Job summary
- Main area
- Physical Health Psychology Services (Cancer)
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 437-7511217
- Employer
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Christie Hospital
- Town
- Manchester
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 29/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Highly Specialist Practitioner Psychologist (Cancer Care)
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Job overview
8A Practitioner Psychologist (0.8WTE)
Band 7 preceptorship may be available
We are excited to advertise this post within The Christie Hospital Psycho-Oncology department. This role would be suitable for applicants with previous experience of working within physical health settings (ideally cancer), but a preceptorship (commencing at Band 7) would be considered for less experienced candidates who have undertaken clinical roles in a relevant physical health setting (e.g. training placement during doctoral course).
You will join the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) supporting patients with cancer, and you will have support from a principal clinical psychologist already in post, as well as the support of other psycho-oncology team members. The role includes the possibility of training and supervision of non-psychology staff in screening for and working with emotional distress associated with living with and beyond cancer.
The role compromises direct clinical work, as well as MDT working and there will be opportunities to participate in system-level thinking and working around how to improve psychological aspects of cancer care across the Christie Hospital and Greater Manchester.
Main duties of the job
· Post-holder must be able to form and sustain good and collaborative working relationships, using skills for formulation to help inform patient care, as well as the MDT approach.
· Work flexibly and creatively with physical complexity, at times aligning therapeutic approach with other disciplines
· Direct and indirect working, as well as contributing directly into particular difficulties faced by groups of patients within the service as they arise.
· Ability to communicate and inform care beyond the immediate MDT to support patients in their pathways with other services (including mental health services) due to physical complexity/comorbidities.
· Opportunities for service evaluation/audit/research, which the team places value on
· The service also offers ‘in-house’ teaching/education sessions which the post-holder will be supported to attend and contribute to
Working for our organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Qualifications
Essential
Has required qualifications
Training
Essential
Has training in relevant evidence based psychological therapy following physical health difficulties.
Experience
Essential
Has experience of providing evidence based psychological therapies
Desirable
Experience of working within acute hospital environments and liaising with hospital staff/MDTs
Please see attached job description and person specification
Staff benefits
- Pay Enhancements:
Band |
Saturday (midnight to midnight) and any week day after 8pm and before 6am |
All time on Sundays and Public Holidays (midnight to midnight) |
1 |
Time plus 47% |
Time plus 94% |
2 |
Time plus 41% |
Time plus 83% |
3 |
Time plus 35% |
Time plus 69% |
4 – 9 |
Time plus 30% |
Time plus 60% |
- 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
- Excellent pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Salary sacrifice car scheme
- Wellbeing programme
- Blue Light Card Discounts
- fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- • Professional qualification in Clinical/Counselling/Health Psychology at doctoral level (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
- • Registration as a clinical/counselling/health psychologist with the HCPC
Desirable criteria
- • Training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological relevance (e.g. staff training, research methodology, and / or other fields of applied psychology)
Experience
Essential criteria
- • Experience of working with client groups in a physical health setting, presenting with the full range of clinical severity. This includes maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the possible threat of physical abuse. (less experienced candidates will be appointed at Band 7 and work towards 8A competencies)
- • Experience of working as a qualified clinical/counselling/health psychologist (less experienced candidates will be appointed at Band 7 and work towards 8A competencies)
- • Experience in the application of cognitive-behavioural approaches to clinical settings.
- • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care and treatment
- • Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
Desirable criteria
- • Experience of working within medical/surgical environments, delivering evidenced based psychological interventions to clients with physical health conditions such as Psycho-oncology.
- • Experience of providing supervision and training
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- • Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- • Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies
Desirable criteria
- • Knowledge of legislation in relation to clients of the Psycho-oncology service, and of relevant mental health legislation.
Skills
Essential criteria
- • 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 and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- • Ability to use own initiative and to work under supervision where appropriate
- • Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team and to liaise effectively with other professionals
Desirable criteria
- • Skills in providing consultation to other professionals and non-professional groups
Other
Essential criteria
- • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
Desirable criteria
- • Experience of working within a multicultural framework
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Colsom Bashir
- Job title
- Principal Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
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