About this role
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified psychological therapist to join the North Devon Core Community Adult Mental Health Teams. The post is advertised at 37.5 hours per week, but consideration would be given to flexible and part time working arrangements.
We are a diverse, skilled, and innovative multidisciplinary team committed to delivering high-quality psychological care within community adult mental health services. The successful candidate will provide psychological assessment, formulation, and evidence-based psychological therapies for adults presenting with a broad range of mental health difficulties.
The role will also involve supporting the development of psychologically informed practice across the multidisciplinary team through activities such as supervision, consultation, reflective practice, training, and joint working with colleagues.
This post offers an excellent opportunity to work collaboratively within a supportive community mental health setting, contributing to both direct clinical work and the wider psychological provision within the service.
Applications are welcomed from:
- Clinical Psychologists
- Counselling Psychologists
- Psychotherapists
- Psychological Therapists
- CBT Therapists
Applicants must be registered with an appropriate professional regulatory body and hold a relevant qualification at master's level or above.
Main duties of the job
Main duties of the role
The job aims to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of adults with complex and severe mental health difficulties.
Main duties include
- 1. Providing a Clinical/Counselling Psychology or Psychotherapy service to people referred for psychological therapy, as a key part of Devon Partnership Trust services
2.Providing local clinical leadership, co-ordination and supervision for psychology service trainees and volunteers, under the Professional Lead's direction and supervision
3.Carrying a specialist caseload and advising and consulting with patients, family members, carers and professionals.
- 4. Providing clinical supervision and consultation to wider local community mental health teams as part of integrated team working.
5.Receiving support from senior specialist colleagues and drawing on expertise within the service to develop clinical skills with this client group.
- 6. Working autonomously within professional guidelines, with responsibility for systematic governance of psychological practice within the service / local team.
- 7. Receiving regular professional and clinical supervision under Trust policy and British Psychological Society or designated Professional Body Practice Guidelines. Abiding by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practise, including those of the British Psychological Society. Full Health Professions Council registration is a condition of employment.
About us
About Devon Partnership Trust
We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.
We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication and Working Relationships
Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understand and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed.
Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a day to day basis.
Health & social care staff: 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.
Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers across the Psychology and Therapy service and in DPT to foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.
Planning and Organisation
The service: To plan and prioritise own workload, balancing the demands of patient care, support and guidance of carers and professionals and service research and development activities.
To contribute to the planning and organising of the psychology and therapy services within the locality area and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services within services to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.
The multidisciplinary service: To provide psychology/therapy knowledge to the multi-professional planning, development and marketing of mental health and wellbeing services.
Responsibility for Judgement and Analysis
To provide specialist clinical/counselling psychology/psychological therapy expertise and advice.
To provide psychological therapies/other 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.
To support the Professional Head, General Manager, Practice and Strategic Development Leads and Professional Leads by undertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team.
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy
Assessment & intervention: To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about assessment, treatment and discharge, including the management of risk. To formulate plans for psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.
Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.
Policy, Service, Research, Innovation and Improvement
The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines.
Policy & service: To support proposed changes for policy and for service development.
Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources
Careful use of equipment.
Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and Management
Leadership & supervision: To supervise the work of assistants &/or trainees as required. To provide supervision & consultancy to health and social care colleagues.
To support placements for trainee staff in line with professional guidelines
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 within the PPT and local mental health services.
To support 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.
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 General Manager.
To provide specialist clinical/counselling psychology/psychotherapy 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/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.
General Information
Equality & Diversity
Devon Partnership NHS Trust is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse workforce and so we welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation, maternity/pregnancy, marriage/civil partnership or transgender status. The Trust expects all staff to behave in a way which recognises and respects this diversity in line with the appropriate standards.
Recovery
It is a requirement of all employees to have an understanding of the broad principles of the Recovery Approach and to incorporate them into every aspect of their work in support of the Trusts aim to provide services that support peoples recovery through being holistic and promoting social inclusion, self management, personal autonomy and independence.
Risk Management / Health and Safety
Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, ensure that agreed safety procedures are carried out and maintain a safe environment for employees, patients and visitors.
Records Management
The post holder has responsibility for the timely and accurate creation, maintenance and storage of records in accordance with Trust policy, including email documents and with regard to the Data Protection Act, The Freedom of Information Act and any other relevant statutory requirements.
Clinical Governance, Compliance and Performance
The post holder will be responsible for proving that the Care Quality Commission outcome areas have been met in all registered/related activities for which the post holder is responsible. Where outcomes are not met the post holder is expected to put in place/recommend action to improve. The post holder will proactively seek and engage the support of the governance teams in the Compliance and Corporate Development directorate to gather information as required. The post holder will build an understanding of and adhere to the CQC guidelines as well as the Trusts guidelines on the approach to maintaining CQC registration.
Prevention and Control of healthcare Associated Infection
The post holder is expected to comply with Trust Infection Control Policies and conduct themselves at all times in such a manner as to minimise the risk of healthcare associated infection.
Smoking
The Trust operates a non smoking policy. Employees are not permitted to smoke anywhere within the premises of the Trust or when outside on official business. Staff must also be mindful of public perception and must therefore not smoke whilst travelling in Trust identified vehicles or when can be identified as Devon Partnership Mental Health Trust staff.
Policies & Procedures
Trust employees are expected to follow Trust policies, procedures and guidance as well as professional standards and guidelines. It is your responsibility to read and familiarise yourself with all policies relevant to your job role. These are grouped into two sections, HR and Clinical and can be found on the Trust intranet site or via your line manager. You will also be required to comply with any training needs that arise from reviews or variations of policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualifications & training
- Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin. Psychol. or equivalent), eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist status in the British Psychological Society and registered with HCPC.
- Psychological Therapists need to be trained to Masters level or equivalent in a specific psychological therapy and registered with an appropriate recognised professional body, e.g. UKCP, BABCP.
- IT skills.
Desirable
- Qualifications & training
- Further training or experience in clinical specialism.
- Further training in related area.
- Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy.
Experience
Essential
- Experience and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
- Experience of working under supervision in secondary care adult mental health services.
Desirable
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Planning & organisational skills
- Project management skills / experience.
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).
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
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Address
West Pilton Health and Wellbeing Clinic
Youings Drive
Barnstaple
Devon
EX31 1QL
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)