Change Specialist

Highly Specialist Clinical / Forensic Psychologist

We are looking for a highly motivated and inspirational Practitioner Psychologist for the role of Team Psychologist and Highly Specialist Clinical / Counselling / Forensic Psychologist at Broadmoor Hospital, in our High Secure Services in West London NHS Trust.

This role will involve working alongside other clinicians to provide psychologically informed care and to deliver high quality evidence-based psychological interventions in the high secure setting.

It is an exciting time to make an important difference for patients in high security care in our newly built hospital: to improve outcomes and to offer systemic interventions supporting colleagues to promote Trauma-informed approaches within a national flagship service.

Main duties of the job

This role champions excellence in the delivery of psychology and psychological therapies within the high secure setting, leading within the clinical team on psychologically informed practice, professional supervision of psychological interventions, and standards of professional behaviour for junior contributors to the psychological professions within Broadmoor Hospital.

The post-holder will contribute to audit, research, and training programmes that will implement standards and policy to ensure high quality psychological practice.

They will work alongside and involve Experts by Experience in initiatives of clinical benefit to the service, care, and treatment of all those referred to Broadmoor Hospital. The Team Psychologist role carries responsibility for the psychological care and treatment for individuals, carers, families, and groups, within and across teams, adjusting and refining psychological formulations to draw upon different explanatory models to assist those on Intensive Support and Assertive Treatment (ISAT) wards.

There has not been a more exciting time to develop skills in teamwork, formulation, and compassionate care and to shape the immediate future of those referred to our wards.

About us

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services.

The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation. Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs.

The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow, and Hammersmith & Fulham).

We employ 4, staff, of whom 56% are BME.

Our turnover for -24 is £m. The Trust is rated as 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'. The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board.

The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Job responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required.

Please view as attached.

Person Specification

Qualifications

1. Good honours degree (2:1 minimum) in Psychology.
2. Eligibility for graduate membership of BPS.
3. Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to or those in lateral transfer); or forensic psychology equivalent, as accredited by the BPS.
4. Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
5. Other related academic qualifications.

Experience

1. Experience of at least 6 months' work in either a severe and enduring mental disorder or a forensic setting either in a training placement or as an Assistant Psychologist or a Health Care Facilitator or equivalent.
2. Experience of teaching, training, and/or supervision.
3. Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

Knowledge

1. Highly developed specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of psychology applied to clinical practice, particularly in respect of adults with severe and enduring mental health disorders (including psychosis and personality disorders).
2. Able to provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive, or highly contentious information, where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills.
3. Able to make judgements involving complex facts or situations, which require the evaluation of a range of options (e.g., the assessment of specialist clinical conditions and the determination of treatment options).
4. Able to plan, prioritise, and organise own patient caseload, treatment programmes involving other staff, and other aspects of the work such as research activity.
5. Able to complete PMVA training.
6. Able to use database, word processing and test administration/scoring software.
7. Post-graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology.
8. Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of psychology applied to forensic issues.
9. Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for work with mentally disordered offenders.
10. Knowledge of SPSS.
11. Evidence of continuing professional development.

Skills

1. Able to function in potentially traumatic circumstances and in highly emotionally distressing circumstances on a frequent basis (e.g., in dealing with patients with serious mental illness, histories of homicide and serious violence, self-harm, sexual abuse).
2. Able to provide services in a secure environment with patients who are disturbed and sometimes violent and where the awareness of the risk of assault must always be maintained.
3. Able to 'hold' the stress of patients compulsorily detained in a secure hospital.
4. Able to respond adaptably to rapidly changing service demands.
5. Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
6. Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional, and academic settings.
7. Record of having published in either peer-reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.

Other Requirements

1. Knowledge of the professional code of conduct of the BPS.
2. Must be capable of being guided by precedent, clearly defined policies, procedures, and codes of conduct.
3. Able to reflect on own professional practice through the clinical supervision process.
4. Willing to participate actively in CPD in line with BPS guidelines.
5. Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 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.

£59, to £66, a year Per Annum Pro Rata Inclusive of Allowances