Principal Practitioner Psychologist

We are delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for a permanent Principal Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical, Counselling, Forensic) to join our Oldham Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHTT), based at Royal Oldham Hospital.

This is a 0.8WTE Band 8b position, offering a key leadership role within our dynamic and supportive service. The vacancy comes at a time of significant new investment in the crisis pathway, supporting the transformation of our existing Home Treatment Teams into CRHTTs. The successful candidate will join a 0.8WTE Highly Specialist Psychologist as part of expanding psychology provision.

Our CRHTT provides intensive home‑based assessment, intervention, and support as an alternative to hospital admission. The team works with adults experiencing acute mental health crisis, often presenting with high levels of distress, risk, and complexity. The service plays a crucial role in admission avoidance, early intervention, and supporting safe discharge from inpatient care.

The successful candidates will join committed and experienced MDTs, working closely with medical, nursing, OT, and support staff to deliver psychologically informed crisis care.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to a growing and evolving service, influence the development of psychologically informed crisis pathways, and make a meaningful difference to service users and their families during some of the most challenging moments in their lives.

As outlined in the job description, the main duties of the job include:

• To provide consultation and formulation to colleagues within the CRHTT.
• To provide a qualified specialist psychology service for people referred to the CRHTT care pathway.
• To provide specialist assessment, formulation and interventions for a clinical caseload.
• To provide psychological leadership to the CRHTT care pathway and work systemically across services (e.g., acute services and secondary care) to develop a psychological understanding and context for other professionals, service users and carers.
• To lead the psychological CRHTT provision within borough and support the Trust wide acute pathway when needed, to help ensure equity in provision and service.
• The post holder will propose and implement evidence-based practice, utilising research skills for audit and service developments.
• The post holder will enhance psychological understanding and skill set through the delivery of training, supervision and reflective practice. This will include within the current CRHTT team but also making links with local universities and providing placements for trainee Psychologists.
• To be an integral part of local and national initiatives to improve care quality. For example (but not limited to) inpatient transformation, community transformation care in the community and reducing admissions.

Our acute pathway provides an evidence-based, high quality service across adult acute wards, PICUs, Home Treatment Teams and Mental Health Liaison Teams covering half of Greater Manchester. The Trustwide acute psychology team meets regularly for team meetings, CPD and facilitated reflective group and has leadership from a Clinical Lead.

We are passionate about staff well-being and compassionate leadership. Our staff survey results support this. In the latest national NHS Staff Survey (2024) Pennine Care was ranked as the best mental health and learning disability trust in the North.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the top of our agenda. We know a diverse, inclusive and engaged culture is vital; that everyone's value should be recognised and respected.

We support staff to work flexibly and recognise and respect the roles our colleagues hold outside of working hours. This focus helps us to retain staff and ensure people are happy in their place of work.

If you come and work for us we offer a range of benefits and opportunities, including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement for Agenda for Change staff.
• Involvement in improvement and research activities
• Health and Wellbeing activities and access to an excellent staff wellbeing service
• Access to staff discounts across retail, leisure and travel

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Dr Sarah McHale Job title: Consultant Clinical Psychologist Email address: ***email_hidden***