Job summary
We are looking for a highly skilled, caring and compassionate, experienced clinical psychologist to join our Learning Disabilities Care Hub.
Why work for the Learning Disabilities Care Hub? We are passionate about staff well-being and compassionate leadership. Our staff survey results support this:
"The results show that staff in Learning Disabilities look forward to going to work, feel that time passes quickly when they are there, feel that their work made a difference and felt that teams within the organisation work well together to achieve their objectives. They feel that they have opportunities for working flexibly and had a choice in how they did their work. They felt they were able to access the right learning and development opportunities" (2023)
We support staff to work flexibly and recognise and respect the roles our colleagues hold outside of their working hours.
We are looking for a Consultant Clinical Psychologist committed to our values who is passionate about working with people with a learning disability and will provide leadership on clinical psychology, is a determined individual that places ingenuity at the forefront of current and future service delivery. The post holder will work across the Community Learning Disability Teams and Radcliffe Place, our new admissions avoidance service, alongside other members of the psychology team and the wider multi-disciplinary teams.
Does this sound like you? If so we'd love you to join us.
Main duties of the job
To provide professional and clinical leadership to psychological therapy staff working across the Learning Disability Care Hub. To work collaboratively with operational, medical, and quality leads to ensure the planning and development of a systematic response to service need, interpreting professional policies and ensuring that the service operates at the highest level of quality.
Taking a key role in the development and implementation of policy for the care hub and wider PCFT service system. To provide clinical services at a high level of expertise, supporting and advising colleagues on all issues concerned with psychological practice and providing expert clinical consultation and professional guidance to other psychological practitioners and MDT staff.The post holder will be responsible for coordinating and delivering programmes of work aligned to PCFT and Care Hub priorities. The post holder will provide clinical case management to a small caseload of people determined by acuity and prioritisation. The post holder will be expected to participate in the senior manager on call rota
About us
Equality, diversity and inclusionis at the top of our agenda.We believe that a diverse, inclusive and engaged culture is vital; that everyone's value should be recognised and respected.
We proactively challenge injustices, and are the only Trust in the North West to publicly recognise our commitment tobecoming anti-racistandsupporting our transgender and non-binary colleagues.We also have thrivingstaff networks to make sure everyone has a voice. We are committed to staff development and have an extensive psychological therapies training programme.
Our trust values are:
- Kindness
- Fairness
- Ingenuity
- Determination
PCFT are proud to provide high quality mental health and learning disability services, both inpatient and in the community across five boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop.
Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We're really proud of our #PennineCarePeople and do everything we can to make sure we're a great place to work.
All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply for this post. We would also encourage applications from individuals with a lived experience of mental illness, either individually or as a carer
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will be a crucial team player in making quality and service improvements to ensure parity of care is provided to people with a learning disability. The post holder will continue to provide clinical and strategic leadership both within the LD Care Hub, PCFT and across wider networks. The post holder will be the voice and advocate services for people with a learning disability. The post holder will provide clinical supervision to a number of psychologists working within the team and there are opportunities to link with colleagues across Pennine Care who work in similar services.
