Senior Psychologist - HMP Coldingley

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is a Top Employer Award Winner and works in partnership to provide responsive and dependable primary care, mental health, intellectual disability & substance misuse services to the diverse & culturally rich communities we serve.

In our quest to deliver patient-focused quality care we are looking for an innovative & enthusiastic Senior Psychologist or Psychological Therapist to join our forward thinking & expanding Mental Health Inreach Team at HMP Coldingley. Working in partnership with the criminal justice system & other agencies, we provide responsive, dependable & high-quality primary care & mental health services to those in prison, to improve their health status & to encourage social inclusion.

We strive to deliver a culturally competent & responsive service that can meet the needs of our population. Black & minority ethnic men, including those from Gypsy, Roma & Irish Traveller communities, are over-represented in the criminal justice system. We hope to recruit a staff team reflective of the population we serve & welcome applications from those with protected characteristics, including minoritised ethnic groups.

You will either be an experienced clinician seeking an 8A position or a more newly qualified therapist who we will support from band 7 to achieve the 8A role. If you are passionate about a career in Health & Justice & could utilise this development opportunity, please do get in touch to discuss.

Main duties of the job

In this role you will be the joining counsellors and assistant psychologists to provide evidence based, high quality therapy provision, supervising assistant psychologists to provide stepped care interventions and holding a caseload of men for whom psychological therapy can help them overcome difficulties often developed from a life time of adversity and trauma.

You will be responsible for referral and caseload management and we would welcome those interested in improving quality and outcomes for our population. This role will also include consultation to HMPS and partner agencies to assist with safeguarding and managing complex presentations.

About us

CNWL's Health and Justice Services are led by a highly motivated team with vast experience in healthcare within secure environments. We employ a range of psychologists and psychological therapists with clinical, counselling and forensic trainings. Psychologists work within the mental health services in numerous sites, across prisons, YOIs and secure hospitals, with children and adults, men and women and across the range of security categories. Psychologists also lead four specialist Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) commissioned services and Sexual Behaviour Services in the youth estate.

Joining a large, forward-thinking Trust will bring successful candidates excellent development opportunities, an exciting career structure, and job satisfaction. Psychologists from across Health and Justice come together for professional and clinical development. We actively encourage and support continuous professional development and have access to specialist supervision, including for EMDR.

Date posted

19 January 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£50,441 to £56,534 a year per annum inc fringe HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

333-D-HJ-1257

Job locations

HMP Coldingley

Shaftesbury Road

Bisley, Working

GU24 9EX


Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Clinical Responsibilities:

  • Source and make available appropriate evidence based psychologically informed assessment tools. Including self-rating, rating scales, structured and semi structured interviews and provide appropriate training on their use within the multidisciplinary team to ensure these are embedded as part of a holistic assessment of mental health within the team.
  • To contribute to set up and provision of assessments and interventions; coordinating and contributing to the delivery of individual and group therapies in the health care centre in the prison. Flexible working required as some interventions and mental health support will be offered outside core working hours on a rota basis.
  • To provide specialist psychological assessments to service users within the Prison based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users and others involved in the service users care.
  • To develop individual formulations and to lead team formulation planning applying theoretical models of the psychology of mental health and personality disorder and offending, to observed behaviour, cognitive, emotional and interpersonal patterns, for service users who present with complex clinical needs.
  • To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a patients mental health and personality problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
  • To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, and groups, within the Prison, employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
  • To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.
  • To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.
  • To integrate with the psychological formulation specialist knowledge of complex mental health disorders.
  • To liaise closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, giving authoritative specialist advice on psychological aspects of care, contributing directly to formulation, diagnosis and treatment planning.
  • To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all those who use the service.
  • To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide advice and training to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
  • To communicate in a skilled, persuasive and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment formulation and treatment plans of service users, and to monitor progress during the course of their multidisciplinary care.
  • To develop networks and contacts to update the policy and practice of clinical psychology, particularly as applied to mentally disordered service users in prisons, to support professional and service development.
  • To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.
  • To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the fields of clinical and forensic psychology and related disciplines.
  • To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping, including electronic data entry and recording, and report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance, in accordance with professional codes of practice of the HCPC, 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 patient group and mental health.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Clinical Responsibilities:

  • Source and make available appropriate evidence based psychologically informed assessment tools. Including self-rating, rating scales, structured and semi structured interviews and provide appropriate training on their use within the multidisciplinary team to ensure these are embedded as part of a holistic assessment of mental health within the team.
  • To contribute to set up and provision of assessments and interventions; coordinating and contributing to the delivery of individual and group therapies in the health care centre in the prison. Flexible working required as some interventions and mental health support will be offered outside core working hours on a rota basis.
  • To provide specialist psychological assessments to service users within the Prison based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users and others involved in the service users care.
  • To develop individual formulations and to lead team formulation planning applying theoretical models of the psychology of mental health and personality disorder and offending, to observed behaviour, cognitive, emotional and interpersonal patterns, for service users who present with complex clinical needs.
  • To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a patients mental health and personality problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
  • To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, and groups, within the Prison, employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
  • To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.
  • To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.
  • To integrate with the psychological formulation specialist knowledge of complex mental health disorders.
  • To liaise closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, giving authoritative specialist advice on psychological aspects of care, contributing directly to formulation, diagnosis and treatment planning.
  • To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all those who use the service.
  • To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide advice and training to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
  • To communicate in a skilled, persuasive and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment formulation and treatment plans of service users, and to monitor progress during the course of their multidisciplinary care.
  • To develop networks and contacts to update the policy and practice of clinical psychology, particularly as applied to mentally disordered service users in prisons, to support professional and service development.
  • To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.
  • To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the fields of clinical and forensic psychology and related disciplines.
  • To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping, including electronic data entry and recording, and report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance, in accordance with professional codes of practice of the HCPC, 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 patient group and mental health.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

