Job summary
We welcome applicants who are newly qualified or are approaching qualification who are enthusiastic and dedicated to working in this field, with or without prior experience in secure or forensic services.
Oxleas Forensic Psychological Therapies department is an unusually large, long established and nationally well-regarded specialty. Psychological therapists are highly valued within the wider directorate and trust and occupy a variety of service-wide leadership roles, including as Responsible Clinicians. Staff in the Forensic Directorate report the highest levels of job satisfaction in a Trust recognised for positive employee feedback. The Psychological Therapies team is warm and friendly, whilst also being dynamic and innovative.
Within the psychological therapies department, there is a focus on attachment, trauma and systemic approaches with expert supervision available for several evidence-based therapy modalities such Mentalisation based Therapy (MBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation therapy (EMDR).
This post is primarily based within HMP Exeter, HMP Channings Wood and HMP Dartmoor
The postholder will supervise pre-qualified psychological therapists including assistant psychologists, students and trainees.
Main duties of the job
- To provide direct psychological care (assessment and intervention) and support the delivery of psychologically informed care by all disciplines within the service.
- To provide highly specialist psychological therapy assessments, formulations and interventions.
- To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of community clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans, including taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans with input from clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved in the network of care.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological therapy interventions with service suers, carers or families of referred clients when required.
- To communicate, in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, to clients, family carers and others as appropriate, information that may be contentious or highly distressing concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care.
- To produce reports on clients, in a timely manner, that convey the key findings of psychological assessment and formulation and treatment outcome in a way that does justice to the complexity of the problems described, but that are understandable to the recipients of the reports, including clients and referrers.
About us
Oxleas - About Us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people living in South East London and Kent and to people in prison. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,000 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, children's centres, schools and people's homes. We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations across the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent and manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital in Woolwich as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are one of the largest providers of prison health services providing healthcare to prisoners across Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
To engage in service improvements through audits and quality improvement initiatives.
- To ensure the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
- Advise professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
- To participate in Trust and Directorate strategic development and implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines), including through membership of committees and/or working parties.
- Apply clinical governance standards within the service and ensure that these are maintained and improved.
- Provide high quality services that are managed efficiently, according to the overall requirements of the Trust, NHS and government guidance and standards.
- Participate in service outcome monitoring.
KR 4 Management and supervision
- To provide line management to designated assistant psychologists.
- Provide supervision to students and trainees and to multi-disciplinary colleagues delivering psychological interventions.
- To support recruitment of assistant psychologists to the service.
- For those line managing, to ensure local standards are implemented for the allocation and review of work, job planning, review of performance, sickness management and initial stages of grievance or disciplinary action.
- To oversee quality line management and supervision within the team structure, ensuring that staff and trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to health care, and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.
- To provide highly specialist advice, consultation and training of staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate. This may include work with the Criminal Justice System and Childrens Services.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To engage in service improvements through audits and quality improvement initiatives.
- To ensure the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
- Advise professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
- To participate in Trust and Directorate strategic development and implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines), including through membership of committees and/or working parties.
- Apply clinical governance standards within the service and ensure that these are maintained and improved.
- Provide high quality services that are managed efficiently, according to the overall requirements of the Trust, NHS and government guidance and standards.
- Participate in service outcome monitoring.
KR 4 Management and supervision
- To provide line management to designated assistant psychologists.
- Provide supervision to students and trainees and to multi-disciplinary colleagues delivering psychological interventions.
- To support recruitment of assistant psychologists to the service.
- For those line managing, to ensure local standards are implemented for the allocation and review of work, job planning, review of performance, sickness management and initial stages of grievance or disciplinary action.
- To oversee quality line management and supervision within the team structure, ensuring that staff and trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to health care, and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.
- To provide highly specialist advice, consultation and training of staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate. This may include work with the Criminal Justice System and Childrens Services.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- o Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field (ie professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration. (A/I)
- o Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice (through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical psychological therapy practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher. (A/I)
Experience
Essential
- o Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of adult clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature under supervision (A/I)
- o Experience working with and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working within a multicultural framework. (A/I)
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- o Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration. (A/I)
- o Ability to administer, score and interpret psychometric and neuropsychological tests with appropriate training and supervision (A/I)
- o Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS. (A/I)
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- o Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field (ie professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration. (A/I)
- o Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice (through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical psychological therapy practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher. (A/I)
Experience
Essential
- o Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of adult clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature under supervision (A/I)
- o Experience working with and addressing issues of diversity, including experience of working within a multicultural framework. (A/I)
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- o Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration. (A/I)
- o Ability to administer, score and interpret psychometric and neuropsychological tests with appropriate training and supervision (A/I)
- o Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS. (A/I)
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
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).
