Principal Clinical Psychologist

Location: Barnstaple, EX31 1QL
Salary: £50952.00 to £57349.00
Date posted: 2nd August 2024
Closing date: 13th September 2024

Our professional responsibility is to reduce the risk of infection to others as far as possible. Getting vaccinated against diseases that can be passed person-to-person in healthcare settings is part of this responsibility. The Trust will provide advice, guidance and support on vaccinations and access to vaccinations where requested.

Job Description:

Are you someone looking for a career in one of the UK's most respected mental health and learning disability trusts?

Would you like to be part of a dedicated team committed to making a difference to people's lives to enjoy a better future?

Are you interested in working in an area that is multifaceted and combines therapy, MDT working, direct and indirect interventions and operates at the interface of mental health, physical health and social care?

We are looking for a part-time Clinical Psychologist to work in the Barnstaple-based Complex Health and Social Care service, supporting 6 teams covering North Devon. We provide direct and indirect psychological interventions to people aged 18 plus, who are living with long-term health conditions and need to access social care.

You will work closely with Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language therapy, Social Workers and Community Nurses. You will maintain and develop relationships with partner agencies and local providers. You will receive regular clinical and management supervision from within the wider health and neuropsychology team.

The Clinical Psychology team is a valuable and valued part of the Community Health and Social Care Team service. We work closely with our colleagues in a caring and mutually supportive culture. We are committed to compassionate, respectful and equitable care for people with long-term health conditions.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for candidates with an interest in and experience of working with individuals with long term health conditions. You will be undertaking complex assessments and supporting clinicians carrying out assessments; developing individual formulations and contributing to MDT formulation and best practice reviews; designing complex and multicomponent interventions and delivering these directly and indirectly via individual or group therapies, care planning, training and consultation.

We also welcome psychologists to apply without prior experience in long term health conditions; the diversity of experience within our psychology team only enhances the quality of care we are able to offer to our clients, and we are keen to train any enthusiastic and skilled HCPC-registered practitioner who is interested in working in this exciting field.

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust's core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with long term health conditions presenting within the community Health and Social Care Team services.

This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following key areas of responsibility:

• Providing a timely and appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment of cognitive, emotional and behavioural dysfunction experienced by patients with complex health and social care needs.
• Working proactively in partnership with other health and social care professionals and carers in order to support individuals to understand, adjust and cope with their condition.
• Provide clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the defined services.
• Carry and manage a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to clients and professionals.
• Ensuring all healthcare records and documentation is at a high-quality standard in line with British Psychological Society, Devon Partnership Trust Policies and Northern Devon Healthcare Trust Policies.
• Ensuring that patient data is appropriately recorded.
• Working within the policies, protocols and guidance of Devon Partnership Trust and Northern Devon Healthcare Trust.
• Working autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional and DPT guidelines as lead specialist.
• Receiving regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society or appropriate designated Professional Body.
• Observe, and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice including the British Psychological Society. The post holder will be fully registered with the Health Professions Council as a condition of employment.

Service Background

• The strategic aim of this agreement is to secure the provision of a reliable comprehensive Psychological Therapy service to improve the psychological health and wellbeing of the people of North Devon who are served by the 6 Health and Social Care Community Teams and related specialist community health services across Northern Devon (North Devon and Torridge) in relation to their Health and Social Care needs.
• There is evidence of high levels of psychological need within the population of people who access health and social care community services, both as a result of and as a contributing factor to their presenting issues and needs. The national evidence also shows that the specialist application of psychological models and of specific psychological therapies can improve clinical outcomes and be cost effective.
• The provision of psychological care within community health and social care settings is considered an essential component of good professional / clinical practice. Provision of specialist neuropsychological assessments, interventions, reviews and psychological therapies for North Devon patients within health and social care community services will be a key component of the service.
• There is also a need to facilitate consultation with community health and social care staff in order to support them in their support and treatment of those people with long term conditions or end of life care. This may be in the form of 1-1 discussions with the health or social care professional or team meetings. In addition to this the related community specialist health services require provision of advice and support to other agencies working with patients with neuro-disabilities, e.g. Social care and private care facilities.
• The Psychology Therapy service will be integrated within the Health and Social Care Community services Northern Devon with the aim of:
• Providing direct and/or indirect support to people with complex or multiple long term conditions who may require frequent hospital admissions or help from social care staff.
• Supporting older adults to live as independently as possible in their preferred or agreed residence within their local community.

