Practitioner Psychologist

NHS; Swansea; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job description

The post holder will provide a specialised practitioner psychology service to clients of the sector, providing specialised psychological assessment and therapy to clients. Working autonomously in accordance with The British Psychological Society Code of Conduct, Ethical Principles and Guidelines 2004, and Health and Care Professions Council, the post holder will be responsible for:

1. Within the team, exercising delegated responsibility for the management and supervision of assistant psychologists and the workload of trainees, within the framework of the team/service policies and procedures.
2. Contributing to the development of local team policies and procedures to facilitate improvement in service quality.
3. Advising service and professional management on aspects of the service related to the team where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
4. Providing professional and clinical supervision for designated staff, as appropriate.
5. Providing clinical placements and supervision for Doctoral level trainee practitioner psychologists and delivering training to other professionals.
6. Using specialised research skills for audit, policy and service development, and research.
7. Acting as a panel member in the recruitment of designated staff, as appropriate.
8. Exercising autonomous professional responsibility and being legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of professional practice, being guided by principles and broad occupational policies.

Main duties of the job

Swansea CLDT is one of seven CLDTs across Swansea Bay's Learning Disability Services. The CLDTs aim to provide specialist health input, advice and treatment to adults with a learning disability through locally based multidisciplinary teams. The team currently has a Principal Clinical Psychologist, a Clinical Applied Associate Psychologist (CAAP), and an Assistant Psychologist in post. The post holder will receive supervision and support from the current clinical psychologist in the team and professional supervision and support from the Lead Consultant Clinical Psychologist for the SBUHB directorate hub. Psychology is a valued part of the CLDT and often takes a key leadership role within the team, including offering advice, consultation, and supervision to others.

About us

We believe staff are our best asset and we want you to be happy and confident about starting your career here in Swansea Bay University Health Board.

As one of the biggest healthcare groups in the UK, we can offer a wealth of professional training and development opportunities in an innovative, forward-thinking organisation.

We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from everyone, whatever their sex; religion or belief; race; age; sexual orientation; gender identity; or whether they are pregnant or have recently been on maternity leave, married or are in a civil partnership; or whether they are disabled.

Our values - Caring For Each Other, Working Together and Always Improving, show that our commitment to equality is at the heart of everything we do.

If you want excellent career and training opportunities while living on the doorstep of some of Europe's most spectacular scenery, with all the benefits of a thriving and cosmopolitan city - look no further.

Job responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications & Knowledge

• Good honours Degree in Psychology
• Eligibility for British Psychological Society Chartered status
• Post-graduate Doctorate/Qualification in specialist area of (Clinical/Counselling/Forensic) Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or for those trained overseas, as accredited by the British Psychological Society or its equivalent allowing registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist)
• Clinical supervision training for Doctoral Trainee Practitioner Psychologist
• Doctoral level/advanced knowledge of practitioner psychology theory and practice, psychological therapies and their application, neuropsychological and psychometric assessment and interpretation
• Doctoral/advanced level knowledge of research design and methodology, including multivariate data analysis as practised within practitioner psychology
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as recommended by the BPS and HCPC
• Postdoctoral/qualification training courses in specific areas of practitioner psychology (Clinical/Forensic/Counselling)
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g., personality disorder, dual diagnoses, and people with additional disabilities)
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies
• Substantial assessed experience of working as a qualified practitioner psychologist, normally including significant post-qualification experience within the designated speciality where the post is located, or relevant transferable skills
• Demonstration of further specialist training/experience through having received extensive and demonstrable clinical supervision of working as a practitioner psychologist or an alternative agreed by the Head of Psychology
• Experience of specialised psychological assessment and treatment of a range of clients across a wide range of care settings
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care, with experience of co-ordinating care within the context of multi-disciplinary care-planning
• Experience of teaching, training, and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of practitioner psychology in diverse cultural contexts
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.

Essential Aptitude and abilities

• Adhere to and can demonstrate SBU Values & Behaviours
• The ability to demonstrate a high level of competence to work within the designated speciality
• Skills in the supervision of other staff including Trainee Practitioner Psychologists
• Well-developed skills in effectively communicating very complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information, both orally and in writing, to clients, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• Capable of effective workload management when facing competing demands.
• The ability to work collaboratively with a range of multidisciplinary colleagues
• Welsh Language Skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh

Other Essential Criteria

• Ability to travel within geographical area and work hours flexibly
• Satisfactory Standard/Enhanced DBS clearance including an Adults and Childrens Barred List check
• Capable of maintaining a high degree of professionalism and safe clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour
• The ability to identify and provide appropriate means of support to line-managed staff who deal with highly distressing situations, severely challenging behaviours, and other stressors
• The ability to use a variety of complex multi-media materials for a range of purposes such as teaching and training

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.

£54,550 to £61,412 a year Band 8a per annum/pro rata