Principal Clinical Psychologist

Principal Clinical Psychologist

AfC Band 8B (pro rata) plus a High Secure Environmental Allowance of £1,818.72 per annum (pro rata) and a High Secure Clinical Responsibility Allowance of £4,365.11 per annum (pro rata)

Hours - 25.2

Contract Duration – Permanent

The State Hospital Psychology Department is pleased to be able to advertise for a permanent Principal Clinical Psychologist band 8B to join its highly motivated team. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a unique environment.

The State Hospital provides high secure care for patients from Scotland and Northern Ireland. Our vision is to excel in the provision of high secure forensic mental health services, to develop and support the work of the Forensic Network, and to strive at being an exemplar employer.

The psychology department delivers high quality psychological assessments and comprehensive risk assessments as well as delivering a range of individual and group psychological interventions across four service areas. These posts will provide input to patients with a range of mental disorders including Intellectual Disabilities. The team work closely with colleagues from other disciplines and the postholder will work both as part of a clinical team but will also have the opportunity to have additional hospital wide areas of work.

The postholder will also have an opportunity to be involved in delivering training, offering supervision and reflective practice, offering consultancy to colleagues and both using and sharing their research expertise with others across the hospital site. Due to being a national service the post comes with opportunities that may not be available in other Health Boards.

There are close links with stakeholder services including the East of Scotland Clinical Psychology Training course, Medium and Low secure forensic services as well as the other UK High Secure Hospitals. We are pleased to have close links with the Forensic Network and support the work that they do across the country which also provides additional opportunities. The service is committed to supporting and developing its staff team.

The closing date for applications is 11.59pm on Thursday 20th August 2026. For an informal discussion please contact Allan Thomson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist on ext. 2059 or email allan.thomson4t.

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. NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society. It should be noted that the State Hospital is a high secure hospital and the current organisational position based on a risk assessment is that we welcome applications from people under the age of 18 for non clinical roles however to be eligible for a clinical role applicants should be 18 years and older.

Should you have any questions in relation to this please contact TSH.Jobst.

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. As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check this entitlement to work in the UK.

It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa, and settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, and if you can demonstrate such cover, please refer to the  website here. For specific types of post, it might be possible to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa.

However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be foundhere. Please note that the State Hospital is NOT licensed to issue certificates of sponsorship under current UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) regulations. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship to work with us.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you have an appropriate right to work in the UK BEFORE applying.

Candidates should provide responses that are accurate, authentic, and reflective of their own knowledge, skills, and experience. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) or other tools to assist in drafting responses is permitted, provided that all information is factual, verifiable, and can be supported by evidence if requested. By submitting your application, you confirm that your answers are truthful and represent your personal experience.

Any misleading or fabricated content may result in your application being withdrawn from the recruitment process.