Job summary
Mental Health and Learning Disabilities (MHLD) Service
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist, Band 8a full-time, permanent post, Lambeth
We are looking for a highly specialist clinical psychologist, to work within the Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Service (MHLD). We are a specialist community service for adults with learning disabilities, covering the London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham, delivering a service to adults who have additional mental health difficulties and/or behaviour that challenges.
The Lambeth post is a full time, permanent position based at the Maudsley Hospital at Denmark Hill. Those seeking full-time or part-time work are encouraged to apply.
As a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist in MHLD, you will be a member of a borough team that is coordinated by a team leader, working jointly with Psychiatry and CPN colleagues. The team works in close partnership with local CTLD health teams as well as social care colleagues, with psychological and behavioural interventions delivered as part of a multidisciplinary care plan. You will be part of a well-established group of 18 Psychologists and Behavioural Support Practitioners, working across the three boroughs, with each borough led by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist.
Contact:
Barbara Barter, Consultant Clinical Psychologist barbara.barter@slam.nhs.uk / 020 3228 5540
Main duties of the job
- To provide a highly specialist psychological interventions to adults with learning disabilities with additional mental health needs and/or behaviour which challenges, including specialist assessment, treatment, training to other staff, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
- To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
- To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist in MHLD.
- To undertake service evaluation, audit and research and policy development.
- To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
- To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
- To contribute psychological expertise within the wider multi-agency context.
- To be active in the provision of staff support within their area, including but not limited to Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve. To participate, as a recipient, in staff support work when appropriate.
About us
The Psychology service forms part of the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities (MHLD) Service, within the Croydon and Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry Directorate. Psychology and Behavioural Support Practitioners are under the Lead of the Consultant Clinical Psychologist, in conjunction with the Team Leader for the borough. There are opportunities to contribute to service developments and CPD opportunities across the boroughs and within the wider Trust, as agreed and under the direction of the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Team Leader. The Lambeth MHLD teams are located at the Maudsley Hospital.
Each borough team comprises clinical psychologists, a Behavioural Support Practitioner, Trainee Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatrists, CPNs and administrators. We work in partnership with our health colleagues in the CTLD and our social care colleagues. Both direct and indirect psychotherapeutic interventions are provided, aimed at reducing challenging behaviour, improving mental health and recovery and quality of life. In addition to direct clinical work, consultation and training is a large part of the work, often done in conjunction with the Estia Centre, a staff training and education component of the Directorate.
Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark are all inner London boroughs, with a significant proportion of the population being from ethnic minorities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care
- To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients with learning disabilities, challenging behaviour and mental health needs.
- To select, administer and interpret psychometric and neuropsychological tests, requiring skilled manipulation of test materials, and interpretation and integration of complex data.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients with learning disabilities.
- To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
- To provide psychological reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions, in order to inform referrers, service users, their families and professional network.
- To select and deliver specialist evidence based therapeutic interventions, drawing on a range of theoretical models, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions as necessary, based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and their network.
- To promote psychological support for carers (or families as appropriate) of referred clients.
- To work as an autonomous professional within professionals guidlines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions.
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively highly complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues taking account of sensory and cultural barriers to communication.
- To act as care coordinator for identified clients taking responsibility for CPA coordination and meetings.
KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
- To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.
- To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
- To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
- To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological/psychotherapuetic care of clients.
- To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To liaise with the service/s MDT and other professionals.
KR 3 Policy and service development
- To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
- To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
- To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
KR 4 Care or management of resources
- To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources.
- To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
- To ensure the cleanliness and safe functioning and use of equipment that will be used by clients or other persons.
KR 5 Management and supervision
- To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychological practitioners with support from a more senior practitioner.
- To supervise trainee applied psychological practitioners, behavioural support specialists and psychological practitioners, within own area of specialism.
- To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
- To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
- To provide supervision for the psychological and/or psychotherapeutic work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.
KR 6 Teaching and Training
- To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychological practitioners and specialised training to other professions and staff in local services as appropriate.
- To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the service by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychological therapy and learning disabilities and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
- To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance
- To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
KR 8 Research and development
- To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits.
- To initiate and carry out appropriate research as agreed.
- To provide research advice to other staff undertaking research within the service.
- To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.
- To identify any aspects of own service which could be improved and initiate and contribute to the service development through participating in and leading on appropriate projects
KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
- To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychological therapist according to professional body and Trust guidelines.
