Job Advert
Job Advert Information
0.8 WTE 8B – Older Adult Psychology Department
We are seeking a dynamic individual to provide clinical leadership and clinical psychology expertise to a newly established multidisciplinary Enhanced Dementia Support Service for adults living with dementia who present with complex psychological needs or distressed behaviour.
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the direction of community services and the contribution of psychology within the wider older people’s mental health system. Supported by the Lead Consultant for Older Adult Psychology and Service Manager for Older People’s Mental Health, the post holder will have responsibility for day to day management of the multidisciplinary service, including referral management, workload allocation, clinical governance, service development, and evaluation, audit and research. The post holder will also be required to provide clinical supervision to the multidisciplinary team and will hold line management responsibility for psychology staff. The multidisciplinary service will be active in the design and delivery of education and training initiatives to support dissemination of knowledge and improved confidence and competence in supporting people living dementia, including those who experience distress. Clinically, the work of the team will focus on systemic interventions to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia and their carers, however opportunities to hold a wider community caseload including one to one psychological therapy interventions and neuropsychological assessment may be available. The ability to establish strong and supportive working relationships with colleagues across the health and social care system will be essential in this post.
The Older People’s Psychology Service consists of a supportive team of 7 qualified Clinical Psychologists and 2 Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology who are committed to improving the mental health and wellbeing needs of older people and people living with dementia living in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray. Existing staff are skilled in a range of psychological models including CBT and Third Wave approaches, IPT, Schema Therapy, EMDR and systemic approaches. There are regular staff meetings, individual and peer supervision, and CPD is supported.
There are close links with the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology course within Edinburgh University and the service routinely provides core and specialist placements for trainees completing this course.
The main base will be within Glen O’Dee Hospital in Banchory, however the post holder will be required to work across teams within Grampian (including on site at Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen) supporting and developing a tiered psychology service for older people and people living with dementia.
Up to 29.6 hours per week are available for this post, with the possibility of increasing this to 37 hour per week to support 0.2WTE within the wider Older Adult Psychology Service. Flexible working arrangements may be considered.
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 15th April 2026 via Microsoft Teams.
Further information about this post may be obtained from Dr Victoria Thomson, Lead Consultant for Older Adult Psychology on Tel: 01224 557497 or Email: victoria.thomson@nhs.scot
NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
As from 1/4/26, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro-rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.
AI-generated content for the completion of Supporting Statements may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description. Personalisation is essential to convey individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively.
As a disability confident employer we are committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible to all. If you need us to make any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know by contacting our recruitment team at the earliest opportunity. Email us at gram.recruitment@nhs.scot.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend the interview in person. Alternative arrangements or adjustments will be considered in the event there are circumstances that may prevent candidates attending in person to ensure it is inclusive and accessible to all.
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**Please note - If this post operates within Aberdeen City Low Emission Zone, you will be responsible for all costs associated with entering.**
NHS Grampian forms one of the fourteen regional health boards of NHS Scotland and is responsible for providing health and social care services to a population of over 500,000 people living in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
As a board we strive to ensure the environment is conducive to nurturing a positive culture, supported and delivered through our NHS and Social Care values.