To provide at a high level of expertise, specialist psychological assessment of clients referred to Learning Disability Services. To undertake at a high level of expertise a range of psychological therapeutic interventions, drawing on a range of psychological models and employing a range of modalities adapted and tailored to the needs of the individual.To be responsible for providing a specialist psychological perspective in the multi-disciplinary assessment of service users and their families particularly for very complex cases. To contribute expert highly specialist psychological advice to the multi-disciplinary formulation of appropriate therapeutic approaches or intervention plans, and to be involved in, or oversee specialist psychological aspects of their implementation in collaboration with other staff.To undertake psychologically based risk assessment and risk management for relevant clients and provide advice on the psychological aspects of risk to the multi-disciplinary team. To consult with and provide specialist psychological guidance to carers andfamilies of service users. To take substantial professional responsibility and exercise autonomousjudgement regarding their professional practice, including the responsibility to prioritise work appropriately. To be responsible for systematically appraising needs for psychological servicesto people with a learning disability and to identify appropriate developments in the Services provided making recommendations to the Leadership team. To be responsible for promoting and implementing agreed developments in psychological service provision. To be responsible for ensuring that the policies and procedures of the Trust, profession and the service are properly implemented by the psychological practitioners within the service. To be a recognised member of PCFT policy development groups and act as a key resource in the representation of learning disability services and learning disability patient needs in their development and sign off. To participate in regular clinical supervision and to negotiate further specialist supervision, development, and training with the Associate Network Director for Psychological Therapies (Specialist Services) fulfilling the CPD requirements of the BPS & HPC. To work within the Code of Ethics and the relevant professional practice guidelines of the British Psychological Society, the HCPC and the professional guidance framework of the Trust. In addition, to work within the framework of thepolicies and procedures of the Trust. To be responsible for relevant data collection on work activities, as required, and to maintain a high standard of clinical record keeping. To participate fully in supporting the activities of the Psychological Professions within the Trust, including attending relevant meetings and taking a lead role for the Care Hub in relevant trust wide initiatives, as directed by the Chief Psychological Professions Officer and/or the Associate Network Director for Psychological Therapies (Specialist Services). To keep abreast of national developments in the Psychological Professions particularly in the field of Learning Disabilities. To perform such other duties as the Chief Psychological Professions Officer and/or Associate Network Director for Psychological Therapies (SpecialistServices) may reasonably request. To take a leading role in the evaluation of Learning Disability Care Hub Services by initiating, designing, and implementing service-related research, QI and evaluation projects.To provide leadership and management regarding the selection and design of complex audit projects, guiding and supporting colleagues to develop service provision. To use evidence-based literature, theory, and research to support evidence based practice in individual work, work with other team members and across the Trust. To remain informed of and critically evaluate current research to support evidence-based practice in own professional work and to contribute this perspective in the multi-disciplinary team.To provide leadership in the development and delivery of the PCFT learning disability research hub priorities, including partnership working with external stakeholders. To provide advice to members of other professions as required on research design and method.To interpret the policies and guidelines concerning professional good practice for the provision of psychological services in the application to the area of LearningDisability Services to ensure the highest standards of service to the client group. To function as a member of the senior management team of the Learning Disability Care Hub, supporting the Associate Network Director of Psychological Therapies & Associate Director of Operations where appropriate in management meetings and providing a professional psychological perspective on the functioning of the service.To ensure psychological therapy waiting times and other performance indicators in localities are within expected standards and psychological practitioners work effectively & efficiently to provide high quality treatments. To provide professional leadership, clinical consultancy and personal support and practice guidance to the other specialist psychological practitioners working in the service and within the trustTo be responsible for professionally supporting psychological therapies staff ensuring good practice and professional development by supporting regular performance appraisals, ensuring professional development, and monitoring and adjusting workload. Working collaboratively with operational leads, the role will have responsibility for appraisals and performance management within relevant PCFT workforcepolicies. To be responsible for the recruitment and selection of psychological therapy staff. To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of Clinical and/or Counselling Psychology in addition to other psychological professional training programmes as indicated.To ensure the provision of specialist clinical placements for trainee clinicalpsychologists and other psychological therapists ensuring they acquire thenecessary clinical and research skills competencies and experience, to contributeeffectively to good psychological practice and contributing to the assessment and evaluation of these competencies.To be responsible for the planning, organising and the delivery of teaching and training of pre- and post-qualification psychologists and specialist training to other professions in the service.To attend regular continuing professional development training days held within the Trust, locally and nationally.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will be a crucial team player in making quality and service improvements to ensure parity of care is provided to people with a learning disability. The post holder will continue to provide clinical and strategic leadership both within the LD Care Hub, PCFT and across wider networks. The post holder will be the voice and advocate services for people with a learning disability. The post holder will provide clinical supervision to a number of psychologists working within the team and there are opportunities to link with colleagues across Pennine Care who work in similar services.
