimulating environment in which to work. Staff within our service have a range of clinical interests reflecting a variety of theoretical and therapeutic orientations, and an emphasis is placed on good clinical supervision and support.

As from 1/4/26, the Agenda for Change full‑time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part‑time hours will be reduced pro‑rate. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long‑term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.

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.

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact us for an informal conversation to find out more about the service. For informal enquiries please contact Dr Reed Cappleman,…