Job summary
We are pleased to offer an opportunity for a dedicated individual to apply for this innovative role.
The Cancer Psychological Care Team provides specialist psychological assessment and interventions for patients, family members and carers. The service was originally established in 2019 as part of a fixed-term partnership project between King's College Hospital and Macmillan Cancer Support, with permanent status agreed in 2021. This enabled an increase in the number of psychology positions in the service structure and helped to secure the continued delivery of evidence-based psychological care for the future. The team does not only offer clinical services, but is involved in liaising with existing services in the community to help integrate secondary and primary care in order to better share resources and enable access to services in the most culturally and practically acceptable location for the population that we serve.
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Main duties of the job
The main objective of this post will be to support the provision of an integrated cancer psychological support service across KCH. The successful candidate will be responsible for (with appropriate clinical support) screening all new referrals that come into the service, managing our patient database and outcomes for the service, and working with the service lead to audit and evaluate service processes to ensure high quality care. There will be opportunities to support novel projects including educational workshops for patients with cancer and their carers, and work related to equality, diversity, and inclusion, as well as holding a small clinical caseload under supervision. The successful candidate will join a very friendly, supportive, and extremely compassionate team.
About us
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King's to another level.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To assist practitioner psychologists in the delivery of a specialist applied psychology service in cancer care. To provide clinical work as required by the service, under the clinical and professional supervision of a practitioner psychologist. To assist in clinical and service-related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching, group work, and project work. To ensure that systems are in place for the effective administration and management of the patient referral process. This will include providing key support for the collation and screening of new referrals, requesting additional referral information if required, presenting referrals in the teammeeting, providing necessary telephone triage, and managing outcomes. To attend and contribute to weekly service level meetings, and multi-disciplinary team meetings. To work at appropriate levels of independence, following clinical guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, and seeking help from clinical/professional supervisor or manager as required.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To assist practitioner psychologists in the delivery of a specialist applied psychology service in cancer care. To provide clinical work as required by the service, under the clinical and professional supervision of a practitioner psychologist. To assist in clinical and service-related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching, group work, and project work. To ensure that systems are in place for the effective administration and management of the patient referral process. This will include providing key support for the collation and screening of new referrals, requesting additional referral information if required, presenting referrals in the teammeeting, providing necessary telephone triage, and managing outcomes. To attend and contribute to weekly service level meetings, and multi-disciplinary team meetings. To work at appropriate levels of independence, following clinical guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, and seeking help from clinical/professional supervisor or manager as required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oA First-class or Upper-second-class Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology that is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society
Experience
Essential
- oSufficient post-graduate experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs to be able to work clinically without direct supervision.
- oPost-graduate experience of conducting research projects or audits.
- oExperience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience.
Desirable
- oPost-graduate experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs specifically related to cancer.
- oExperience of working in multidisciplinary teams with colleagues from a range of disciplines.
- oThe Trust encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do.
Knowledge
Essential
- oGraduate level knowledge of psychological research methodology and statistical analysis.
- oGood theoretical knowledge of the problems experienced by and needs of adults with cancer and of methods of assessment and treatment.
- oAwareness of racial and diversity issues through attendance of relevant training.
Skills
Essential
- oSkills in relevant psychological assessment and interventions that enable working independently as a pre-qualified practitioner with clinical supervision.
- oWell-developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, sensitive or contentious information to clients, families and colleagues.
- oConsultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups within own service.
- oSkills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
- oWell-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
Abilities
Essential
- oAbility to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- oAbility to identify and follow relevant clinical governance procedures.
- oAbility to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions.
- oAbility to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
- oAbility to communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information to people who may be aroused, or hostile to the information, or have severe impediments to understanding
- oAbility to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oA First-class or Upper-second-class Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology that is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society
Experience
Essential
- oSufficient post-graduate experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs to be able to work clinically without direct supervision.
- oPost-graduate experience of conducting research projects or audits.
- oExperience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience.
Desirable
- oPost-graduate experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs specifically related to cancer.
- oExperience of working in multidisciplinary teams with colleagues from a range of disciplines.
- oThe Trust encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do.
Knowledge
Essential
- oGraduate level knowledge of psychological research methodology and statistical analysis.
- oGood theoretical knowledge of the problems experienced by and needs of adults with cancer and of methods of assessment and treatment.
- oAwareness of racial and diversity issues through attendance of relevant training.
Skills
Essential
- oSkills in relevant psychological assessment and interventions that enable working independently as a pre-qualified practitioner with clinical supervision.
- oWell-developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, sensitive or contentious information to clients, families and colleagues.
- oConsultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups within own service.
- oSkills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
- oWell-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
Abilities
Essential
- oAbility to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
- oAbility to identify and follow relevant clinical governance procedures.
- oAbility to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions.
- oAbility to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
- oAbility to communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information to people who may be aroused, or hostile to the information, or have severe impediments to understanding
- oAbility to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self.
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).
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).
