Bank Psychologist

This is an exciting opportunity to join the psychology bank at Rampton Hospital in the National High Secure Healthcare Service for Women (NHSHSW) to cover gaps within service until January 2025.

The role will involve providing a comprehensive clinical and forensic psychology service to a named caseload of patients and ward team(s) within the NHSHSW, as part of an integrated trauma informed care pathway.

The post holder will have the opportunity to gain wider post-qualification experience of trauma-informed and gender sensitive psychological provision, as part of an agreed personal development plan. This includes opportunity to develop expertise in the delivery of highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy, as well as offering advice and consultation on patients' psychological care to other members of the clinical team.

The team currently comprises qualified Clinical and Forensic Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists and Clinical Nurse Practitioners. Clinical and Forensic Trainee Placements are also supported within the service.

We welcome applications from practitioner psychologists, including, clinical, forensic, counselling and health.

We will consider applications from candidates who are close to qualification (within six months).

Main duties of the job

To provide highly specialist psychological assessment and therapy, and provide advice and consultation on patients' psychological care to other members of the clinical team.

Please refer to the attached Job Description for a more detailed overview of the main duties of the job.

Job Responsibilities

To provide psychological assessments to patients within the NHSHSW, 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 patients and others involved in the patients care.

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for assessments and interventions with patients on their caseload.

To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a patients mental health 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, individual and group, 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.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual.

To liaise closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, giving authoritative specialist advice on psychological aspects of care, contributing directly to formulation, diagnosis and treatment planning.

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all patients of the service.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual patients and to provide advice and training to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.

To communicate in a skilled, persuasive and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment formulation and treatment plans of patients, and to monitor progress during the course of their multidisciplinary care.

To disseminate knowledge and skills in general aspects of forensic clinical psychology.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with their line manager.

This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing service requirements and any such changes will be discussed with the post-holder.

Person Specification
Physical Requirements
Essential

• Ability to undertake MVA training and employ these skills when required.

Qualifications - Academic / Craft / Professional
Essential

• Good honours degree in psychology, accredited by the British Psychology Society.
• MSc or Doctorate in Clinical or Forensic Psychology (applicants with equivalent training as a practitioner psychologist (for instance Health and Counseling Psychology) will also be eligible.
• Must be HCPC registered as a Practitioner Psychologist.

Desirable

• Chartered status or eligibility for chartered status with the BPS.
• Further relevant post-qualification training/qualifications.

Training
Essential

• Training includes models of psychopathology, psychometric assessment, developmental psychology through the life span and two or more distinct approaches to therapeutic intervention.
• Training and supervised practice within forensic mental health services.
• Evidence of CPD.

Desirable

• Advanced knowledge, experience, and expertise in at least one specialist area of clinical/forensic practice gained through specialist training and supervised practice (e.g., psychotherapy, neuropsychology, risk assessment, clinical and forensic supervision).
• Evidence of training in assessment/therapies relevant for women's forensic services e.g., DBT, Fire setting Treatment, Complex Trauma, Self-Harm.

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working collaboratively and effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience of working with people, in gender sensitive ways, who present severe problems and complex needs.
• Experience of exercising clinical responsibility, under supervision, for psychological care and treatment in the context of multidisciplinary care plans.
• Experience of Risk Assessment.

Desirable

• Experience of working with women in forensic mental health settings.
• Experience of delivering female specific group programmes or interventions.
• Experience of facilitating ward/MDT based supervision and/or reflective practice groups.
• Experience of delivering training and supervision to staff, MDT colleagues, and other psychologists.
• Experience of clinical audit, service evaluation and research.
• Experience of providing and evaluating evidence-based highly specialist psychological interventions to address complex problems and needs of female mentally disordered offenders in a forensic service.
• Experience of teaching psychologists and/or other professionals.
• Experience of service development projects.
• Experience of working as a qualified psychologist in a forensic environment, or with women.
• Can demonstrate experience of supporting the development of others / improving others' clinical practice.
• Experience of developing therapy programmes in a relevant context.
• Experience of involvement in recruitment and appraisals of junior staff.

Contractual Requirements
Essential

• Ability to carry out all mandatory training.

Desirable

• A full UK driving license and vehicle for business use (due to the remote location of the hospital, reliance on public transport can be challenging).

Values and Behaviours
Essential

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust, Honesty, Respect, Compassion, Teamwork.
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation.

Knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of legal system/MHA.
• Can demonstrate knowledge and skills in assessment and interventions relevant to clinical forensic practice.
• Knowledge and skills in therapeutic approaches relevant to mentally disordered offenders.
• Good knowledge of research design and methodology and understanding their application within secure forensic mental health settings.
• Aware of current national policy and legislation in the criminal justice system and/or health relevant to the service.

Desirable

• Aware and knowledge of the difficulties of working in forensic settings.

Skills
Essential

• Can demonstrate clinical effectiveness in individual and group work, risk and clinical assessment.
• Ability to develop therapeutic relationships with patients who are often highly distressed and challenging.
• Ability to communicate with patients, families, and other professionals about sensitive and sometimes contentious issues relating to patient care.
• Research skills for audit, service development, and research projects.
• Ability to plan and organise clinical service provision to meet service demands.
• Proven ability to work effectively within multi-disciplinary teams.
• Groupwork Skills.
• IT literacy - including skills in the use of SPSS or R/databases/spreadsheets.

Desirable

• Supervision of assistant psychologists / other professionals.
• Experience of dissemination of research/service evaluation (e.g., publications).
• Record of clinical effectiveness in a forensic women's service.
• Can demonstrate competence in supervision of junior psychology and MDT staff and psychology trainees.
• Presentation and teaching skills.

Attributes
Essential

• Good communication skills.
• Commitment and enthusiasm.
• Reliability & personal integrity.

Employer details
Employer name

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Rampton Hospital

Retford

DN22 0PD

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