Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to work as a Highly Specialist Psychologist for the Brent Memory Service. This role would suit HCPC registered Clinical Psychologists who have an interest and experience in neuropsychological assessment, the mental health of older people and dementia.
The post is established at Band 8a for candidates with appropriate experience and expertise. We would also welcome interest from newly qualified or less experienced candidates as we have the flexibility to appoint as a preceptorship (Band 7). Where this applies we would offer the post as a Band 7 preceptorship until necessary experience and competencies within an agreed timeframe are met (JD and responsibilities adjusted accordingly). If you are interested in applying for the preceptorship, please state this in the supporting information section of your application.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for delivering psychological assessments and interventions for dementia, including pre- and post-diagnostic counselling and diagnostic neuropsychological assessments. They will supervise an assistant psychologist and trainee clinical psychologist. They will support the team with specialist psychological aspects of the work through advice, consultation and training.
About us
The Brent Memory Service is a friendly and supportive multidisciplinary team offering assessment and post-diagnostic support for dementia. It works closely with community services to support the well-being of people with dementia and their carers. Brent is a vibrant and diverse area of London, which has accreditation as a dementia friendly borough. The borough has excellent public transport links by tube and bus, and free parking is available at the base.
The Service values personal and career development. It holds Reflective Practice meetings and training sessions to develop clinical knowledge and skills. The successful applicant will receive clinical supervision and support from the Brent Older Adults Lead Clinical Psychologist. They will be a member of a large Trust network of Older Adults Psychologists, who hold regular professional, CPD and clinical development meetings. The post-holder will have the opportunity to be involved and develop skills in national and local research and quality improvement (QI) projects.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This post is responsible for providing high quality psychology and neuropsychology services to the Brent Older Adults Memory Service. This includes offering advice and consultation on clients psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to the carers of service users, and working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Teams policies and procedures. The Brent Memory Service provides assessment and intervention to people in the borough of Brent with suspected dementia and with a diagnosis of dementia. The service also provides support to the families and carers of people with dementia. The service functions in both outpatient clinic and community settings. The post holder will work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, comprising of psychiatry, nursing and occupational therapy, in order to ensure the highest standards of care.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This post is responsible for providing high quality psychology and neuropsychology services to the Brent Older Adults Memory Service. This includes offering advice and consultation on clients psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and to the carers of service users, and working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Teams policies and procedures. The Brent Memory Service provides assessment and intervention to people in the borough of Brent with suspected dementia and with a diagnosis of dementia. The service also provides support to the families and carers of people with dementia. The service functions in both outpatient clinic and community settings. The post holder will work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, comprising of psychiatry, nursing and occupational therapy, in order to ensure the highest standards of care.
Person Specification
TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
- Current HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996), including specifically models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Training in clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology.
Desirable
- Pre-or post -qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrate specialist training/experience through being clinically supervised in working as a psychologist with older people (during training or post qual)
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
- Experience in clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology.
- 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
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in working with people living with cognitive impairment and / or dementia, including the formal assessment of cognition.
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.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the 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 etc).
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
Attitude, Aptitudes and Personal Characteristics
Essential
- Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
- Able to build constructive relationships and warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
- Ability to identify and articulate own training needs
- Self-motivated with ability to work independently and influence others
- Excellent team player with proven ability to work well in a team
- Ability to make decisions and problem solve when dealing in both routine and complex situations
- Ability to organise own work and caseload
- Ability to work in a stressful environment and concentrate in conditions requiring emotional demands
- Ability to recognise own limitations and have a willingness to share and learn skills from others
- Ability to prioritise own and others caseloads
- Demonstrates positive attitude and behaviours
- Excellent time management skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with people with complex difficulties and in difficult situations
- Recognises own limitations and have willingness to share and learn from others
- Ability to concentrate and work in conditions requiring emotional demands
Desirable
- Understanding of particular needs of older adults
Other
Essential
- Sickness (or attendance) record that is acceptable to the Trust: to be checked at interview.
- Declared medically fit by the Occupational Health Department to perform the duties of the job.
- The post holder must have the ability to understand and implement the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the job.
- 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
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Full driving licence and access to a suitable vehicle for work.
Person Specification
TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
- Current HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996), including specifically models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Training in clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology.
Desirable
- Pre-or post -qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrate specialist training/experience through being clinically supervised in working as a psychologist with older people (during training or post qual)
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
- Experience in clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology.
- 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
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in working with people living with cognitive impairment and / or dementia, including the formal assessment of cognition.
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.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the 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 etc).
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
Attitude, Aptitudes and Personal Characteristics
Essential
- Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
- Able to build constructive relationships and warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
- Ability to identify and articulate own training needs
- Self-motivated with ability to work independently and influence others
- Excellent team player with proven ability to work well in a team
- Ability to make decisions and problem solve when dealing in both routine and complex situations
- Ability to organise own work and caseload
- Ability to work in a stressful environment and concentrate in conditions requiring emotional demands
- Ability to recognise own limitations and have a willingness to share and learn skills from others
- Ability to prioritise own and others caseloads
- Demonstrates positive attitude and behaviours
- Excellent time management skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with people with complex difficulties and in difficult situations
- Recognises own limitations and have willingness to share and learn from others
- Ability to concentrate and work in conditions requiring emotional demands
Desirable
- Understanding of particular needs of older adults
Other
Essential
- Sickness (or attendance) record that is acceptable to the Trust: to be checked at interview.
- Declared medically fit by the Occupational Health Department to perform the duties of the job.
- The post holder must have the ability to understand and implement the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the job.
- 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
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Full driving licence and access to a suitable vehicle for work.
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).
