NHS Orkney is committed to delivering excellent care to our 22,000 residents. Whether you’re new to the NHS or bringing experience from elsewhere, your skills will make a real difference.
Our modern healthcare facility, The Balfour, brings together inpatient care, emergency services, outpatient clinics, diagnostics, GP practices and the Scottish Ambulance Service. We’re also investing in services across our outer isles, ensuring high-quality care reaches every corner of Orkney.
We are guided by our core values that shape everything we do – Open and honest, Respect and Kindness – from how we care for our patients to how we support each other as colleagues.
With over 70 islands – 20 of them inhabited – Orkney offers a unique blend of natural beauty, close-knit community and an opportunity for adventure. From dramatic coastlines and rare wildlife to rich cultural traditions and active lifestyles, it’s a place where compassion thrives and every day brings something new. Regularly named one of the UK’s best places to live, Orkney offers a lifestyle that’s both fulfilling and inspiring.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and skilled Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to join our services across the Orkney and Shetland Islands. This is a unique and rewarding opportunity to contribute to the development of psychological services for children and young people in Shetland (1 day per week (0.2 wte) via Service Level Agreement) while also supporting and enhancing the established adult psychology service in Orkney (3 days per week).
The successful candidate will be part of NHS Orkney's psychological therapies team, undertaking psychological assessments and interventions across a diverse range of clinical presentations, working across different island health boards and specialties. The role also includes delivering training to multidisciplinary colleagues, contributing to clinical governance, and collaborating with key partners including Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland), and the Universities of Stirling, Dundee, and Edinburgh.
You will work closely within multidisciplinary teams, liaising with GPs, primary and secondary care services, and the voluntary sector. Given the nature of remote and rural practice, the role requires a broad and adaptable clinical skill set. With fewer options for onward referral, you will be expected to balance generalist and specialist expertise, while making effective use of support from mainland colleagues. We are committed to supporting professional development and welcome applicants who wish to develop specialist interests aligned with service needs.
This post will be based at The Balfour. We are keen to recruit a candidate who is interested in living in the Orkney Islands and embracing the unique lifestyle this offers. However, we recognise that permanent relocation may not be feasible for all applicants and can offer flexible and remote working arrangements. Candidates will be expected to travel to the Orkney Islands on a quarterly basis, with responsibility for their own travel and accommodation costs.
The successful candidate will work: Part Time 29.20 hours per week.
This post is Fixed-Term for 2 years due to funding.
It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with NHS Orkney.
Did you know NHS Scotland salaries are higher than those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland?
The salary for this post is Band 8b and if residing on Orkney, you’ll also receive a Distant Islands Allowance of £1,719 pro rata per annum, adding extra value to your rewarding career with us.
NHS Orkney also offers an attractive pension scheme, wide range of work life balance policies, employee assistance programme and various discounts to both local and national retailers.
If you share our vision and are ready to be part of Team Orkney, we’d love to hear from you. Your rewarding career starts here!
NHS Orkney is an equal opportunities employer committed to advancing equality and particularly welcomes applications from groups of people currently underrepresented within the workforce. We are a committed participant in the Disability Confident Leader Scheme and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for our vacancies.
This post is subject to a Disclosure Scotland check.