In the past five years Tameside & Glossop's acute pathway has had a significant increase in the funding for psychology posts in inpatient, home treatment, and access and liaison services. This new post has been created from these existing funds, with the aim of developing a coherent and sustainable psychology leadership structure across the acute pathway.

This is an exciting opportunity to for the post-holder to lead on developing acute psychology service for Tameside and Glossop, making decisions about how best to use existing funds across the different services, and developing and embedding psychological and trauma-informed pathways. The postholder will also provide clinical time into some areas of the pathway.

This is an exciting yet challenging post and we want potential applicants to get a full understanding of the role when deciding whether to apply. We highly recommend that prior to applying you contact the following people who can provide you with an honest and open view of what it is like to work across the acute pathway, what our vision is, what we are looking for in a candidate, and what support will be available to you:

Dr Sinead Murphy, Service Manager, Tameside & Glossop Secondary Care Psychological Therapies. 0161 716 3555 sinead.murphy1@nhs.net

Rachael Osborne, Acute Service Manager Tameside & Glossop. 0161 716 3780 rachael.osbourne@nhs.net

Dr Gabby LeGeyt, Clinical Psychologist, Stockport Inpatient Services. 0161 716 5766 gabby.legeyt@nhs.net

Main duties of the job

The role is likely to vary depending on the stage of development we are at and where in the pathway your clinical work will be based. Activities could include:

• Developing and embedding a model of acute psychology
• Supporting managers to think about existing psychology budgets and how this resource can best be used effectively across the system
• Providing supervision to psychology staff in the pathway
• Working with the inpatient leadership team to create a trauma-informed culture
• Attending acute service meetings as a psychological representative
• Connecting with other acute psychologists within and outside of the Trust
• 1:1 work with clients. This may involve brief interventions, e.g. assessment and formulation of a person's admission/attendance at A& E/referral to the home treatment team, and short and long term strategies and plans which may help them to avoid future crises.
• Joint working with other colleagues (e.g. inpatient nurses, healthcare support workers, CMHT care co-ordinators, attending ward rounds) to share client's formulations and think about how identified strategies can be incorporated into care plans.
• Facilitating team reflective practice/formulation sessions.
• Developing & delivering training to teams.

Developing & delivering a group programme in conjunction with other staff (e.g. OT team, assistant psychologist), providing training and support to develop other lead facilitators.

About us

We are working through difficult times across the NHS and our acute pathway is struggling with high demand and staff shortages. Despite this we are committed to our aim of creating an acute service for our local population that is trauma-informed. This is one of a few posts which we hope will result in sustainable progress, alongside a Reducing Restrictive Practice Lead, and Inpatient Clinical Excellence Leads.

Our Trust's psychology leadership is expanding and we anticipate this will include more dedicated inpatient leadership. We are keen to ensure adequate support is available in the meantime:

• An Inpatient Psychology Group attended by clinical psychologists working into acute pathways across the borough
• Close links to Tameside & Glossop's Secondary Care Psychological Therapies Service
• Line management by a clinical psychologist with experience of working into the acute pathway
• Specialist external clinical supervision may be provided by an experienced inpatient psychologist if required.
• Regular contact with Tameside & Glossop's consultant clinical psychologist and pathway lead for clients with complex emotional and relational needs
• Regular contact with inpatient clinical excellence leads and occupational therapy team
• Regular contact with other clinical psychologists on the hospital site, including those working into PICU and Rehab and High Support Directorate
• Monthly Tameside & Glossop Psychology forum meetings
• An annual CPD budget is available

Job description

Job responsibilities

• To provide clinical leadership and direction in the continual development and provision of excellence in applied psychology for the Acute Care Pathway services.
• To provide a high quality clinical psychology service to adults presenting with complex mental health problems.
• To provide highly specialised psychological assessment and therapy while also offering advice and consultation on service users psychological care to other colleagues and different professional groups.
• To contribute to audit, policy/service development, and To propose and implement policy changes within the areas served.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Trusts policies and procedures.
• To provide clinical supervision to individuals and groups of staff working across the inpatient services, including psychology staff.

