257329 (PP) Head of Service

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.

AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application—but your answers must be your own.

• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
• Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers.
• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you—not an AI tool.

NHS Lothian

Post: Head of Service (pan-Lothian) and Consultant Applied Psychologist: Complex Physical and Mental Health

Band: 8D

Service: NHS Lothian Psychology Service

Hours and WTE: 0.8wte

Contract Type: Fixed Term (One year)

NHS Lothian Psychology Service is delighted to invite applicants for a one-year fixed term post (in the first instance) to join our senior management team as a Head of Service for Complex Physical and Mental Health with a portfolio of services and responsibilities to oversee that include, older adults, clinical health and neuropsychology. We also welcome secondments if you have the support of your NHS Board and line manager.

NHS Lothian is the second largest NHS Board in Scotland and has an excellent psychology service that spans in patients, outpatients, and complex care. You will be joining at an exciting time of change and service development. We are keen to find the right person who is experienced, dynamic and committed.

The Psychology Directorate is hosted within Royal Edinburgh and Associated Services and led by the Director of Psychology with a senior team who are committed to supporting and developing staff alongside quality improvement and other programmes that enhance the quality of care provided. The proposed base for this post is the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, with the option of hybrid working, but we are open to discussing this.

We welcome informal discussions or queries- please contact Dr Caroline Cochrane, Director of Psychology,

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.

Please note: we anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the vacancy early once a sufficient amount of applications are received.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.

This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.

Please note: As this post is part-time, the salary will be pro-rata.

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