About this role
Job summary
The post holder will provide high intensity interventions - initially cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in within the weight management service. To accept referrals and agreed protocols within the service and work as part of an MDT.
Adhere to agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered and clinical sessions carried out per week, in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient. To work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities
Main duties of the job
Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the specialist service.
Assess clients for suitability for psychological interventions in line with the specialist psychological model of care.
Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department's referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent, as necessary.
Formulate, implement and evaluate therapy programmes for patients within the Weight Management Service.
Use highly developed communication skills in working with people to understand their personal and often very sensitive difficulties, including maladaptive eating behaviours and associated psychological difficulties.
To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment and treatment of patients in the service.
Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying CBT and other psychological formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language, and promoting a holistic approach to care.
Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.
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
Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.
Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.
Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols.
Work closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary team ensuring stepped formulation driven care is delivered to maintain a matched-care approach.
Assess and integrate issues surrounding the wider context of people's lives into the overall therapy process.
Carry out clinical audits of service performance, including service user surveys and evaluations, and help to collate and disseminate the results for feedback.
Liaise with other health and social care staff from a range of agencies in the care provided clients.
Provide specialist advice and consultation to other professionals / individuals / groups / committees across the Weight Management Service, Mental Health Trusts, Primary Care Trusts and other voluntary agencies regarding service matters related to the practice and delivery of specific agreed therapeutic modalities and service provision.
Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g., BPS, UKCP, BABCP), and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the Department of Health (e.g., NHS plan, National Service Framework, National Institute for Clinical Excellence).
Ensure that client confidentiality is protected at all times.
Be aware of and keep up to date with advances in the spheres of CBT and other psychological therapies in the within weight management services.
Ensure clear professional objectives are identified, discussed and reviewed with senior therapists on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development (CPD).
Attend clinical/managerial supervision on a regular basis as agreed with Manager and Consultant Clinical Psychologist.
Participate in individual performance review and respond to agreed objectives.
Keep up to date all records in relation to CPD and ensure personal development plan maintains up to date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models/developments.
Attend relevant conferences / workshops relevant to, relevant to CBT and Weight Management Services
in line with identified professional objectives.
Participate in service improvement by highlighting issues and implementing changes in practice.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Post Graduate Diploma, or equivalent Post Graduate level CBT Training certificate which confers eligibility for BABCP accreditation AND - Has BABCP accreditation or able to achieve Provisional Accreditation within one year
Experience Essential
Demonstrable experience of working in mental health services Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets Ability to manage own caseload and time Demonstrates high standards in written communication Able to write clear reports and letters to referrers Experience with routine outcome monitoring Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups Significant experience working as a psychological therapy practitioner and can demonstrates the competences as required Able to attend supervision training if not already trained, and other training as the post develops Good record of Continuing Professional Development and willingness to continue this
Desirable
Passion for working therapeutically with patients within Weight Management Services Experience of working with patients preparing for bariatric surgery Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary weight management service
Knowledge Essential
Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post Knowledge of child protection issues and other relevant legislation Demonstrates knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health / benefits & employment systems
Desirable
Knowledge of maladaptive eating behaviours including binge eating, emotional eating and comfort eating
Skills Essential
Full range of skills and competencies as laid out in the competence framework for CBT (Roth and Pilling 2007) Computer literate Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS Has received training (either formal of through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients. High level of enthusiasm and motivation Advanced communication skills. Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships. Ability to use clinical supervision and personal development positively and effectively Ability to work under pressure Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality Ability to be self reflective, whilst working with service users, & in own personal and professional development and in supervision The ability and skills to act as an advocate for a new service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service with the wider health care system
Desirable
Trained in provision of supervision for CBT Accredited with a professional psychological therapy organisation Completed clinical audits within a service Car driver and/or ability and willingness to travel to locations throughout the organisation Fluent in languages other than English Passion for working therapeutically with Children and Young People, including holding the child/young person, parent/carer and whole family in mind
Values Essential
Continuous improvement - committed to making improvements to our services for the benefit of all. Accountability - taking ownership to anticipate, develop and deliver high quality care. Respect - how we treat others in an inclusive and supportive way. Enthusiasm - demonstrate our passion and pride for what we do and how we do it. Support - actively supporting others with compassion and courage.
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 Knowsley Primary Care Resource Centre
Whiston
Prescot
L35 3SX
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)