According to Unite, 77 newly qualified clinical psychologists in the North West would face the prospect of unemployment or leaving the NHS for private practice in the next month.
Dr John Mulligan, a clinical psychologist who is a Manchester Unite rep told BBC North West Tonight: “Manchester has a very, very poor offer for patients in terms of community services.
“We need investment, we need staff and sadly they’ve invested in all these clinical psychologists but they now haven’t got the actual jobs to employ them and they’re now going to have to go straight into private practice.
“So we’ve used NHS public money to support the private health care industry.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “While local recruitment decisions remain the responsibility of NHS trusts, this year has seen continued growth in the wider NHS workforce.”
As of May 2026, they added, there were “200 more clinical psychologists employed by NHS trusts and integrated care boards in England than the previous year”.
The department said this represented a 15% rise over the past five years.
When contacted for comment by the BBC, the NHS pointed to the statement from the Department of Health and Social Care.