Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Multi Professional Approved and Responsible Clinician(MPARC)

The closing date is 17 July 2025

Job summary

Are you an ambitious and experienced Psychologist ready to take the next step in your career, in an environment where you will be supported to grow and develop? A unique and exciting opportunity has arisen as part of our transformation of urgent and acute care. This new post is for a Multi Professional Approved and Responsible Clinician (MPARC) within our mental health services in East Sussex. You will provide clinical leadership and direction within a multidisciplinary team to deliver specialist care to our patients, that is trauma informed. This opportunity is open to Consultant Practitioner Psychologists who are already working at consultant level and have achieved Approved Clinician status. Applicants will be already approved by the appropriate authority to act as an Approved Clinician in England for the purposes of the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended 2007).The post holder will work into the inpatient and urgent care pathway in Hastings. The inpatient wards consist of two wards, a working age adult male and female ward. The Urgent Care Pathway provides care to people in their homes and the Acute General hospital. The Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment team and Mental Health Liaison Team sits within this pathway, and aims to avoid hospital admissions as well as reduce length of inpatient admissions. These teams are based in the Conquest Hospital site in Hastings. For more information on this role please see the attached support information.

Main duties of the job

Lead in a specialist field of clinical and professional practice: namely as a Consultant Psychologist / Responsible Clinician.To be responsible, in collaboration with operational management and multi-professional colleagues, for the development and implementation of this specialist field of practice/training/research, within locality and across the Trust. To carry out responsibilities as job planned within the service as a consultant practitioner psychologist and approved / responsible clinician including: Hold a specialist clinical caseload and maintain a very high / statutory degree of clinical responsibility for patients on caseload, while providing consultant level clinical services within a designated care group to a group of patients who may or may not be managed under the Mental Health Act 1983. Provide a very senior / overall clinical leadership function to MDT colleagues and others within a designated care group, for designated patients, as a Consultant Psychologist and in a statutory clinical lead role, as Responsible Clinician. For more information on this role please see the attached job description support information. This will give you a better overview of the job role and requirements.

About us

Working here offers continued training and development, flexible working opportunities, free parking and the benefit of living and working in East Sussex. East Sussex is a beautiful county with great schools, good transport links, vibrant communities, rural areas, and tourist attractions, including the Coast and the South Downs. It is a requirement of this role to maintain approval to act in the role of Responsible Clinician, as defined in the Mental Health Act 1983 revision 2007, for a specific caseload of patients under the Hastings inpatient and urgent care team and to hold accountability for the delivery of care for clinical decisions made.

Date posted

03 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8d

Salary

£88,168 to £101,677 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

354-AE-21150

Job locations

Conquest Hospital Hastings

The Ridge

Hastings, Saint Leonards on sea

TN37 7RD

Job description

Job responsibilities

Providing high quality, needs led consultant psychologist and Approved / Responsible Clinician services for patients within the designated care group, ensuring that patients receive person-centred care and are managed safely, effectively and with compassion.

Operating in a statutory role as Responsible Clinician as approved and instructed by the Secretary of State under the Mental Health Act 1983 (2007 amendment), adhering to the Mental Health Act and MHA code of practice, and exercising a high degree of autonomy, clinical responsibility and statutory decision making in regard to patient care, within the context of multi-disciplinary working.

To ensure that a person who is detained subject to the Mental Health Act is assessed and appropriately treated in conditions that are necessary in alleviating their mental disorder and any associated risks to themselves or others which includes renewal of detention, discharge, approving leave and making CTOs.

Operating in a specialised area of practice: Being accountable as the clinical lead for a specified caseload of patients; taking overall clinical lead responsibility for evidence-based patient assessment, treatment and support, authorising leave, detention, renewal and discharge and statutory representation and report writing when interfacing with the Ministry of Justice, Tribunals and Hospital Manager's in matters relating to the RC role.

Taking lead role in providing holistic care with an emphasis on assessment, diagnosis, and psychosocial formulation, review of pharmacological treatment and medicines management (in conjunction with a medic where needed), support and consultation in the management of complex patients

Exercising advanced specialist and practical knowledge to psychologically assess patients, and develop and implement effective psychological interventions.

Delivering clinical care within the framework of CPA with a focus on developing bespoke and specialised programmes of care and care packages.

Providing clinical leadership and liaison with colleagues in order to ensure robust care planning takes place, especially for complex patients.

Working with a high level of expertise to address the needs for patients who may present with complex mental health challenges or pose a challenge to managing their risks, in conditions where the postholder may be subject to verbal aggression or at risk of physical aggression.

Delivering clinical support in line with national guidelines and an international evidence base, with access to up to date evidence base via local resources (e.g. Local NHS libraries) to enable best practice decisions when operating beyond available evidence.

For more information on this role please see the attached support information. This will give you a better overview of the job role and requirements.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Exercising advanced specialist and practical knowledge to psychologically assess patients, and develop and implement effective psychological interventions.

Delivering clinical care within the framework of CPA with a focus on developing bespoke and specialised programmes of care and care packages.

Providing clinical leadership and liaison with colleagues in order to ensure robust care planning takes place, especially for complex patients.

For more information on this role please see the attached support information. This will give you a better overview of the job role and requirements.

Person Specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential

Postgraduate doctoral degree or equivalent in applied psychology including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
Qualified as a practitioner psychologist listed in the register maintained by the Health and Care Professions Council
Valid approval & in date registration by the Mental Health Act Approvals Panel South as an Approved Clinician under the Mental Health Act 1983
Advanced / additional training relevant to role in a specialist area of mental health provision
Training and significant experience of offering supervision and consultation
Pre- qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and / or other fields of professional practice
Demonstrable Clinical leadership skills and extensive experience

ESSENTIAL

Essential

Experience of working as an autonomous qualified applied psychological practitioner at consultant level
Experience of working with a wide variety of clients presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
Experience of taking full clinical responsibility for patients with a range of serious mental health problems within the context of professional remit and multidisciplinary care
Experience of leading a clinical team or professional group - taking a lead on the assessment formulation and treatment of patients with complex mental health and risk presentations
Experience of offering high quality supervision and consultation to a range of health professionals in respect of psychological formulation and care
Experience of representing psychological professions in local service and policy development
Experience of providing teaching, training and supervision to trainees qualified professionals
Evidence of continuing professional development in line with consultant level practice

Person Specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential

Postgraduate doctoral degree or equivalent in applied psychology including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
Qualified as a practitioner psychologist listed in the register maintained by the Health and Care Professions Council
Valid approval & in date registration by the Mental Health Act Approvals Panel South as an Approved Clinician under the Mental Health Act 1983
Advanced / additional training relevant to role in a specialist area of mental health provision
Training and significant experience of offering supervision and consultation
Pre- qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and / or other fields of professional practice
Demonstrable Clinical leadership skills and extensive experience

ESSENTIAL

Essential

Experience of working as an autonomous qualified applied psychological practitioner at consultant level
Experience of working with a wide variety of clients presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
Experience of taking full clinical responsibility for patients with a range of serious mental health problems within the context of professional remit and multidisciplinary care
Experience of leading a clinical team or professional group - taking a lead on the assessment formulation and treatment of patients with complex mental health and risk presentations
Experience of offering high quality supervision and consultation to a range of health professionals in respect of psychological formulation and care
Experience of representing psychological professions in local service and policy development
Experience of providing teaching, training and supervision to trainees qualified professionals
Evidence of continuing professional development in line with consultant level practice

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).