Job summary
Bexley Older People's CMHT Clinical Psychologist Band 8a Post 1.0 WTE/37.5 hours, 12 months fixed term
We are pleased to advertise an exciting opportunity for an established Clinical Psychologist wanting to develop specialist skills and experience in a supportive team environment. Whilst primarily based within our OPMH CMHT, the post can be tailored according to the interest of the post-holder. The postholder will be able to accessspecialist neuropsychological supervision and our Trust neuropsychological seminars.
The OPMH Psychological Therapy Team offers a broad range of evidence based psychological interventions and support to all OPMH services, including our community, memory and acute and crisis services. The successful candidate will join well-established, friendly multi-disciplinary teams including professionals from psychiatry, nursing, social work, occupational therapy and admin alongside well-regarded psychological therapists. We work closely with colleagues in other boroughs, IAPT and AMH.
Psychological Therapies are highly valued across Oxleas and we are well supported by Board level professional representation. The collaborative culture across Oxleas supports and enables cross-service initiatives and professional development opportunities, and we have an excellent reputation for providing and supporting CPD.
Main duties of the job
Overview of the post
Based at the Bexleyheath Centre, Bexley with on-site parking, a 2 minute walk from a lovely cafe for coffee/lunch and 10 minutes walk from the town centre.
The postholder will provide a comprehensive assessment and therapy service, including neuropsychological assessment, individual, family and group therapy for service users and carers, as well as contributing to the therapeutic functions of the teams including training, supervision, consultation and psychological formulation. The postholder will be professionally accountable to the OPMH Head of Psychological Therapies, and specialist clinical supervision will be provided within the Greenwich service. They will also be supported by the Memory Service team manager.
We encourage research and audit interests, including co-producing research with our service users through our strong, co-led, Research-Net group. Supervision and CPD is prioritised in the Trust with a range of training and specialist supervision opportunities available, as well as a newly qualified CPD programme. The Trust Psychological Therapists boast a variety of therapeutic skills including group analysis, psychotherapy, MBT, CBT, DBT, EMDR, art and family therapy and neuropsychology. We welcome students across professions to support the next generation of clinical staff. The successful candidate will be encouraged to consolidate and develop their skills and expertise in a friendly, supportive multi-professional, multi-agency context.
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
Please see Job Description and Person Specification for further information
Key tasks and responsibilities To provide evidence-based specialist psychological assessments, formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems/ dementia To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan To undertake risk assessment and risk management for clients and to provide advice to professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the team/service
Clinical1. To provide specialist psychological assessments of OPMH Service clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including neuropsychological tests
2. To formulate and implement plans for psychological treatment and management of a clients mental health problems/dementia
3. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for clients within OPMH teams
4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking account of theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors
5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
6. To provide specialist psychological advice guidance and consultation to professionals contributing directly to clients formulation and treatment plan.
7. To contribute to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to clients of the service
8. To undertake risk assessment and management for clients and to provide advice to professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
9. To act as care coordinator
10. To undertake holistic initial assessment of referrals to teams within the OPMH Service
11. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients and to monitor progress
Leadership, Teaching, training and supervision
1. To receive clinical supervision, to gain specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology
2. To develop skills in post-graduate teaching, training, supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staff
3. To provide supervision of Clinical Psychologists, Trainee and Assistant Clinical Psychologists
4. To contribute to the teaching of clinical and/or counselling psychology and other relevant healthcare staff
5. To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
- To contribute to development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams policies and services through research, service evaluation and audit
- To advise service and management on aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing
- To be involved in shortlisting and interviewing of assistant/graduate psychologists
- To participate in recording information as per local policy to provide information about referrals/activity
- To manage the workloads of Specialist Clinical Psychologists, Assistant and Trainee Clinical Psychologists, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures
Research and service evaluation
- To take the psychology lead, as a senior clinician, in the evaluation, monitoring and development of the teams policies, through research, service evaluation and audit ensuring incorporation of psychological frameworks for provision of high quality care
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice
- To undertake appropriate research and provide advice to other staff undertaking research
- To initiate project management including complex audit and service evaluation to help develop and improve services
Communication
- Maintain effective communication with people, both internally and externally to Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust on routine and operational matters
- To report on care delivery and document it in a timely manner and acceptable format
General
- To contribute to the maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through CPD and development programmes
- To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills, professional supervision and maintaining engagement with current developments
- To maintain highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see Job Description and Person Specification for further information
Key tasks and responsibilities To provide evidence-based specialist psychological assessments, formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems/ dementia To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan To undertake risk assessment and risk management for clients and to provide advice to professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the team/service
Clinical1. To provide specialist psychological assessments of OPMH Service clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including neuropsychological tests
2. To formulate and implement plans for psychological treatment and management of a clients mental health problems/dementia
3. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for clients within OPMH teams
4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking account of theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors
5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
6. To provide specialist psychological advice guidance and consultation to professionals contributing directly to clients formulation and treatment plan.
