About this role
Job summary
We are delighted to invite applications for a Senior Clinical Psychologist based at Meadowbrook Inpatient Mental Health Unit. Applications will be considered from individuals already working in an 8a capacity or those who are seeking a band 7-8a development post (on achievement of agreed competencies).
The postholder will work in the Psychology Team to provide a clinical psychology service to adult acute and PICU mental health wards. Each ward is staffed by a multidisciplinary team who put service user care at the heart of their practice, working from models of trauma-informed and least restrictive practice. You will work with them to ensure that the psychological needs of service users and staff are understood and met.
The focus on continuous innovation makes Meadowbrook an exciting service to work, with opportunity to be involved in Quality Improvement and service development. The unit has a strong focus on staff wellbeing, prioritising supervision, training and peer support. This is paralleled in the leadership approach, which is premised upon compassionate leadership.
With links to the local universities, other services in the care group and training courses you will have good CPD and research opportunities. We are looking for a motivated, enthusiastic individual who is committed to delivering the best possible care to people at the time of their greatest need. Please do get in touch if you would like to find out more or organise a visit.
Main duties of the job
Your role will be varied and stimulating and will include a mix of direct and indirect work. You will support the teams to develop formulations to support care, contribute to staff training and supervision of delivery of brief psychological interventions. Direct work will include psychological assessments, formulations, and interventions, both on a one-to-one basis and group format. As part of the clinical team on the wards you will work with ward managers, occupational therapists, nurses and doctors to ensure that inpatient admissions are therapeutic and support each person's recovery. You will supervise the work of Trainee Clinical Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists and brief psychosocial interventions delivered by colleagues in the MDT.
About us
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford,Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to attached detailed job description for further detailed information. Main responsibilities include:
- Psychological assessment, formulation and intervention
- Communication with service users, carer, MDT and multiagency colleagues
- Supporting MDT understanding of psychological needs via indirect methods of working
- Provision of clinical supervision and line management
- Provision of advice on psychological components of risk and risk management
- Contribution towards discharge planning
- Contribution to supporting the wellbeing of staff working within the unit through provision of reflective practice and debrief
- Compliance with local and organisational policy and procedure
- Participation in continuous improvement, audit and service development
- Participation in recruitment and induction of new staff members
- Provision of training to MDT colleagues
Person Specification
Education
Essential
- Eligibility to register as a practitioner psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Desirable
- Further post-qualification training in a specific therapeutic modality
- Completion of clinical supervisor training as provided by a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology training course
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of those with psychological difficulties across a full range of care settings, including in patient, community, and statutory, voluntary and private sector residential and nursing settings. This includes 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 with moderate to severe mental health problems, including highly emotive problems, behaviour that challenges, severe and enduring mental health problems, including people whose needs may be understood as complex emotional and relational needs.
- Experience in risk assessment, formulation and management of risk.
- Experience of working within and contributing to a multi-disciplinary team including working in an indirect capacity to support MDT and multiagency working and care provision.
- Experience of providing supervision, training and consultation
Desirable
- Experience of working within a multi-cultural framework
- Experience of working within an inpatient setting
- Experience of managing demand for psychological services within a stepped-care framework.
- Demonstrate further specialist clinical experience and training
- Experience of contributing to the supervision of clinical psychology trainee(s)
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
Knowledge
Essential
- Up to date knowledge of the needs of people with severe and enduring mental health problems including complex emotional and relational needs.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to clients with complex, severe and enduring mental health problems including Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act.
Desirable
- Evidence of post-qualification CPD: completion of courses in CAT, CBT, psychodynamic or equivalent therapies for complex cases
- Attendance at a DClinPsy Introduction to Supervision Courses
Skills and abilities
Essential
- Ability to work with service users, carers and families to engage with their needs and provide them with appropriate psychological support and intervention, adapting these interventions as needed.
- Skills in providing consultation (including formulation) to other professional and non-professional groups
- Well developed, effective communication skills, both orally and in writing, enabling complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to be shared with clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues within the NHS and other agencies.
- Ability to prioritise work, operate a waiting list, meet short deadlines and an unpredictable work pattern that requires regular revision of plans.
- Able to sustain the intense concentration necessary for client assessment and formulation, individual therapy sessions, interviews
- Ability to work and communicate highly sensitive, contentious information effectively in a highly emotive or hostile atmosphere, and to overcome barriers to acceptance/psychological resistance to potentially threatening information.
- Ability to use own initiative and to work under supervision where appropriate.
- Ability to provide rapid psychological assessment and brief psychological interventions. Especially in the management of risk.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to identify, and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- Ability to demonstrate an area of special interest/skill in therapeutic intervention
Other requirements
Essential
- There is an occasional requirement to travel across the wide footprint of the Trust to attend meetings and events relevant to the role.
- Ability to work towards goals agreed at Individual Appraisal with the Service Manager
- Ability to work to professional guidelines.
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
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Meadowbrook Uit
Stott Lane
Salford
M8 8HG
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.gmmh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)