NHS Education for Scotland
A skilled and sustainable workforce for a healthier Scotland
NHS Education for Scotland
A skilled and sustainable workforce for a healthier Scotland
Trainees are jointly matriculated with education partners and employed by Health Boards in NHS Scotland. Trainees deliver clinical services throughout their training.
All psychology programmes are subject to NES educational governance policies and procedures. We gather data to track our trainees into the workforce. Attrition from clinical psychology training is very low (<5%) and retention in the NHS Scotland workforce is very high (average of 88% since 2003).
A joint initiative between the Scottish Executive Health Department, NHS Education for Scotland and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in Scotland brought together a working group of stakeholders in post-graduate education and training for Clinical Psychologists and Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology, respectively, in NHS Scotland.
The tasks of the group were:
The working group produced a benchmark document which following a period of consultation has now been published. Currently the document can be accessed via the QAA.
Important to note: In response to the consultation the working group proposed an amendment to the working title for the Masters level training.
Currently there are two clinical psychology programmes in Scotland at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh.
These programmes combine placement experience (as NHS employees) in one of the 14 health boards across NHS Scotland, teaching and research over the course of study to allow trainees develop to core competencies in clinical psychology.
Both of these courses are approved by Health and Care Professions Council and represent the highest level of training in Clinical Psychology. There are currently 200 trainees. Recent developments include the design of aligned training pathways to reflect particular needs in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Older Adult and Forensic services.
NES employs clinical tutors and funds local tutors to work alongside academic staff to support the delivery of the clinical practice elements of training in NHS Boards. Trainees deliver clinical services throughout their training.
Application processes for both clinical programmes are co-ordinated by the UK clearing house.
University of Glasgow Clinical Psychology Programme
University of Edinburgh Clinical Psychology Programme
NES, in partnership with Health Boards in Scotland, funds Trainee Health Psychologists to apply specific skills and expertise to support NHS Scotland to meet its health improvement targets.
These are two-year fixed term posts designed to allow the Trainee Health Psychologists’ successful completion of the British Psychological Society’s Stage 2 Training while employed by the NHS to undertake a programme of approved work.
The application phase for the 2023 intake is now closed. The applications for the 2024 intake will open Winter 2023 with a view to trainees starting around the middle of April 2024. Further information will be added here in mid December 2023.
Additional Information
The NES Health Psychology Stage 2 Training Programme
To radically improve the health of people in Scotland we need to understand and change the environmental, socio-economic and individual causes of poor health. Promoting effective, evidence-based delivery of health care, and supporting people to adopt healthy behaviours is a crucial part of the Scottish Government's health improvement strategy.
A Health Psychologist has high level competencies in research, delivery of interventions, consultancy, teaching and training, and generic professional skills.
These competencies are acquired during Stage 2 training, including:
NES recognises the importance of adding Health Psychology to the NHS skill mix in Scotland
by supporting training posts. Since 2007 NES has jointly funded (with NHS Health Boards) 2
year training posts for over 50 trainee health psychologists in NHS Health Boards in Scotland.
The projects undertaken can be grouped into several areas:
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has funded a new cohort through the Human Development Scotland Professional Clinical Doctorate programme which commenced in September 2017, with places across the NHS Boards in Scotland. It's a four year, full-time course to clinical qualification with further time needed to complete the doctoral thesis.
In January 2005 a new 1-year Master's level programme in Psychology Therapy in Primary Care commenced, jointly run by the Universities of Stirling and Dundee. Trainees are employed in NHS Boards and provide clinical services as part of supervised practice during training. These courses focus on the development of competences relating to a specific area of focus. Graduates can therefore enter the workforce quickly and respond to pressing service demands (e.g. support for NHS Boards to meet the CAMHS and Psychological Therapies Local Delivery Plan Access Standards (LDPAS)).
Further information can be found on the University of Dundee course website.
An additional Masters programme in Applied Psychology for Children and Young People was commissioned by NES in 2007 at the University of Edinburgh. Trainees are employed in NHS Boards and provide clinical services as part of supervised practice during training. These courses focus on the development of competences relating to a specific area of focus. Graduates can therefore enter the workforce quickly and respond to pressing service demands (e.g. support for NHS Boards to meet the CAMHS and Psychological Therapies Local Delivery Plan Access Standards (LDPAS)).
Further information can be found on the University of Edinburgh course website.
The Enhanced Psychological Practice (EPP) programme is a new post-graduate certificate level education programme that has been developed to enable staff to deliver high-quality, evidence-based psychological interventions for mild to moderate difficulties in a way that can be efficiently brought to scale. This approach aims to make effective use of the large cohorts of graduates in Psychology to deliver and support, under supervision, brief, outcome-focused, evidence-based interventions at the Enhanced level of practice. Within the Enhanced Psychological Practice Programme, there are two courses; one which focuses on practitioners working with Adults (EPP-A), and a course targeted at practitioners working with Children, Young People and their Families (EPP-CYP), with each course having modules related to their specific target population. Both courses are jointly accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES).
Entry requirements
Applications for the April 2024 intake are now open. Further details including a comprehensive candidate information pack can be found within the adverts, linked below:
EPP Adult - apply here
EPP CYP - apply here
Additionally, the University of Glasgow is also running a post-qualification course in Clinical Neuropsychology, offered as a postgraduate diploma or MSc as well as an option for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The programme provides clinical psychologists with specialist knowledge in the area of clinical neuropsychology and covers the underpinning knowledge syllabus of the British Psychological Society Division of Neuropsychology Practitioner Full Membership Qualification (PFMQ). These skills are required for working as part of multidisciplinary teams for people with acquired brain injuries, epilepsy, dementia and other neurological conditions.
Further information can be found on the postgraduate diploma, MSc and CPD sessions/modules at The University of Glasgow website.
Building on the fundamental skills, models and ideas delivered in the Generic Supervision Course (GSC), the Clinical Psychology Supervision Module was developed to support supervisors of Clinical Psychology Trainees to deliver these skills effectively within their professional context. In line with HPC/BPS accreditation of both the University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and the professional demands on the trainees, additional elements such as evaluation of professional competence, placement development, contracting within the educational placement are covered.
One of the main objectives was to develop an integrated and developmental approach to supervision, which helps move the profession as a whole toward improved (and evidenced) quality training. In partnership with relevant pre and post registration agencies we have developed a curriculum that considers the experiences of the trainees and supervisors, while contributing to the development of both.
In line with NES' partnership approach, development has involved the relevant pre and post registration agencies with a view to creating a product which is cohesive, relevant and fit for purpose (for Boards, HEIs and participants) and ensures equity of access to quality supervision for trainees. Ultimately the aim is to ensure quality of training, service and patient safety through the training period and beyond and this is achieved by supporting high quality, evidence based supervision which creates a positive, open and constructive learning environment.
The module is designed to be delivered in Health Boards jointly by Local Area Tutors and Clinical Tutors, which allows discussion to be firmly anchored in local systems and polices. Over a two day period, new supervisors will discuss:
The module is generally experiential and reflective in nature. A number of new multimedia resources have been developed to allow rehearsal of evaluation and feedback and to stimulate discussion around professional and ethical issues.
Last updated: 21/11/2023