Job summary
- Main area
- Psychology
- Grade
- Band 8C
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 18.75 hours per week
- Job ref
- 287-BSUR-9-26
- Employer
- Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Broadgreen Hospital
- Town
- Liverpool
- Salary
- £79,504 - £91,609 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 02/07/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Band 8C
Job overview
We are seeking an energetic, thoughtful and experienced Practitioner Psychologist to join our well-established pain psychology team.
This is a varied role, including therapy with individuals who have very complex needs, co-facilitation of groups, supervision of more junior psychologists and consultation to the wider multi-disciplinary pain team.
Main duties of the job
To provide psychological leadership for the development and systematic provision of high quality specialist psychological care within the pain service.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the pain service.
To formulate, implement and supervise psychological interventions with patients, carers, families and groups, based upon appropriate conceptual frameworks and sound evidence.
To lead on the development and operationalisation of best practice in psychology throughout the pain service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflective scientist practitioner and leader, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with, and up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to psychological aspects of pain.
To provide teaching and training on psychological interventions and aspects of care for other staff within the pain service and to ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of all psychological intervention and care within the service.
To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance, consultation, supervision and training to other professionals working within the pain service.
Working for our organisation
NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) was formed on 1 November 2024, born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our communities.
We are one of the largest employers in region, with over 18,900 colleagues who are dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.
For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services that extend to more than two million people in the North West.
We operate from five hospital sites: Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside, and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to several elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital provide specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and respiratory medicine, both in the hospital and out in the community. Liverpool Women’s Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single en-suite bedrooms and mainly focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For full details, please refer to the attached job description
To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all patients under the care of the pain service.
To provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of patients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and neuropsychological) tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the person's care.
To formulate plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of patients' needs, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of their problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for patients, carers, families and groups (as appropriate), employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning psychosocial, historical and developmental processes.
To act as an educational resource to staff in the service and referring agencies about psychological aspects of chronic pain, coping and adjustment and to help ensure that appropriate services are provided in accordance with best practice.
To provide specialist psychological advice, consultation, supervision and training to staff working with people with chronic pain, people with chronic pain themselves, their families and others, across a range of agencies and settings where appropriate.
Overall responsibility for psychology service development and delivery in the pain service.
As the lead psychologist, to develop a high quality, responsive and accessible psychology service for patients, their carers and families, including advising both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and organisation matters need addressing.
To exercise delegated responsibility for managing the resources available to the service in terms of staff time and physical assets.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Good honours degree in Psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
- Post graduate doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or it's equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS
- Registered with HCPC
Desirable criteria
- Recognised post-qualification training and experience in at least one therapeutic orientation
- Recognised clinical supervision training/qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable experience as a qualified clinical psychologist, including substantial post-qualification experience within physical healthcare settings
- Evidence of clinical psychological assessments and interventions for a range of clients presenting with physical problems across a range of settings
- Experience of working with people with chronic pain
- Eligibility for Consultant appointment from an external British Psychological Society approved assessor
- Evidence of clinical psychological research interest and experience in physical healthcare settings
- Experience of clinical supervision of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists
- Experience of multi-agency working
- Experience of strategic planning and service development
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working within multicultural settings
- Management supervison and experience
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Advanced knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological interventions for patients and their families, carers and medical teams
- Evidence of continuing professional development, as recommended by the BPS
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice in relation to people with physical and mental health needs
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, research design and complex data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
Skills
Essential criteria
- Able to demonstrate critical reasoning skills, to question received wisdom and arrive at sound judgements, where information is not available and expert opinion may differ
- Ability to think strategically, to retain the wider picture and create a viable vision, to demonstrate critical reasoning, to question received wisdom and arrive at sound judgements
- I.T familiarity with computer use including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Highly developed presentation and teaching skills to a wide range of health care professionals. Ability to use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public
- Able to work at a high level of professional autonomy and responsibility in a collaborative multi-disciplinary environment
- Able to lead and manage change at a senior level through influence and persuasion, without direct management authority
- Effective communication of highly complex, contentious, delicate and often unwelcome information to patients, families and colleagues within a highly emotive atmosphere
Desirable criteria
- Record of having published in peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books
- Ability to manage and develop psychological services to medical and surgical patients generally, to be a resource and consultant to managers who are required to implement Trust polices and national guidance across the Trust
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Jane Hutton
- Job title
- Trust Lead for Psychology
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07971 176603
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
L9 7AL
- Telephone
- 0151 706 4666
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