Job summary
Position One: A part-time substantive position 22.5 hours a week (0.6wte).
Position Two: A part -time fixed-term position 22.5 hours a week (0.6wte) for 9 months (maternity leave cover)
Do you want to contribute to trauma-informed service developments and have a passion for physical health work?
Would you like to share your psychological knowledge and skills to enhance and optimise the holistic interventions with patients on our Critical Care Unit?
If you answer yes to any of the above and your curiosity is sparked, we welcome you to apply for our Band 8A Clinical/Counselling Psychology roles.
Following successful investment for enhancement in staffing at the Critical Care Unit (CCU) at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT), we are seeking substantive and maternity leave cover to co-produce and deliver the psychological remit with the Critical Care team. The post holders will be integrated within CCU and the broader Department of Clinical Health Psychology to shape psychological provision for patients, their families, and staff. This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate and add psychological value for our Cornwall patients within our Acute Medical Setting.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be involved in developing care for inpatients and their families either through direct care provision and/or the development of systemic ways of working that support psychologically informed care. A proportion of time will also be given to developing the support needed for patients and their families during "stepped down" care to wards within the hospital. It is expected that after review in the follow-up clinic, a small number of patients may require outpatient psychology follow-up and suitable clinic space will be provided external to the CCU in The Lighthouse, which is the clinic base for the Clinical Health Psychology Department. The post-holder will also work with staff to co-facilitate a reflective space for support and learning.
Working for your organisation
This is a varied and exciting position within a positive and proactive Critical Care multi-disciplinary team and a forward-thinking Clinical Health Psychology Department. Both departments seek to embody the RCHT Trust values.
About us
The CCU at RCHT is a mixed unit, currently staffed for 9 Level 2 beds and 6 Level 3 beds. Around 1000 patients are admitted per year from all specialty areas, although patients requiring tertiary paediatric, cardiothoracic, or neurosurgical critical care are transferred for continued medical treatment. The average unit length of stay is 4 days; however, a significant number of patients require CCU care for many weeks. There is a Critical Care Outreach Team which supports patients as their care is "stepped down" to wards and a follow-up clinic is already well established to assist patients in adjusting to their CCU experience.
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust is a non-smoking organisation. Smoking will not be permitted on any of the sites by staff in trust uniform and/or wearing a trust identification badge in any location, in vehicles owned or leased by the Trust or in the homes (including gardens) of any patients visited at home.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide specialist psychological assessments and formulations for patients referred requiring the analysis, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including clinical case notes, psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the patients care.
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patients psychological and mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
To be responsible for implementing a range of specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams. This will involve adjusting and refining psychological formulations while drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide specialist psychological assessments and formulations for patients referred requiring the analysis, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including clinical case notes, psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the patients care.
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patients psychological and mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
To be responsible for implementing a range of specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams. This will involve adjusting and refining psychological formulations while drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Eligibility for registration as a Practitioner Psychologist with the HCPC.
- Post-doctoral training in psychological management of patients with physical health difficulties.
Desirable
- Other related academic qualifications to Masters or Doctoral level.
- Clinical supervision training for Doctoral Trainees.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a qualified Clinical/Counselling Psychologist.
- Well established interest in working within a clinical health psychology service.
- Experience of working with people with a range of physical health difficulties in both acute inpatient and outpatient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups, across the whole life course and presenting the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, in-patient and residential care settings and with experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for patients' psychological care and treatment.
- Experience of teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision.
- Experience of working with a degree of autonomy within the professional guidelines of the British Psychological Society and the Division of Clinical Psychology.
Desirable
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of designing and implementing a new clinical service.
- Experience of working clinically in a Critical Care environment
- Experience of providing staff reflective practice
- Experience of developing intervention programmes.
- Experience of conducting service evaluation/audit.
- Experience of working clinically in highly pressured clinical environments
- Experience of enabling patients whose communication may be compromised to engage in meaningful psychological interventions in a challenging ward environment
Practical and Intellectual Skills (including specific knowledge)
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical/counselling psychology including highly developed knowledge of models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and two or more distinct psychological therapies
- Highly developed skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- A high level of communication skills in order to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and a wider range of lay and professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to analyse highly complex information in which expert opinion may differ to allow the formulation of an appropriate treatment plan.
- Skills in the ability to organise ongoing and complex activities including managing own caseload and contributing to care co-ordination requirements.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical/counselling psychology.
- Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the patient group.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the British Psychological Society (BPS)/ HCPC.
Desirable
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of clinical health psychology.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in the intervention of people who have complex physical health problems.
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
Personal
Essential
- Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical/counselling psychology services within the context of services across physical health presentations.
- Ability to contain, manage and work with organisational stress and the ability to "contain" the stress of others.
Desirable
- A commitment to the evaluation of services, enthusiasm for both multi-professional and uni-professional service delivery and audit. A wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area
Other
Essential
- Ability to identify provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations.
- Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of the clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Ability to develop and use complex multimedia materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
Desirable
- Record of having published in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books.
- Valid driving licence.
Training
Essential
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Eligibility for registration as a Practitioner Psychologist with the HCPC.
- Post-doctoral training in psychological management of patients with physical health difficulties.
Desirable
- Other related academic qualifications to Masters or Doctoral level.
- Clinical supervision training for Doctoral Trainees.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a qualified Clinical/Counselling Psychologist.
- Well established interest in working within a clinical health psychology service.
- Experience of working with people with a range of physical health difficulties in both acute inpatient and outpatient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups, across the whole life course and presenting the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, in-patient and residential care settings and with experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for patients' psychological care and treatment.
- Experience of teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision.
- Experience of working with a degree of autonomy within the professional guidelines of the British Psychological Society and the Division of Clinical Psychology.
Desirable
- Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
- Experience of designing and implementing a new clinical service.
- Experience of working clinically in a Critical Care environment
- Experience of providing staff reflective practice
- Experience of developing intervention programmes.
- Experience of conducting service evaluation/audit.
- Experience of working clinically in highly pressured clinical environments
- Experience of enabling patients whose communication may be compromised to engage in meaningful psychological interventions in a challenging ward environment
Practical and Intellectual Skills (including specific knowledge)
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical/counselling psychology including highly developed knowledge of models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and two or more distinct psychological therapies
- Highly developed skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- A high level of communication skills in order to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and a wider range of lay and professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to analyse highly complex information in which expert opinion may differ to allow the formulation of an appropriate treatment plan.
- Skills in the ability to organise ongoing and complex activities including managing own caseload and contributing to care co-ordination requirements.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical/counselling psychology.
- Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the patient group.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the British Psychological Society (BPS)/ HCPC.
Desirable
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of clinical health psychology.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in the intervention of people who have complex physical health problems.
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
Personal
Essential
- Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical/counselling psychology services within the context of services across physical health presentations.
- Ability to contain, manage and work with organisational stress and the ability to "contain" the stress of others.
Desirable
- A commitment to the evaluation of services, enthusiasm for both multi-professional and uni-professional service delivery and audit. A wish to continue to develop expertise in the service area
Other
Essential
- Ability to identify provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations.
- Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of the clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Ability to develop and use complex multimedia materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.
Desirable
- Record of having published in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books.
- Valid driving licence.
Training
Essential
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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