Principal Clinical Psychologist - Adult Inpatient East

Job summary
This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity to help make a real difference to adults in acute care mental health services in North Wales.

This senior post is to provide psychological input and oversight in acute care psychology services in Heddfan Psychiatric Unit, Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Core aims will be to provide psychological leadership for the continued development and delivery of a biopsychosocial MDT for acute care, MDT interventions within adult mental health inpatient settings, and to lead the provision of expert advice, consultation, training and supervision in psychological approaches within these settings with the acute care pathway in mind.

The post holder will provide psychological interventions, staff training, support and supervision within the acute care pathway and inpatient adult mental health units.

The post holder will also be required to provide direct expert psychological clinical input to service users and families.

The post holder will receive professional and line management support from within a friendly and growing AMH Clinical Psychology & Psychological Services Department.

There is the potential for this post to be combined with the concurrently advertised Older Adult Mental Health Acute Care Principal Clinical Psychologist posts. Please enquire if interested in this.

Main duties of the job

• To be an active and integrated member of the inpatient multidisciplinary mental health team.
• To provide a highly specialised clinical psychology service to clients of the sector, providing specialised psychological assessment and therapy to clients, and consultation to staff.
• To work autonomously in accordance with The British Psychological Society Code of Conduct, Ethical Principles and Guidelines 2004, and Health and Care Professions Council.
• To plan and provide individual, and group interventions, both directly and via the guidance of MDT members.
• To carry a specialist clinical psychology caseload of adult clients who present with complex mental health presentations and in an inpatient setting, including offering specialist neuropsychological assessments, formulation, individual and group interventions.
• To provide effective clinical leadership by demonstrating and promoting excellence in the provision of highly specialist assessment, formulation, evidence-based intervention and offer advice and consultation in complex clinical cases to other health professionals.
• To act as a highly specialist resource to the wider professional community.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

About us
If you relish a challenge, have a passion to help others or simply fancy a fresh start, then Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) North Wales, has all the right ingredients. The largest health organisation in Wales, providing a full range of primary, community, mental health, acute and elective hospital services for a population of around 700,000, across North Wales . Join our team and get the support you need, in line with our Organisational Values and 'Proud to Lead' competence framework.

Enjoy being part of working with engaged leadership at all levels, and be assured we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and are proud to welcome applicants under the "Disability Confident Employer" scheme.

Please check your email account regularly. Successful applicants will receive all recruitment related correspondence via the email account registered on the application form.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh. Applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Details
Date posted: 31 July 2026
Closing date: 16 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8b
Salary: £67,583 to £78,530 a year
per annum, pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 050-PST081-0626-C
Job locations: Heddfan Psychiatric Unit - Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, LL13 7TD, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.

Person Specification
Qualifications and/or Knowledge
Essential

• Good Honours degree in Psychology.
• Eligibility for British Psychological Society Chartered status.
• Post-graduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the British Psychological Society.
• Registration with Health and Care Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist.

Desirable

• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies, including neuropsychological assessment.

Experience
Essential

• Substantial assessed experience of working as a qualified and senior clinical psychologist, normally including significant post-qualification experience within the designated speciality where the post is located, or relevant transferable skills.
• Assessed experience of working effectively as a qualified and senior level clinical psychologist in the designated speciality, or relevant transferable skills. Demonstration of further specialist training/experience through having received extensive and demonstrable clinical supervision of working as a specialist Clinical Psychologist or an alternative agreed by the Director of Psychology.

Desirable

• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.

Aptitude and Abilities
Essential

• The ability to demonstrate a high level of competence to work within the designated speciality.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practised within clinical psychology.

Desirable

• Ability to speak Welsh.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship: Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Jean Ruddle
jean.ruddle@wales.nhs.uk