About this role
Job summary
We are looking to recruit anenthusiastic andcommittedBand 8A Psychologist to jointheCommunity ForensicLearning Disability Service (CFLDS). The service covers the Lancashire and South Cumbria footprint with an office/basein Leyland.We support people with learning disabilities(LD)who have complex needs associated with challenging or offending behaviour.
The operational hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm at Alexander House in Leyland.
This is an excitingopportunity tosupport the transition of individuals with a Learning disability (LD)moving out ofsecure hospital /prisoninto the community.Also working to support individuals in the communityto prevent admission to secure settings.
Thesuccessful applicantwould join a well-established and well-respected teamto provide evidence-based interventions to service users with LD whomaybe experiencingcomplex mental health issues;havetrauma histories; ASC/ADHD diagnosesin addition to offending/ risky behaviours.This post would suit someone with akeen interest in providingdirect clinicalinputas well asworking with wider systems (e.g.,family and carers)and multidisciplinaryandmulti-agency working.
Main duties of the job
To apply and maintain those skills acquired through further specialist training and experience to monitor and ensure the systematic provision of highly specialised psychological services within the designated clinical service, to work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within Psychological Services and delegated management responsibilities where appropriate. To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research. To propose and implement policy changes within the clinical area. To supervise doctoral level trainee psychologists and assistant psychologists as required.
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest Trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles
Job description Job responsibilities
Principal responsibilities
Clinical
To provide specialist psychological assessments of service users referred to the clinical service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users , family members and others involved in the patients care.
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patients psychological problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses where appropriate.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account relevant theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, developmental and systemic processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.o provide specialist psychological advice guidance and consultation to other professionals and/or carers, contributing directly to service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plans.
To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of service users, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide both general and specialist advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service users under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni and multidisciplinary care.
To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team.Teaching, Training and Supervision
To provide post-qualification training (CPD) and clinical professional supervision to recently qualified HCPC registered psychologists attached to the team, where appropriate.
To provide advice, consultation, training and clinical supervision to other members of the team for the provision of psychologically based interventions to help improve service users functioning.
To provide pre- and post-qualification teaching of psychologists and/or other psychological services staff, and other disciplines as appropriate.
To develop and maintain skills in the area of professional pre- and post-graduate training.
To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the service user group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
To receive regular professional supervision from a senior psychologist in the team and where appropriate other senior colleagues.
To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience of psychology in line with HCPC, and where appropriate BPS, requirements.
To provide professional and clinical supervision to assistant psychologists and, as appropriate, supervise Doctoral level.
To contribute to the pre and post-qualification teaching of all relevant staff, as appropriate.
Management, Recruitment and Service Development
To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistant, trainees and qualified psychologists.
To participate as a senior clinician in the development of a high quality responsive and accessible service, including proposing and implementing changes within the psychological service.
To exercise delegated responsibility for managing psychology staff based within the psychology service.
Research and Service Evaluation
To contribute and where appropriate take a lead role, in the evaluation, monitoring and development of of service evaluation and audit
To Incorporate psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high-quality care and the improvement of services for service users and their families.
To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
To undertake appropriate research as agreed with the line manager and Lead Consultant Clinical Psychologist and provide research advice to team colleagues undertaking research.
To undertake a defined role in Service Governance structures if/when agreed with the service lead.
General
To ensure the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes and to provide evidence of CPD undertaken, e.g. in the form of CPD log book.
To ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology within the service area and contribute across the service by exercising the skills of a reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical or forensic psychology and related disciplines.
To maintain and promulgate the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self- governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the HCPC, British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific service user group and area of care.
To perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the grade which may be required by the Lead Consultant Psychologist or Head of Service
To maintain professional registration with the HCPC and to adhere to HCPC standards of proficiency. To adhere to the standards of conduct, performance and ethics as set out by the HCPC.
To be competent and make full use of IT packages available within the work area, for example, Microsoft Office, E-mail, Internet and statistical package
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Doctoral level training (or equivalent) in a professional area of psychology conferring HCPC registration as a practitioner psychologist. Current HCPC registration
Desirable
Postgraduate/doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice. Chartered registration with the BPS
Knowledge/Experience Essential
Demonstrated clinical experience of working as a registered psychologist with the service user group accessing the service in which this post is based. Demonstrated experience working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and/or liaison with multidisciplinary clinicians and/or stakeholders. Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan. Formal training in clinical supervision and experience of supervision of junior psychological staff and/or other disciplines. Demonstrated experience in undertaking specialist assessment, formulation, care planning and interventions. Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups, experiencing complex needs and presenting problems. Experience of working with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threats of physical abuse. Demonstrated ability to work independently on own initiative. While utilizing clinical supervision systems to maintain safe and effective practice. Experience of teaching, training. Experience of engagement with leadership and/or management in service development. Knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of applied psychology Knowledge of legislation in relation to the service user group and area of service delivery.
Desirable
Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts. Knowledge of organisational dynamics and institutional factors relevant to the delivery and effectiveness of community forensic services Research/publications on relevant issues.
Skills Essential
Well-developed skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment incorporating a range of methodologies, e.g. clinical interview, psychometrics, structured clinical tools. Well developed clinical intervention skills. Including at least one modality- specific clinical training to a standard eligible for accreditation. Ability to assimilate complex information from a range of sources to complete psychological formulation and clinical risk assessment in order to develop effective treatment plans for service users with complex needs. Experience of delivering psychological intervention in a range of formats to service users with complex needs. Demonstrated ability to effectively engage service users who may present with significant clinical obstacles to engagement. Demonstrated ability to maintain clear and appropriate personal and professional boundaries and to recognise own limitations. Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS. Demonstrated skills in providing consultation to other professional and non professional groups Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HCPC/BPS. Evidence of recognised formal training in supervision of other psychologists Well developed ability to utilise IT systems such as MS Office.
Desirable
Completion of training in specialist clinical and risk assessment tools in the area of specialism e.g. HCR-20, START, SCID, IPDE, PCL-R, WAIS, ADOS. Well developed knowledge of the theory and practice of assessment and specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat populations relevant to the post. Previous training and experience of delivering a range of recognised specialised therapies e.g. CBT, DBT, Schema therapy Evidence of training and experience with regard to the development of management and leadership skills.
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 Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address Community Forensic Learning Disability Service
Alexander House, Station Brow
Leyland
PR25 3NZ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)