To provide at a high level of expertise, specialist psychological assessment of clients referred to Learning Disability Services. To undertake at a high level of expertise a range of psychological therapeutic interventions, drawing on a range of psychological models and employing a range of modalities adapted and tailored to the needs of the individual.To be responsible for providing a specialist psychological perspective in the multi-disciplinary assessment of service users and their families particularly for very complex cases. To contribute expert highly specialist psychological advice to the multi-disciplinary formulation of appropriate therapeutic approaches or intervention plans, and to be involved in, or oversee specialist psychological aspects of their implementation in collaboration with other staff.To undertake psychologically based risk assessment and risk management for relevant clients and provide advice on the psychological aspects of risk to the multi-disciplinary team. To consult with and provide specialist psychological guidance to carers andfamilies of service users. To take substantial professional responsibility and exercise autonomousjudgement regarding their professional practice, including the responsibility to prioritise work appropriately. To be responsible for systematically appraising needs for psychological servicesto people with a learning disability and to identify appropriate developments in the Services provided making recommendations to the Leadership team. To be responsible for promoting and implementing agreed developments in psychological service provision. To be responsible for ensuring that the policies and procedures of the Trust, profession and the service are properly implemented by the psychological practitioners within the service. To be a recognised member of PCFT policy development groups and act as a key resource in the representation of learning disability services and learning disability patient needs in their development and sign off. To participate in regular clinical supervision and to negotiate further specialist supervision, development, and training with the Associate Network Director for Psychological Therapies (Specialist Services) fulfilling the CPD requirements of the BPS & HPC. To work within the Code of Ethics and the relevant professional practice guidelines of the British Psychological Society, the HCPC and the professional guidance framework of the Trust. In addition, to work within the framework of thepolicies and procedures of the Trust. To be responsible for relevant data collection on work activities, as required, and to maintain a high standard of clinical record keeping. To participate fully in supporting the activities of the Psychological Professions within the Trust, including attending relevant meetings and taking a lead role for the Care Hub in relevant trust wide initiatives, as directed by the Chief Psychological Professions Officer and/or the Associate Network Director for Psychological Therapies (Specialist Services). To keep abreast of national developments in the Psychological Professions particularly in the field of Learning Disabilities. To perform such other duties as the Chief Psychological Professions Officer and/or Associate Network Director for Psychological Therapies (SpecialistServices) may reasonably request. To take a leading role in the evaluation of Learning Disability Care Hub Services by initiating, designing, and implementing service-related research, QI and evaluation projects.To provide leadership and management regarding the selection and design of complex audit projects, guiding and supporting colleagues to develop service provision. To use evidence-based literature, theory, and research to support evidence based practice in individual work, work with other team members and across the Trust. To remain informed of and critically evaluate current research to support evidence-based practice in own professional work and to contribute this perspective in the multi-disciplinary team.To provide leadership in the development and delivery of the PCFT learning disability research hub priorities, including partnership working with external stakeholders. To provide advice to members of other professions as required on research design and method.To interpret the policies and guidelines concerning professional good practice for the provision of psychological services in the application to the area of LearningDisability Services to ensure the highest standards of service to the client group. To function as a member of the senior management team of the Learning Disability Care Hub, supporting the Associate Network Director of Psychological Therapies & Associate Director of Operations where appropriate in management meetings and providing a professional psychological perspective on the functioning of the service.To ensure psychological therapy waiting times and other performance indicators in localities are within expected standards and psychological practitioners work effectively & efficiently to provide high quality treatments. To provide professional leadership, clinical consultancy and personal support and practice guidance to the other specialist psychological practitioners working in the service and within the trustTo be responsible for professionally supporting psychological therapies staff ensuring good practice and professional development by supporting regular performance appraisals, ensuring professional development, and monitoring and adjusting workload. Working collaboratively with operational leads, the role will have responsibility for appraisals and performance management within relevant PCFT workforcepolicies. To be responsible for the recruitment and selection of psychological therapy staff. To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of Clinical and/or Counselling Psychology in addition to other psychological professional training programmes as indicated.To ensure the provision of specialist clinical placements for trainee clinicalpsychologists and other psychological therapists ensuring they acquire thenecessary clinical and research skills competencies and experience, to contributeeffectively to good psychological practice and contributing to the assessment and evaluation of these competencies.To be responsible for the planning, organising and the delivery of teaching and training of pre- and post-qualification psychologists and specialist training to other professions in the service.To attend regular continuing professional development training days held within the Trust, locally and nationally.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Good honours degree in Psychology
- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS
- Registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist. Relevant advanced specialist training/qualifications in the skills/therapeutic approaches relevant to the specialty area.
