Job Description

Main area

Principal Clinical Psychologist Mother and Baby Unit

Grade

Band 8b

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Part time - 30 hours per week

Job ref

373-SMH2470

Site

Seren Lodge Mother and Baby Unit

Town

Chester

Salary

64,455 - 74,896 per annum pro rata

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

21/10/2025 23:59

Job overview

Seren Lodge Mother and Baby Unit are seeking a Band 8b Principal Clinical Psychologist to join our newly formed team. The post holder will work on a Mother and Baby Unit, a specialist provision for women with mental health ill health during pregnancy and/or in the year after their baby is born. Patients in the postnatal period will have their babies with them during their time as an inpatient on the Mother and Baby Unit. Seren Lodge is an 8 bedded unit with 6 beds commissioned by NHS England for the women of Cheshire and Merseyside and 2 beds commissioned by NHS Wales for the women of North Wales. The Mother and Baby Unit will also accept referrals for out of area women when there are beds available.



The post is part time 30 hours per week.

Main duties of the job

To lead on the delivery of specialist clinical psychology services to patients on the Mother and Baby Unit



To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy/treatment and interventions.



To offer advice and consultation on clients' psychological care to multidisciplinary colleagues and to other, non-professional carers. To provide training, supervision and support to multidisciplinary colleagues.



To supervise trainees, assistants and other qualified psychological practitioners as agreed.



To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the Mother and Baby Unit.



To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development, and research.



To propose and implement policy changes within the area served by the service.

Working for our organisation

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.



Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you'll find something to suit you at CWP.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please download a copy of the job description (see 'documents to download' section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.



At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.



CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust's Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.



Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust's Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trust's Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.



An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: cwp.recruitment@nhs.net or by calling 01244 393100.



If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the 'essential' criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer 'YES' to the question: 'Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?'



Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.



The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.



Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of 16 per year applies.



New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.



Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.



Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon!

Person specification

#

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) HCPC registration Additional psychotherapy qualification relevant to working with adults with complex psychological and mental health difficulties

Desirable criteria

Post-graduate diploma in clinical neuropsychology #

Knowledge and Expertise

Essential criteria

Knowledge of and skills in working with people presenting with long standing and complex psychological and mental health difficulties Knowledge of and skills in conducting complex psychological assessment and intervention frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration Skills in completing neuropsychological and psychometric assessments, interpreting and reporting the results, and communicating this complex information sensitively and clearly Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex and/or clinically sensitive information to clients and professional colleagues within and outside the NHS Evidence of continual professional development Skills in providing consultation to other professionals and non-professional groups Evidence of supervisor training/qualification Experience of supervising Assistant Psychologists, other psychological practitioners and/or MDT colleagues in psychological approaches Experience of research, audit/service evaluation

Desirable criteria

Ability to provide psychological knowledge creatively in developing new initiatives Knowledge of legislation in relation to the population Formal leadership/management training #

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working as a clinical psychologist therapeutically with adult clients with varied complex, psychological and mental health difficulties Experience of working within uni and multi-disciplinary teams Experience of engaging and sustaining work with ambivalent clients Experience of exercising clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care Experience of providing teaching and training

Desirable criteria

Experience of liaison with other health professionals Evidence of contributing to policy and service development Experience of managing others
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.



Further details / informal visits contact

Name

Sarah Hull

Job title

Operational Lead for Perinatal Services

Email address

sarah.hull9@nhs.net

Telephone number

0151 488 8434

Additional information

Emily Astley - Consultant Psychologist, Perinatal Mental Health - emily.astley@nhs.net

If you consider yourself Neurodivergent and need help to complete your application form, please contact

cwp.recruitment@nhs.net

or telephone 01244 393100