7. To contribute to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to clients of the service
8. To undertake risk assessment and management for clients and to provide advice to professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
9. To act as care coordinator
10. To undertake holistic initial assessment of referrals to teams within the OPMH Service
11. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients and to monitor progress
Leadership, Teaching, training and supervision
1. To receive clinical supervision, to gain specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology
2. To develop skills in post-graduate teaching, training, supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staff
3. To provide supervision of Clinical Psychologists, Trainee and Assistant Clinical Psychologists
4. To contribute to the teaching of clinical and/or counselling psychology and other relevant healthcare staff
5. To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
- To contribute to development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams policies and services through research, service evaluation and audit
- To advise service and management on aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing
- To be involved in shortlisting and interviewing of assistant/graduate psychologists
- To participate in recording information as per local policy to provide information about referrals/activity
- To manage the workloads of Specialist Clinical Psychologists, Assistant and Trainee Clinical Psychologists, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures
Research and service evaluation
- To take the psychology lead, as a senior clinician, in the evaluation, monitoring and development of the teams policies, through research, service evaluation and audit ensuring incorporation of psychological frameworks for provision of high quality care
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice
- To undertake appropriate research and provide advice to other staff undertaking research
- To initiate project management including complex audit and service evaluation to help develop and improve services
Communication
- Maintain effective communication with people, both internally and externally to Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust on routine and operational matters
- To report on care delivery and document it in a timely manner and acceptable format
General
- To contribute to the maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through CPD and development programmes
- To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills, professional supervision and maintaining engagement with current developments
- To maintain highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health
Person Specification
Training and Qualification
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
- HCPC registered
Desirable
- Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
- Completion of further post-doctoral post-qualification specialist training including training in supervision of trainee clinical psychologists
- Completion of further post-qualification specialist training or expertise in a distinct therapy ore relevant service group
EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient, and assessment and intervention with patients with a wide variety of neurological deficits.
- Experience of working in older peoples mental health services, and in particular with people with dementia and their carers
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Experience of working with families, carers and/ or significant others
- Demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist clinical psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an alternative agreed by the Head of Psychology.
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts
- Experience of working in older people's mental health services, and in particular with people with dementia and their carers
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- 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.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Experience of group work
- Sound understanding of the principles and ethics neuropsychological assessment in the context of dementia
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HPC and BPS.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities, dementia etc).
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies and their application within the care group.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
Personal
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills enabling good working relationships with others within and external to the Trust.
- Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of emotive and distressing problems.
- Interpersonally calm and able to defuse difficult situations
- Ability to form good working relationships and work as part of a team
- Motivated and proactive
- Works well under pressure
- Good organisational and time management skills, ability to plan and prioritise own workload
Desirable
- A commitment to the evaluation of services and enthusiasm for audit, research and service evaluation.
Other
Essential
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- Personal experience of mental health problems.
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
Person Specification
Training and Qualification
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
- HCPC registered
Desirable
- Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
- Completion of further post-doctoral post-qualification specialist training including training in supervision of trainee clinical psychologists
- Completion of further post-qualification specialist training or expertise in a distinct therapy ore relevant service group
EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient, and assessment and intervention with patients with a wide variety of neurological deficits.
- Experience of working in older peoples mental health services, and in particular with people with dementia and their carers
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Experience of working with families, carers and/ or significant others
- Demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a specialist clinical psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an alternative agreed by the Head of Psychology.
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts
- Experience of working in older people's mental health services, and in particular with people with dementia and their carers
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- 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.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Experience of group work
- Sound understanding of the principles and ethics neuropsychological assessment in the context of dementia
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HPC and BPS.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities, dementia etc).
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies and their application within the care group.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
Personal
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills enabling good working relationships with others within and external to the Trust.
- Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of emotive and distressing problems.
- Interpersonally calm and able to defuse difficult situations
- Ability to form good working relationships and work as part of a team
- Motivated and proactive
- Works well under pressure
- Good organisational and time management skills, ability to plan and prioritise own workload
Desirable
- A commitment to the evaluation of services and enthusiasm for audit, research and service evaluation.
Other
Essential
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- Personal experience of mental health problems.
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
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).