- Clinical supervision training for Doctoral trainees. Experience of clinical supervision of Clinical Psychologists in Training
Desirable
- Leadership/Management Qualification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a highly specialised qualified clinical psychologist for a significant period
- Extensive experience in working with people with a learning disability with complex needs, including those with comorbid needs
- Experience of working with people across the lifespan
- Experience of working psychologically with a range of people presenting with a range of difficulties who are very distressed and who may be engaging in unsafe behaviours.
- Demonstrable experience of working successfully in multi-disciplinary/multi-agency teams and within leadership teams promoting effective team working.
- Substantial experience in providing consultancy to colleagues and in provision of group supervision / case formulation & reflective practice
- Experience of working quality improvement methodologies, research, audit, service evaluation, service development.
- Experience of managing highly complex situations concerning safeguarding, risk management, clinical governance, complaints, and investigations
- Experience of providing psychological supervision and teaching/training to others.
- Experience of managing applied/assistant psychologists and psychological therapists.
- Experience of working in a multicultural context
- Significant experience of service development.
Knowledge
Essential
- Highly specialised knowledge of learning disability and the impact of this on life experiences and behaviour.
- Knowledge of different therapeutic assessments and clinical interventions models in this area
- Knowledge of relevant policies driving service development and clinical practices
- High level of knowledge regarding professional practice issues in psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of the principles of trauma informed practice and implications for services design
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Ability to develop and sustain models of care which meet relevant performance and quality indicators
- Highly developed supervisory skills
- Evidence of compassionate and supportive leadership style.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, featuring breadth of outlook and skills necessary to establish effective working relationships with staff at all levels within and outside the organisation
- Ability to work in partnership with other key professionals within and outside the organisation and a partnership approach to work across agencies.
- Strong leadership capacity within a rapidly evolving setting.
- Evidence of the ability to lead change initiatives and turn strategic vision into practical reality
- Ability to manage complex interpersonal negotiations with staff groups and stake holders.
- Evidence of ability to utilise clinical and managerial supervisory structures to deliver safe and effective services.
Work Related Circumstances
Essential
- Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs
- Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies
- Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Good honours degree in Psychology
- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS
- Registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist. Relevant advanced specialist training/qualifications in the skills/therapeutic approaches relevant to the specialty area.
- Clinical supervision training for Doctoral trainees. Experience of clinical supervision of Clinical Psychologists in Training
Desirable
- Leadership/Management Qualification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a highly specialised qualified clinical psychologist for a significant period
- Extensive experience in working with people with a learning disability with complex needs, including those with comorbid needs
- Experience of working with people across the lifespan
- Experience of working psychologically with a range of people presenting with a range of difficulties who are very distressed and who may be engaging in unsafe behaviours.
- Demonstrable experience of working successfully in multi-disciplinary/multi-agency teams and within leadership teams promoting effective team working.
- Substantial experience in providing consultancy to colleagues and in provision of group supervision / case formulation & reflective practice
- Experience of working quality improvement methodologies, research, audit, service evaluation, service development.
- Experience of managing highly complex situations concerning safeguarding, risk management, clinical governance, complaints, and investigations
- Experience of providing psychological supervision and teaching/training to others.
- Experience of managing applied/assistant psychologists and psychological therapists.
- Experience of working in a multicultural context
- Significant experience of service development.
Knowledge
Essential
- Highly specialised knowledge of learning disability and the impact of this on life experiences and behaviour.
- Knowledge of different therapeutic assessments and clinical interventions models in this area
- Knowledge of relevant policies driving service development and clinical practices
- High level of knowledge regarding professional practice issues in psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of the principles of trauma informed practice and implications for services design
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Ability to develop and sustain models of care which meet relevant performance and quality indicators
- Highly developed supervisory skills
- Evidence of compassionate and supportive leadership style.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, featuring breadth of outlook and skills necessary to establish effective working relationships with staff at all levels within and outside the organisation
- Ability to work in partnership with other key professionals within and outside the organisation and a partnership approach to work across agencies.
- Strong leadership capacity within a rapidly evolving setting.
- Evidence of the ability to lead change initiatives and turn strategic vision into practical reality
- Ability to manage complex interpersonal negotiations with staff groups and stake holders.
- Evidence of ability to utilise clinical and managerial supervisory structures to deliver safe and effective services.
Work Related Circumstances
Essential
- Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs
- Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies
- Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.
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).
