Job summary
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST NORTH WEST HERTFORDSHIRE - Full-time (1.0 WTE) post for recruitment at Band 7-8a. Applications to this post as a Band 7 - Band 8a Preceptorship will also be accepted.
The psychologists in our well established Older People's Service are valued members of our specialist community multi-disciplinary teams, including a well-established Early Memory Diagnosis and Support Service.
This post involves delivering a range of assessments and interventions, including neuropsychological diagnostic assessment, cognitive rehabilitation, psychological therapies and positive behavioural support for behaviours that challenge in dementia. There will be opportunities to contribute to service developments and to develop your clinical leadership skills.
Applicants should be registered as a Clinical Psychologist with the HCPC or be in a position to register in the near future, if they complete their DClinPsy training in 2024.
We welcome applications from newly or recently qualified psychologists and will consider applications for a Band 7 - 8a Development Post for applicants with experience and interest in working with older people. We welcome applications from non-UK trained psychologists working towards fulfilling HCPC requirements to qualify as a clinical psychologist in the UK and who need experience in working with older people.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide specialist psychological assessments, psychological treatments and evidence-based interventions for older people, their families and carers.
The post holder is required to work as a member of SMHTOP community teams and ward staff, providing support, development, supervision and guidance to other team members, as well as a similar consultation service to professionals within community health services, primary care and other agencies.
This is a full-time Band 7-8a (1.0 WTE) post, which may be recruited to as a development post (Band 7 - Band 8a) whereby the post holder will progress from Band 7 to Band 8a once they demonstrate that they meet the competencies specified for Band 8a.
All staff should comply with the Trust's Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.
Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!
Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?
Then please read on...
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide a high- quality specialist clinical psychology service for older people with mental health issues and to all adults with dementia in the North West of the county. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and support the governance of psychological practice within the North West Herts MHSOP community mental health team. To supervise and support the psychological assessment and intervention provided by assistant psychologists and other clinical members of the team who provide psychologically-based care and treatment.
To undertake specialised clinical work within the MHSOP Psychology service and with external agencies, which will include assessment, direct and indirect intervention, supervision, training and consultancy. To provide specialist knowledge and consultation to staff where appropriate and relevant.
Where required, to contribute specialist psychological skills and advice with regards to the design and implementation of strategic planning, organisational and service developments, staff training, and support initiatives within the service and Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and to other professional organisations.
To utilise research and training skills and knowledge to support audit, policy and service development, research activity, and other programmes within the service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide a high- quality specialist clinical psychology service for older people with mental health issues and to all adults with dementia in the North West of the county. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and support the governance of psychological practice within the North West Herts MHSOP community mental health team. To supervise and support the psychological assessment and intervention provided by assistant psychologists and other clinical members of the team who provide psychologically-based care and treatment.
To undertake specialised clinical work within the MHSOP Psychology service and with external agencies, which will include assessment, direct and indirect intervention, supervision, training and consultancy. To provide specialist knowledge and consultation to staff where appropriate and relevant.
Where required, to contribute specialist psychological skills and advice with regards to the design and implementation of strategic planning, organisational and service developments, staff training, and support initiatives within the service and Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and to other professional organisations.
To utilise research and training skills and knowledge to support audit, policy and service development, research activity, and other programmes within the service.
Person Specification
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION
Essential
- Doctoral level qualification in clinical psychology or equivalent.
- Registered as either a clinical/counselling psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Desirable
- Additional post graduate training or qualification in a specific psychological therapy or Neuropsychology).
EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Experience of specialist assessment and therapy with service users across a range of care settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups with presenting problems that reflect a 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 working in a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable
- Experience of working within older people in a clinical role.
- Direct experience of using therapy with older people
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of psychological services in different cultural contexts.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex assessment, therapy or intervention.
- Well developed skills in communicating effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups
- Knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychological services.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific groups (e.g. people with cognitive impairment)
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of capacity and other legislation in relation to the client group.
OTHER
Essential
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multimedia 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 multi-cultural framework
Person Specification
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION
Essential
- Doctoral level qualification in clinical psychology or equivalent.
- Registered as either a clinical/counselling psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Desirable
- Additional post graduate training or qualification in a specific psychological therapy or Neuropsychology).
EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Experience of specialist assessment and therapy with service users across a range of care settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups with presenting problems that reflect a 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 working in a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable
- Experience of working within older people in a clinical role.
- Direct experience of using therapy with older people
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of psychological services in different cultural contexts.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex assessment, therapy or intervention.
- Well developed skills in communicating effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups
- Knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychological services.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific groups (e.g. people with cognitive impairment)
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of capacity and other legislation in relation to the client group.
OTHER
Essential
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multimedia 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 multi-cultural framework
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).
