Closing date: 19 November 2026
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum
Band: Band 7
Contract: Fixed term, 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Location: Bowmere Hospital, Countess of Chester Health Park, Chester, CH2 1BQ

Job summary
An opportunity has arisen for a secondment for 12 months as a clinical lead for West Complex Needs Service. The proposed start date is January 2027 to cover Maternity Leave. The Complex Needs Service plays a key role in delivering mental health care for adults with personality-based difficulties and complex trauma. The post-holder will be part of a leadership team that helps co-ordinate and implement direct and indirect psychological care to our client group, whilst also helping to support the wider system that works with our clients.

CNS West offer a range of psychological therapies including Structured Clinical Management, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Mentalisation Based Therapy. We would welcome applications from candidates with previous experience in evidence based psychological models for the treatment of complex emotional needs and experience of working with high levels of relational trauma. We have an experienced DBT consult and SCM Supervision and the successful applicant would form part of these spaces depending on their training in a model.

Main duties of the job
Support the leadership team in supervision of band 6 practitioners and support worker, offer direct clinical work, support the training offer for personality disorder, chair referrals meetings, support staff with patients who are presenting in crisis, undertake assessments for patients who have been referred to CNS, link in with our wider teams to think about referrals to CNS.

We are keen to recruit someone with experience, specialist knowledge and skills of working with personality based difficulties and complex trauma. We also value leadership skills and the ability to develop innovative practice and play a role in service development.

About us
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.

Job responsibilities
Please download a copy of the job description 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 Trusts 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 Trusts 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 Trusts Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.

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 £15 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.

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Essential: A relevant Social Work, Nursing or Allied Health Professional (e.g. Occupational Therapy) degree level qualification or equivalent experience
• Essential: Current registration with a nationally recognised professional body relevant to the professional qualification held e.g. GSCC for Social workers, HPC for Occupational Therapists etc
• Essential: Minimum 5 years post registration experience
• Desirable: Masters level qualification or equivalent short courses and/or experience
• Desirable: Teaching qualification or significant experience

Knowledge & Expertise

• Essential: Excellent communication skills: working with staff, working with patients and carers, working with general practice, presentations, written reports, understanding and ability to interpret, research and facilitate staff to implement evidence-based practice
• Essential: Proven ability to challenge current practices and freedom to make change in light of evidence-based recommendations
• Essential: Knowledge, understanding and the ability to interpret and implement local and national policy direction relevant to practice
• Essential: Proven experience of clinical audit, skill and knowledge required to facilitate staff to undertake clinical audit
• Essential: Knowledge and experience of moving staff through the change management process
• Essential: Empowering staff to manage and support change
• Essential: Demonstrable effective clinical leadership with knowledge, understanding and application of leadership theories
• Essential: Relevant clinical expertise to support and facilitate clinical development and innovation
• Essential: Evidence of sound information technology skills

Experience

• Essential: Experience in the development of professional roles
• Essential: Successfully managed projects that demonstrate ability to communicate and implement change
• Essential: Demonstrable and proven understanding and experience of the clinical and corporate governance agenda
• Essential: Knowledge and experience of facilitation of reflective practice for staff and personal reflective practice
• Essential: Demonstrable ability and experience in motivating and empowering others to change roles and in leading practice development

Trust values

• Essential: Demonstrate alignment with Trust Values (6 C's: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)

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 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.

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

Employer details
Employer name: Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Bowmere Hospital, Countess of Chester Health Park, Chester, CH2 1BQ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.cwp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/

For questions about the job, contact: Team Manager Melanie Jones, melanie.jones27@nhs.net, 01244393300

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