About this role
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to provide maternity cover to the Staff Psychological Wellbeing Service.Our county-wide service supports staff in all areas of the Acute Trust experiencing emotional & psychological difficulties in order to alleviate their distress and foster their capacity to thrive and be fulfilled at work.This is a critically important time to work in this area, helping to support our diverse workforce cope with the ongoing challenges of work.This is part of the Trusts aspiration to build a sustainable culture of positive health and wellbeing including preventative interventions.
This is a varied post which provides a perfect opportunity for a psychologist with an interest in systems, organisational processes or occupational psychology. The service will provide a range of staff support interventions including working with leaders to promote practices to support staff wellbeing. Reporting to the Lead Consultant Psychologist, the post holder will provide staff support for a broad range of issues including stress, trauma and chronic / long term conditions realised via individual, team and organisation-based assessments and interventions.
Prior experience of working in staff support is not essential, the most important qualities are good communication skills, working co-operatively and thinking creatively. We will consider job share, flexible working arrangements and hybrid working arrangements around the travel requirements of the post.
Main duties of the job
To manage and hold clinical responsibility for a caseload and provide highly specialist assessment and interventions focusing on reducing and preventing undue work related psychological distress for individuals and staff teams across the Trust.
To provide highly specialist advice, consultation and training as appropriate to support the overall objectives of the staff support service. To contribute to service evaluation, audit, research and policy development. To support the wider health and wellbeing agenda of the Trust.
About us
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester
Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Being open and honest
Ensuring people feel cared for
Showing respect to everyone
We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
DBS Checks and Costs
Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.
Job description Job responsibilities
Administrative
1. Be responsible for using appropriate clinical and administrative records in line with Trust policies and other professional guidelines.
Managerial
1. Develop the ability to lead in relation to the development and organisation of psychological interventions within the Staff Support service under the guidance and supervision of more senior psychology colleagues.
Clinical
1. Work as an independent and autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions.
2. Carry a defined clinical caseload of staff who have a varying range of severity and complexity of psychological issues
3. Undertake the assessment, formulation, treatment and management of staff members as required within the Service with a varying range of severity and complexity of psychological problems. In particular, staff who are experiencing undue work related stress and those experiencing moral distress / injury or trauma.
4. Use initiative and take responsibility for themselves and the quality of their work and the service they provide to patients and the Service.
5. Collaboratively evaluate the appropriateness of referrals from a number of sources; referrals to be accepted as resources permit.
6. Carry a caseload of appropriate size, complexity and severity, including staff whose difficulties may be presented in a challenging or distressed manner.
7. Provide specialised psychological therapies which require specialist post-qualification experience, supervision and training to acquire the necessary clinical and therapeutic skills and personal resources.
8. Provide psychological therapy, where appropriate, making use of a variety of psychological models, as appropriate, with staff, groups and teams.
9. Provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals at leadership level contributing directly to team level interventions or a persons treatment and care.
10. Collaborate on broader casework and initiatives consistent with Trust Health and Wellbeing approach to enhance the capacity of other professionals to carry out their responsibilities.
11. Promote excellent psychologically-informed practice and a service consistent and compliant with the philosophy of person-centred and evidence based practice.
12. Undertake risk assessments and risk management of individuals presenting with risk of vulnerability or self-harm.
13. Select and provide specialised psychological assessments, including developmental, cognitive and psychometric assessments, which require training and expertise to acquire the necessary dexterity, accuracy and observational skills. Interpret complex psychological data from a variety of sources, including neuropsychological tests, psychometric tests, and self-report measures, rating scales, structured observations and semi-structured interviews.
14. Adhere to appropriate confidentiality guidance from the Trust, the HCPC and the BPS with respect to considering issues of risk, supervision and safeguarding.
Communication and Liaison
1. Communicate highly confidential and sensitive personal information, obtained through assessment, formulation, therapy and interventions, to the staff directly and where appropriate other professionals and others involved in their care. The information may be highly distressing and communications are to be in a skilled and sensitive manner, making judgements involving highly complex facts or situations concerning what information is to be shared, how and when to convey it in the best interests of the staff member and having regard to issues of safeguarding, mental capacity and potential sensory and cultural barriers to communication.
2. To formulate and communicate sensitively psychological assessment findings and implement psychological treatment plans including individual, joint or group interventions as appropriate.
3. Provide specialist advice and consultancy in support of the wider trust Health and Wellbeing approach.
4. Act as an expert professional resource in regard to staff support and the wider trust Health and wellbeing approach.
5. Present and participate in relevant Service meetings and appropriate professional groups and meetings, as agreed with the Lead Psychologist.
6. Contribute to the effective working of the staff support psychology service in order to deliver comprehensive and high quality care
7. Maintain excellent working relationships with colleagues and local services and agencies.
Analysis and Judgment
1. Provide formulations of the individuals difficulties based upon analyses of complex information gained from multiple sources including assessment findings, psychological theory and a range of available psychological and other clinical information.
2. Exercise autonomous clinical responsibility for the development and implementation of psychological treatments, strategies, and interventions, adjusting and reformulating as appropriate on the basis of feedback.
3. Be able to make independent and autonomous clinical judgments on the way in which expected clinical outcomes are to be met using a variety of sources, including policy, professional guidelines, peers and colleagues within and outside the Service.
4. Provide a problem solving, trouble-shooting role in response to issues for which there is no documented or acceptable practice, drawing creatively upon psychological models, theories and approaches and research skills.
