Highly specialist clinical psychologist

If you are Kind, Fair, Ingenious and Determined then we want you to come and join our #PennineCarePeople

Job overview

The Stockport Psychological Medicine in Primary Care Service is a specialist MDT team working with people whose high use of healthcare services is atypical for the health conditions they experience. Patients often present with complex co-morbid physical and mental health conditions or psychological distress. Patients may have accessed a range of services in the past and been unable to engage or make progress with their condition. Physical health conditions include long term health conditions as well as persistent physical symptoms. Psychological presentations include complex trauma and emotional and relational needs, enduring depression and anxiety.

Applicants for the post should have experience of working therapeutically with complex mental health presentations, and an interest in working with people with physical health conditions. They should be committed to MDT working and be able to work effectively in a team to deliver and support psychologically informed care. An awareness of the challenges of working with complex mental health conditions and commitment to compassionate leadership of colleagues is essential for this role.

Whilst the post is advertised at 8a, a band 7 preceptorship would also be considered for suitable/newly qualified candidates.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as part of an MDT team, with colleagues supporting psychologically informed care delivered by Liaison Mental Health Practitioners. Offering assessment and formulation to provide appropriate direction for interventions. The post also provides supervision to support team members in working with a complex patient group, recognising the need for informative as well as restorative support. The post holder will additionally carry a small caseload of 2 to 3 therapy patients.

The post holder will participate in MDT discussions about patient care with Psychiatry colleagues and a senior psychologist along with the practitioner team. All team members are encouraged to be involved in the development of the service offer, including delivering training where appropriate.

Candidates interested in applying for the role as part of a preceptorship will have the support of an 8b psychologist as well as mentoring from a colleague who has developed through and understands the preceptorship process.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to provide high quality mental health and learning disability services, both inpatient and in the community across five boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop.

Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We're really proud of our #PennineCarePeople and do everything we can to make sure we're a great place to work.

All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply for this post. We would also encourage applications from individuals with a lived experience of mental illness, either individually or as a carer.

If you come and work for us we will offer a range of benefits and opportunities, including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement for Agenda for Change and Medical and Dental staff.
• Flexible working opportunities to support your work/life balance
• Access to Continued Professional Development
• Involvement in improvement and research activities
• Health and Wellbeing activities and access to an excellent staff wellbeing service
• Access to staff discounts across retail, leisure and travel

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessments of patients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of information from a variety of sources.

To share the assessments with colleagues within an MDT setting in order to inform and advise on care planning.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patient's physical and psychological difficulties.

To be responsible for implementing a range of evidence based interventions including indirect care through supporting Liaison Practitioners in their work.

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors.

To offer consultation and supervision to team members, and to deliver training to colleagues inside and outside the team where appropriate.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Post-Graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS including specific models of psychopathology/mental health, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• HCPC registration

Desirable criteria

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.
• Training relevant to working with Physical Health Conditions and or personality difficulties.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience working as a qualified specialist clinical psychologist.
• Post qualification experience of psychological assessment, intervention and management working with a wide range of clinical presentations. These should include complex, long-term co-morbid physical health conditions and/or complex mental health conditions.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threats of physical abuse.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for patients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified clinical psychologist and within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Experience of teaching and training.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience of assessing and treating patients across the full range of care settings, including both those with complex mental health needs and those with complex physical health conditions, would be helpful but not essential.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of supervising other health care professionals. Experienced in group therapies.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential criteria

• Evidence of post doctoral learning and the development of knowledge of theory and practice in relation to the psychology of adjustment to illness, role of distress in interfering with treatment and recovery, adherence to and decision making about treatment and lifestyle changes to improve and maintain health.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies with complex patient groups (e.g. those with long term comorbid physical and mental health problems, history of trauma and abuse).
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practice within the field of clinical psychology.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
• An interest in developing skills in working with patients from a broad range of ethnic backgrounds.
• An interest in developing skills in group work.
• An interest in developing skills in pain management.

Desirable criteria

• Highly skilled in working with complex patients in groups and managing group dynamics in the face of highly emotive issues.
• Formal training in supervision of other Psychologist.
• Enthusiasm for treating those from diverse ethnic backgrounds and experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Hints and tips for completing your application can be found here.

Sponsorship - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship.

What happens after your application has been received?

You will be informed about the progress of your application following shortlisting via email. Only applicants who clearly demonstrate the criteria listed in the person specification will be shortlisted for interview. Interview invites will be sent out via email.

What happens if I am offered the position after interview?

The hiring manager will make contact with you to verbally offer you the position. The hiring manager will then inform Recruitment of the decision and provide relevant paperwork. You will be sent a formal conditional offer via email.

What pre-employment checks will I need to complete?

By conducting pre-employment checks, the recruitment team will verify that you meet the pre-conditions of the role you have been offered. Pre-employment checks will be carried out according to NHS Employment Check Standards. The checks are:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to NHS will be required to provide HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years. This information will be used to validate employment history and references as part of pre-employment checks.

If you are offered a position with us and you require sponsorship to support your right to work, we will review your eligibility in line with government guidance. If the role you have been offered is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not able to evidence your right to work, your conditional offer could be withdrawn.

What happens when pre-employment checks are complete?

Recruitment will liaise with you and the hiring manager to arrange a start date for your new position. You will then be booked onto a Trust Welcome Session and be sent your Pennine Care NHS Terms and Conditions.

Other important information

• We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and recognise the importance of ensuring our diverse service user population is reflected within our workforce. Unfortunately, we know that, at present, there is underrepresentation of our communities in our workforce. We welcome applications from people from diverse communities to help us grow, learn, be better and consider the brilliant innovation diverse people bring.
• If you would like to be considered under the disability confident scheme, you will be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria on the person specification for the post.
• If you require reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process please phone us on 0161 716 3181 at the earliest opportunity. We will support you to complete your application.
• Unfortunately, we are not able to guarantee the transfer of lease cars, or cover the costs of early termination charges.
• We have a strict policy on unsolicited contact from recruitment agencies. Please do not contact our hiring managers directly.

We reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date if a sufficient number of applications have been received. To ensure your application is considered, please submit at the earliest opportunity.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.