• To be responsible for the provision of psychological services across the psychiatric intensive care inpatient units.
• To carry a caseload and to undertake highly specialist psychological assessments based upon the appropriate use and interpretation of complex data from various sources.
• To develop psychological formulations of complex mental health problems to inform the teams treatment and management of these difficulties.
• To provide appropriate structured psychological interventions and psychological therapies for people with severe and/or complex mental health problems (and, when appropriate, their families or carers).
• To harness and support the psychosocial skills of other team members by providing clinical supervision, consultation and liaison work and opportunities for co-working.
• To develop and maintain appropriate psychosocial supervision
• To contribute to the appropriate risk assessment and risk management by providing training and consultation to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
• To promote team working and constructive relationships with multi-disciplinary
• To collaborate with unit managers on developing best practice in psychological care for the unit environment.
• To promote trauma informed care across the Acute Care Pathway services.
• To provide clinical placements for trainee clinical psychologists, ensure that trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good psychological care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.
• To gain highly specialised/extended expertise in particular psychological approaches and/or with particular client groups and /or in management through further specialist supervision and experience supported by a programme of professional development as identified in an agreed personal development plan.
• To provide post-qualification training (CPD) and clinical and line management supervision to psychology staff working across the inpatient services.
• To provide advice, consultation, training and clinical supervision to other professionals for their provision of psychologically based interventions.
• To provide pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical psychology as
• To maintain and develop skills in the area of pre-and post-graduate training and clinical supervision.
• To contribute to personal development / performance reviews for clinical psychology staff across inpatient services.
• To actively participate in continuing professional development involving a variety of activities including attending seminars, conferences, reading and
• To be responsible for maintaining up to date records of any CPD or mandatory training activities undertaken.
• To participate as a senior clinician in the development of a high quality, responsive and accessible service including advising both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
• To exercise delegated responsibility for managing the psychological resources available to the team, whether in the form of other qualified and unqualified graduate psychology staff, including potentially Assistant Psychologists, (Trainee) Associate Practitioner Psychologists, and Clinical Associate Psychologists, or in the form of psychological materials used in the assessment and treatment of adults, families and
• To exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within inpatient services.
• To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistants, clinical associates in psychology, and qualified clinical psychologists.
• To take the psychology lead, as a senior clinician in the evaluation, monitoring and development of aspects of the teams clinical practice, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit and ensuring incorporation of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high quality care.
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
• To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.
• To initiate project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service to help develop and improve services to service users and their families.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Current registration as a clinical psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology,(or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.

Desirable

• Completion of further post qualification training within psychological therapies (e.g. DBT, CBT, CAT, CFT,MBT etc.).

Experience

Essential

• Post qualification experience of specialist assessment and treatment in inpatient settings
• Significant post qualification experience of working with complex mental health needs
• Demonstrate experience of working with people in suicidal crisis
• Post qualification experience working as part of an MDT
• Experience of providing clinical leadership
• Experience of providing clinical supervision to other professions
• Experience of providing teaching and training to other professional staff groups
• Experience of supporting other professions deliver psychologically informed interventions

Desirable

• Experience in clinical leadership
• Experience of audit and service evaluation
• Research experience
• Experience of application of psychological interventions in diverse cultural and ethnic contexts

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of national and regional legislation, guidance and policy directives in relation to delivery of psychological interventions within an inpatient setting
• Evidence of post qualification CPD as recommended/accredited by the BPS/ACP-UK or other professional body
• Up to date knowledge of the needs of people with complex mental health problems and of psychological approaches to recovery
• Understanding of principles of trauma informed approaches
• Familiarity with computing technology

Desirable

• Well-developed knowledge of specialised approaches for people with complex mental health problems
• Publication of training, service evaluation, clinical audit, or research

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
  
  311-T259-22-J