Planning and Organisation
1. Plan own work
Physical Skills
1. Submit statistical information, activity and quality data of own work as required and as appropriate.
2. Use information technology as appropriate within direct clinical work and treatment interventions.
Policy and Service Development
1. Implement Trust policies, follow guidelines from professional bodies and make proposals and recommendations about the process of psychological care and service delivery within staff support. Contribute to the service development though undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
2. Advise Psychology Lead of current areas of need and gaps in the service provision.
3. Work with Senior Psychology colleagues to develop services and improve quality, after appropriate consultation with the Lead Psychologist.
4. Contribute to the production of annual reports, as requested, and ensure that the principle of clinical governance and other professional, NHS and Trust policies and procedures are implemented, after appropriate consultation, interpreting these where necessary.
6. To contribute to the team and services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to a diverse staff group.
7. To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
Research and Development
1. Keep up to date with research developments in psychology, which are relevant to the psychological interventions, and follow a reflective scientist-practitioner approach appropriate to the Clinical Psychologists role.
2. Participate in clinical governance and service audit and follow evidence-based practice.
Human Resources
1. Provide clinical supervision and specialist teaching and training, as agreed with the Lead Psychologist e.g. to trainee clinical psychologists.
2. Provide consultation, teaching, training, and clinical supervision in psychological principles and practices to other members of the Service MDT as appropriate.
3. In common with all Clinical Psychologists, receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with good practice.
5. Collaborate with regular appraisal and review with the Lead Psychologist.
6. Maintain a CPD log in accordance with Health and Care Professions Council requirements.
7. Participate in national and regional professional speciality meetings and seminars as appropriate.
Health and Safety
1. Ensure that practice in psychological interventions in the service is carried out in ways that ensure the safety of staff, patients and carers.
2. Where risks are identified, advise and work with Lead Psychologist and staff to ensure the risks are assessed and managed to facilitate the resumption of safe practice.
Physical Effort
1. Undertake light physical effort for short periods; sit in constrained position for extended periods during individual or group psychological intervention.
2. Meet the travel requirements of the post.
Mental Effort
1. Be able to sustain the intense concentration necessary for client interviews, assessment and formulation, group and individual therapy sessions.
2. Manage an unpredictable work pattern which requires regular revision of plans.
Emotional Effort
1. Be frequently exposed to highly distressing and emotional circumstances due to the nature of the services provided to people who display high levels of expressed emotion.
2. Lone worker in circumstances where there may be exposure to challenges
General Duties:
1. To ensure own CPD in line with BPS/HCPC requirements and Trust appraisal and personal development plan requirements.
2. To maintain an up to date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
3. To comply with the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, and ensure professional development in line with HCPC Standards for Continuing Professional Development and Standards for Proficiency. To adhere to the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct and Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
4. To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, in line with professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
5. To participate fully and implement standards devised from the Trusts clinical and research governance activity.
6. To ensure that all services provided are acceptable and accessible to the diverse communities which make up the population of service users.
Person Specification
Experience Essential
- Training and experience in the application of psychological knowledge across a range of presentations including mental health problems, traumatic stress, chronic fatigue and other physical health problems - Experience of assessing and providing a wide range of psychological interventions to patients presenting with the full degree of clinical severity and across a range of clinical mental health presentations - Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts - Experience of conducting clinically relevant research - Experience of working with highly emotive and distressing problems - Experience of multi-agency/ multidisciplinary working - Therapeutic expertise in working jointly and with groups - Experience of consultation to non-psychology staff - Experience of designing and delivering teaching and training
Desirable
- 2 years of experience working as a qualified Clinical Psychologist within a relevant area - Experience of working in staff support role and have an understanding of specific issues that might arise in acute hospital settings. - Experience of strategic planning and service development - Experience of teaching and training psychologists in a Clinical Psychology doctorate training course
Qualifications Essential
- BSc/BA Honours degree at 2:1 or above in psychology - Post graduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) - Post qualification training in specific, evidence-based techniques for use with clients with complex psychological presentations and/or physical health difficulties, across the age span - Evidence of regular further professional training and experience as required by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the BPS - Eligible for registration as a Chartered Psychologist (Clinical, Counselling or Health) by the BPS - Eligible for registration as a Practitioner member of the BPS - Registered with HCPC as a Clinical/Counselling/Health Psychologist
Desirable
- Qualification in EMDR - Training study days or conferences relating to the support needs of staff
Knowledge and Skills Essential
- Knowledge required specific to the role and clinical area - Advanced theoretical and applied knowledge of psychological approaches for people with psychological problems including specialised psychological assessments and interventions for patients with complex and psychological presentations, as well as physical health difficulties - Ability to work independently as an autonomous practitioner with appropriate level of clinical and managerial supervision and maintain awareness of own limitations - Well-developed psychometric assessment skills - Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis, as practiced within the field of Clinical Psychology - Ability to use IT equipment and programmes, including the use of internet to carry out literature searches for research purposes, databases and patient information systems - Highly developed and effective communication skills, both oral and written, including ability to communicate complex, highly personal and sensitive information - Advanced ability to develop and maintain a therapeutic relationship and manage transference appropriately - Able to communicate effectively within the team and build good sound working relationships
Desirable
- Able to manage change through influence, persuasion and good interpersonal relationships - Able to think strategically; to consider the wider picture for developing specialist services long term and planning developments - Previous publications in either peer reviewed academic or professional journal and/or books - Knowledge of organisational / occupational psychology
Personal Qualities Essential
- Committed to promote patients right, independence and choice e.g., through informed consent for interventions - A positive attitude and able to act on feedback - Ability to praise and be supportive to others - Able to meet the travel requirements of the post - A commitment to continued professional development, to partnership working and to reflective clinical practice - Enthusiastic, proactive and interested in service development and team working - Ability to work autonomously within remit and levels of competence
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.
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 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Address Charles Hastings Way
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR5 1DD
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)