Detail of Services to be provided

• The Clinical Psychologist (or equivalent psychological professional) will undertake (at a range of venues, across Northern Devon,) specialist psychological assessment, consultation and intervention services to people who have accessed health and social care and related service and are experiencing problems in relation to challenging behaviours/presentations or psychological distress associated with their health conditions or social care needs.
• The Psychologist will take referrals from rehab clinicians, allied health professionals, and social care professionals, via the 6 Complex Care Team Co-ordinators.
• The psychology service will work in partnership with other health and social care professionals to provide:
• A holistic approach to care.
• liaise with community health and social care team leads to monitor referral flow.
• provide a resource for other staff working within rehabilitation services, including supervisory groups and individual consultation.
• The service will provide timely psychological assessment; treatment, advice and brief evidence based therapeutic intervention to health and social care professionals, the individuals referred and their circle of support/significant others as appropriate.
• The service will provide a mixture of neuropsychological assessment, individual therapeutic work, group work and consultation. The aforementioned list is a general description of the types of work and would therefore not exclude other interventions that could be appropriate and cost effective to provide within the auspices of this agreement.
• Where significant mental health problems in addition to the referred health and social care needs are identified, the service will facilitate signposting and referral to local Mental Health Services.
• The psychology clinical notes will be stored in the appropriate patient record systems held within the local health and Social Care Teams in line with Northern Devon Healthcare Trust and/or Devon County Council Policies.

Operational Guidelines & Key Performance Indicators for the Service

• The clinical service will be delivered to inpatients and outpatients at North Devon District Hospital and within the patients' residence as required. The service will be required to:
• Manage an anticipated caseload of 80 patients per annum.
• There should be the aim to assess 1 new client every week, with a minimum of 30 new clients assessed in the service per year.
• Provide a minimum of 10 direct (with client) and indirect (consultation with NDHT Professional, Attendance at Client MDT/safeguarding meeting etc) client contacts per week. Contact defined as 15 minutes or more and is inclusive of Clinical Psychology Trainee contacts.
• Work towards a maximum waiting time of 18 weeks (Waiting times measured from the date of referral to 1st appointment).
• Provide outcome data and user satisfaction data using a QOL measure and appropriate psychological measures as determined by the clinician and agreed with the authorised Officer for H&SC Community Services.
• The Service User Satisfaction questionnaire should be available to no less than 80% of patients.
• The service will move towards using the NDHT MDT notes for all clients and notes will meet professional standards. All appointments should be reconciled within 24 hours of the client contact.
• Aim to complete clinical assessment and discharge letters and other reports within two weeks of clinical activity.
• Aim to complete a basic, brief risk assessment of all new referrals for recording in local records and provide basic risk assessments for communication to Mental Health Services during the referral process.
• There should be regular documentation audit of clinical records, carried out with the line manager.
• The service should work towards a maximum nonattendance rate (DNA) of 10%.
• Governance & Activity reporting and monitoring will be carried out as follows:
• Clinicians will monitor and maintain activity data on local NDHT dashboard as required.
• Monthly activity data report. NDHT to email this to the DPT line manager on a monthly basis for reporting to the DPT Governance Board.
• Quarterly line management meetings carried out jointly with DPT and NDHT.
• Information regarding supervision, absence, appraisal, training, continual professional development, client feedback and service achievements will be monitored and recorded by DPT and available to NDHCT at quarterly meetings. This will be recorded on a monthly basis by the clinicians and the DPT line manager.

Location of Service:

The Psychology service will be delivered:

Through clinics held at North Devon District Hospital

Patients' place of residence

This may be subject to change depending on service developments and with the redevelopment of the clinical area.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of work in either adult mental health services and/or in physical health services or agencies and working with people with severe and complex mental health difficulties and comorbid physical health needs.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience in undertaking leadership roles within clinical psychology services in the NHS and in contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies and clinical policies in multi disciplinary, multi agency contexts.
• Experience of working with complex trauma and with systems working around people who have experienced trauma.
• Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
• Experience of neuropsychological assessment and awareness of impact of neuropsychological symptoms on presentation.

Knowledge and skills

• Broad knowledge of specialist services and of the services in the NHS where psychology is commonly applied.
• Extensive knowledge of the skills, practice and knowledge base of Clinical/Counselling Psychology.
• Knowledge of the policy context of specialist psychological services within the organisation and of clinical leadership arrangements in both mental health and physical health settings.
• Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills.
• Strong leadership qualities, resilience and ability to handle ambiguity and uncertainty.
• Skills in managing conflict, negotiation and achieving consensus in complex situations in the pursuit of agreed strategic aims.
• Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long term perspective.
• Highly skilled in specialist interventions with the client group.
• Advanced psychological assessment and formulation skills including risk assessment.
• Proven organisational, planning and time management skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and cope with deadlines.
• Presentable.
• Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise.
• Good communication skills when presenting/facilitating to varying groups of people.

Qualifications

• Qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (D.Clin.Psychol. or equivalent) and eligible for Chartered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist Status in the British Psychological Society. Registered with HCPC.
• Further training or experience in clinical specialism.
• Further training in related area.
• Further training in at least one (other) psychological therapy.

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.

Professional Lead Community Neuropsychology