  • oA good honours degree in Psychology as accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).xpertise in a specialist area of clinical practice.
  • oDoctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, equivalent to that accredited by the BPS
  • oEvidence of post-qualification specialist training, experience and developing expertise in a specialist area of clinical practice.
  • oHCPC Registered

Desirable

  • oPre- or Post-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Previous Experience

Essential

  • oDemonstrate significant assessed further specialist training / experience of working as a specialist clinical psychologist (or equivalent) through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision
  • oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
  • oExperience 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.
  • oExperience of working effectively in multidisciplinary settings and representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
  • oAdvanced knowledge, experience and expertise in at least one specialist area of clinical practice gained through specialist training and supervised practice (e.g. psychotherapy, neuropsychology, risk assessment, clinical supervision).

Desirable

  • oExperience of teaching and training
  • oExperience of working in secure environments and/or forensic mental health

Abilities

Essential

  • oSkills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
  • oWell 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.
  • oSkills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
  • oPossesses range of clinical knowledge, skills & information technology expertise relevant to post.
  • oCan demonstrate competence in supervision of junior qualified psychology and MDT staff and professional psychology trainees.
  • oAbility to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
  • oAbility 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.
  • oBroad knowledge of models of assessment, management and treatment of mentally disordered and PD offenders.
  • oAbility to work intensively with people who present challenges in the complexity of their problems and needs, including sexual and violent offending and self-harming and suicidal behaviours
  • oHigh level of ability to plan and organise clinical service provision to meet service demands, and to maintain high quality professional practice.
  • oContinually develop specialist knowledge and skills by engaging in relevant study and Continuing Professional Development relevant to the forensic population.
  • oDoctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
  • oExcellent IT skills.

Desirable

  • oKnowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. people with additional disabilities).
  • oCan apply psychological knowledge creatively in developing new initiatives.
  • oAbility to write reports for varied audiences, including courts and purchasers of services.
Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

  • oA good honours degree in Psychology as accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).xpertise in a specialist area of clinical practice.
  • oDoctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, equivalent to that accredited by the BPS
  • oEvidence of post-qualification specialist training, experience and developing expertise in a specialist area of clinical practice.
  • oHCPC Registered

Desirable

  • oPre- or Post-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Previous Experience

Essential

  • oDemonstrate significant assessed further specialist training / experience of working as a specialist clinical psychologist (or equivalent) through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision
  • oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
  • oExperience 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.
  • oExperience of working effectively in multidisciplinary settings and representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
  • oAdvanced knowledge, experience and expertise in at least one specialist area of clinical practice gained through specialist training and supervised practice (e.g. psychotherapy, neuropsychology, risk assessment, clinical supervision).

Desirable

  • oExperience of teaching and training
  • oExperience of working in secure environments and/or forensic mental health

Abilities

Essential

  • oSkills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
  • oWell 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.
  • oSkills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
  • oPossesses range of clinical knowledge, skills & information technology expertise relevant to post.
  • oCan demonstrate competence in supervision of junior qualified psychology and MDT staff and professional psychology trainees.
  • oAbility to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
  • oAbility 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.
  • oBroad knowledge of models of assessment, management and treatment of mentally disordered and PD offenders.
  • oAbility to work intensively with people who present challenges in the complexity of their problems and needs, including sexual and violent offending and self-harming and suicidal behaviours
  • oHigh level of ability to plan and organise clinical service provision to meet service demands, and to maintain high quality professional practice.
  • oContinually develop specialist knowledge and skills by engaging in relevant study and Continuing Professional Development relevant to the forensic population.
  • oDoctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
  • oExcellent IT skills.

Desirable

  • oKnowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. people with additional disabilities).
  • oCan apply psychological knowledge creatively in developing new initiatives.
  • oAbility to write reports for varied audiences, including courts and purchasers of services.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP Coldingley

Shaftesbury Road

Bisley, Working

GU24 9EX


Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP Coldingley

Shaftesbury Road

Bisley, Working

GU24 9EX


Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)

For questions about the job, contact:

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Nicola Thomas

nicola.thomas45@nhs.net

Date posted

19 January 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£50,441 to £56,534 a year per annum inc fringe HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

333-D-HJ-1257

Job locations

HMP Coldingley

Shaftesbury Road

Bisley, Working

GU24 9EX


Supporting documents

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