Highly Specialist Applied Psychologist - IST - South Staffs

NHS; Stafford; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job description

JOB TITLE: Clinical Psychologist BAND: 8a 37.5 hours per week The role can be offered at band 8a for suitably qualified and experienced candidates or as a band 7/8a Preceptorship for newly qualified psychologists. Current 3rd year Doctoral Trainees graduating in 2025 are welcome to apply.

Now is the time for you to join our Intensive Support Team in South Staffordshire. To provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and therapy at the same time as offering advice and consultation to non-psychology colleagues and other non-professional carers, working autonomously within professional guidelines and Trust policies and procedures. To use research skills in audit and policy development within the area covered by the service. To further contribute to the service by teaching, publishing research and providing clinical supervision to Psychologists undertaking doctoral clinical and/or counselling psychology training, assistant psychologists, community nurses and other members of the multi-disciplinary team as required.

Main duties of the job

To provide highly specialist clinical psychology input to South Staffordshire's Intensive Support Team (IST). Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to offer effective and evidence based interventions with the aim of improving quality of life, autonomy and psychological wellbeing; and reducing the risk of placement breakdowns, inappropriate admissions to specialist hospital and the use of restrictive practices. To provide specialist psychological assessments of service users referred to the IST, based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources. Psychological formulations will then contribute significantly to the development of detailed PBS plans and risk assessments etc. Clinical work will take place across all settings and agencies. To formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and management of people with learning disabilities who may have mental health problems and/or complex behavioural needs and/or Autistic Spectrum Diagnoses. There will be a need to adjust and refine psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

About us

By joining Team MPFT, you will be helping your communities and in return for this, we will support you by;

• Supporting your career development and progression
• Excellent NHS Pension scheme
• Generous maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Options for flexible working
• Up to 27 days annual leave (increasing with service up to 33 days)
• Extensive Health and Wellbeing support and resources
• If you work in our community teams, we pay for your time travelling between patients
• Lease car if you complete more than 500 business miles per annum, fully insured and maintained (including tyres), mileage paid at lease car rate
• Salary sacrifice car - fully insured and maintained (including tyres), your gross pay is reduced by the cost of the vehicle before tax, NI and pension deductions are calculated, mileage paid at business rates
• Salary sacrifice bikes up to £2k
• Free car parking at all trust sites
• Free flu vaccinations every year
• Citizens Advice support linked with a Hardship Fund for one off additional support up to £250 (if the criteria is met)

We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive organisation and there is a choice of staff networks that help you meet like-minded people.

Please be aware that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in completing application forms will be monitored to ensure fairness and transparency. If you have used AI you must state this in your application.

Please note, we may be required to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications

Date posted: 11 April 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 8a

Salary: £53,755 to £60,504 a year per annum

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 301-LBG-25-7058495-A

Job locations: Flanagan Centre, St Georges Hospital, Stafford, ST16 3AG

Job responsibilities

To be responsible for psychological input to South Staffordshire's Intensive Support Team (IST) as part of a multi-disciplinary team. The post holder will take the lead in developing psychology inputs within the IST, linking in with IST clinicians and the wider Community Learning Disability Team. Propose and contribute to service development specifically within the IST but also the wider Learning Disabilities Service under the guidance of the Professional Lead and Local Lead Consultant Clinical Psychologist. Providing specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to service users care; and to contribute to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care, to the benefit of all users of the service.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psycho-pathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Trained in clinical supervision of doctoral trainees (completed all required STAR Training).
• Currently registered as Practitioner Psychologist with the HCPC.

Experience Essential

• Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, seeing service users presenting with a wide variety of mental health and behavioural needs in a range of settings. Offering evidence-based psychological interventions and adhering to appropriate best practice and professional guidance as a qualified clinician.
• Experience of working therapeutically with services users with a learning disability and with people on the autistic continuum; including those presenting with behavioural needs which challenge services.
• Undertaking multi-dimensional risk assessment, developing and implementing risk mitigation strategies.
• Experience of clinical supervision of others.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities Essential

• Advanced skills in the assessment, formulation, and treatment of people with learning disabilities.

Personal Attributes Essential

• Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary and Psychology team and form good working relationships with other professionals.

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.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Flanagan Centre, St Georges Hospital, Stafford, ST16 3AG

Employer's website: https://www.mpft.nhs.uk