- To maintain own Continuing Professional Development in line with professional body and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and professional Standards for Continuing Professional Development.
- To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
- To comply professional body Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics/Standards of Proficiency and ensure professional development in line with these.
KR10 General
- To travel to home visits, community placements and various departmental and Trust meetings as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
- To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
- To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (such as challenging behaviour, abuse etc.) and to support others involved in such situations through Trust-wide approaches including Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care
- To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients with learning disabilities, challenging behaviour and mental health needs.
- To select, administer and interpret psychometric and neuropsychological tests, requiring skilled manipulation of test materials, and interpretation and integration of complex data.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients with learning disabilities.
- To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
- To provide psychological reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions, in order to inform referrers, service users, their families and professional network.
- To select and deliver specialist evidence based therapeutic interventions, drawing on a range of theoretical models, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions as necessary, based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and their network.
- To promote psychological support for carers (or families as appropriate) of referred clients.
- To work as an autonomous professional within professionals guidlines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions.
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively highly complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues taking account of sensory and cultural barriers to communication.
- To act as care coordinator for identified clients taking responsibility for CPA coordination and meetings.
KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
- To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.
- To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
- To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
- To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological/psychotherapuetic care of clients.
- To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To liaise with the service/s MDT and other professionals.
KR 3 Policy and service development
- To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
- To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
- To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
KR 4 Care or management of resources
- To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources.
- To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
- To ensure the cleanliness and safe functioning and use of equipment that will be used by clients or other persons.
KR 5 Management and supervision
- To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychological practitioners with support from a more senior practitioner.
- To supervise trainee applied psychological practitioners, behavioural support specialists and psychological practitioners, within own area of specialism.
- To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
- To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychological practitioners, as appropriate.
- To provide supervision for the psychological and/or psychotherapeutic work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.
KR 6 Teaching and Training
- To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychological practitioners and specialised training to other professions and staff in local services as appropriate.
- To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the service by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychological therapy and learning disabilities and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
- To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance
- To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
KR 8 Research and development
- To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits.
- To initiate and carry out appropriate research as agreed.
- To provide research advice to other staff undertaking research within the service.
- To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.
- To identify any aspects of own service which could be improved and initiate and contribute to the service development through participating in and leading on appropriate projects
KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
- To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychological therapist according to professional body and Trust guidelines.
- To maintain own Continuing Professional Development in line with professional body and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and professional Standards for Continuing Professional Development.
- To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
- To comply professional body Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics/Standards of Proficiency and ensure professional development in line with these.
KR10 General
- To travel to home visits, community placements and various departmental and Trust meetings as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
- To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
- To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (such as challenging behaviour, abuse etc.) and to support others involved in such situations through Trust-wide approaches including Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve.
Person Specification
Qualifications, skills and experience
Essential
- Entry level qualification of doctorate level training as clinical/counselling (or other relevant) psychologist
- Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice (specify options required by the post) through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.
- Completed training course in clinical supervision and/or accredited to supervised qualified psychological practitioners in relevant discipline.
- Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline, HPCP as practitioner psychologist
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the professional body
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in services for people with learning disabilities.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with learning disabilities with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
- Experience of supervising assistant and trainees having completed the relevant training
- Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities
- Experience of carrying out post-qualification research, audit or service evaluation projects.
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment for people with learning disabilities.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
- To deliver psychological/psychotherapeutic therapy across cultural and other differences
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for people with learning disabilities
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
- To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups and sensitively managing, a number of people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation.
- To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, formulation and interventions, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate
Person Specification
Qualifications, skills and experience
Essential
- Entry level qualification of doctorate level training as clinical/counselling (or other relevant) psychologist
- Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice (specify options required by the post) through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.
- Completed training course in clinical supervision and/or accredited to supervised qualified psychological practitioners in relevant discipline.
- Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline, HPCP as practitioner psychologist
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the professional body
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in services for people with learning disabilities.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with learning disabilities with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
- Experience of supervising assistant and trainees having completed the relevant training
- Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities
- Experience of carrying out post-qualification research, audit or service evaluation projects.
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment for people with learning disabilities.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
- To deliver psychological/psychotherapeutic therapy across cultural and other differences
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for people with learning disabilities
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
- To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups and sensitively managing, a number of people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation.
- To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, formulation and interventions, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate
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).
