Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people within the post holders specialist field of practice. DAAIT forms part of the Devon Adult Autism & ADHD Service (DAANA)
This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following areas of responsibility:
1.To ensure the systematic provision of a high quality psychological service to autistic individuals as a key component of integrated mental health and wellbeing services across Devon Partnership NHS Trust, and the wider Devon system.
2.Providing clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the service.
3.Working with Senior Leads in further development of ASC post diagnostic provision across Devon
4.Carrying a specialist caseload of autistic clients, many of whom will have comorbid neurodevelopmental and/or mental health conditions.
5.Providing advice and consultation to clients, families/carers, professionals/other services & teams, within health & social care
6.To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional and Trust guidelines as lead specialist.
7.The post holder with receive regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society or appropriate designated Professional Body.
8.Observe, and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice including the British Psychological Society. The post holder will be fully registered with the Health Professions Council as a condition of employment
Duties and Responsibilities
Communication and Working Relationship Skills
- To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understanding and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed
- To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a day to day basis
- To communicate with a wide range of health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice.
- To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers in the DAANA service, wider post diagnostic Devon system, and across the Trust. To foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
- To provide psychological service to a range of autistic adults who may be suffering from a variety of serious psychological disorders, and behavioural problems. Carrying out specialist psychological, psychometric assessments, the preparation of reports, and the communication of complex, sensitive and distressing information to people with ASC/neurodevelopmental conditions.
- To undertake triage functions, including decision making in relation to prioritisation of waiting list, and allocation to junior colleagues caseloads.
- To provide psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, including risk assessments, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. Proficiency in in both individual and group therapy approaches is desirable.
- To support the Professional Head, Operational & Strategic Lead, Practice and Strategic Development Lead and Professional Leads by undertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team.
Planning and Organisational Skills
- To plan and organise own work within the service setting and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services within the commissioned post diagnostic ASC team (DAAIT), and where necessary the wider DAANA service, to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy
- Responsible for assessment regarding treatment for people and providing a formulation of their difficulties, including advising on plans for a range of evidence based psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families, groups and service delivery systems
- To provide expert psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues. To undertake this work collaboratively with individual and others (as appropriate)
- To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of living with ASC/neurodevelopmental conditions diagnostic pathways, and appropriate treatment approaches to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.
Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation
- The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines
- To implement policies and procedures for the provision of psychology and therapy services within DAAIT/DAANA and other services within the Trust
- To support the R&D activities of the psychology and wider service.
Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources
- To be responsible for the safe keeping of equipment under own use, this includes psychometric tests, and other assessment tools
- Responsible for managing resources for psychologists and other assigned staff under the direction of Lead Psychologist
Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management
- To lead and professionally supervise less experienced psychology/therapy staff, trainees and volunteers.
- To provide placement responsibilities for trainee staff.
- To contribute to the provision of therapy supervision for non-psychology/therapy staff providing psychological therapies within other Trust teams.
- To support placements for trainee staff in line with professional guidelines
- To work with senior leads to ensure continued evidence based service development.
Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties
- To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust Practice Standards.
- To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication.
Responsibility for Research and Development
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work, and within wider service.
- To conduct project work including specific areas of audit, research or service evaluation
- As a clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation. To participate in service audits and relevant research projects.
Freedom to Act
- The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines
- To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession and Operational Lead.
- To provide expert and specialist clinical psychology expertise and advice guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families
Any Other Specific Tasks Required
- To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by psychologists/psychotherapists/therapists is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership.
- To ensure that all relevant staff groups continuously update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work.
Review of this Job Description
This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing service needs. This job description is to be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on an annual basis.
