This is a post in the Clinical Health Psychology Department of London's Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, based at St Mary's Hospital adjacent to Paddington Station but with potential to work at other Trust hospital sites (Hammersmith and Charing Cross). The postholder will have the opportunity to learn different aspects of health psychology, with emphasis on long-term conditions and post-operative difficulties. While proven enthusiasm for the area is required, the post would not only suit someone with worked experience in health psychology but also someone who would like to move into this area and develop their expertise.

Hospital systems and clinicians are faced with complexity in many of their patients and value psychological expertise to help them offer good care. The field is developing apace and allows for innovative thinking and creative approaches. Since we follow patients over the course of their healthcare journeys, we are flexible in terms of the timings and the number of sessions offered, giving psychologists more freedom to achieve change which is meaningful to patient and therapist alike. Remote working is required by a number of patients, but the ability to attend in person is also necessary.

The postholder will find themselves in a supportive department with many opportunities for development. Intelligence, kindness and humour are required.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

• To provide a specialist psychology service to the above including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
• To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
• To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate.
• To undertake service evaluation, audit and research.
• To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by the policies and procedures of the service, taking responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions with support of clinical supervisor

About us

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 7,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond.We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff. We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. See attached Staff Reward and Wellbeing Handbook detailing our benefits, discounts and wellbeing initiatives for staff.

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

Job description

Job responsibilities

KR 1 Clinical and Client Care

• To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in the Clinical Health Psychology service
• To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
• To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
• To act as liaison on the patient pathway, between the acute hospital, primary care and community services as necessary for the psychological well-being of the patient

KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning

• To contribute to the effective working of the Clinical Health Psychology service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.
• To contribute to the teams delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
• To be proactive in challenging discrimination and supporting the development of culturally competent services.

KR 3 Policy and service development

• To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
• To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
• To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.

KR 4 Care or management of resources

• To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources.
• To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.

KR 5 Management and supervision

• To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of an assistant psychologist if required, under supervision from a more senior psychologist.
• To supervise trainee applied psychologists within own area of specialism after completion of the relevant Training Courses Supervision Training.

KR 6 Teaching and Training

• To provide occasional specialist training in psychological approaches to care to other professions as appropriate.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance

• To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.

KR 8 Research and development

• To undertake regular complex service evaluation, audits or research relevant to service needs.

KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development

• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
• To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC Standards for Continuing Professional Development.
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
• To comply with the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and Standards of Proficiency, and ensure professional development in line with these.
• To adhere to the BPSs Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.

KR10 General

• To travel to meetings at ICHT and CNWL as appropriate and when required.
• To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
• To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations and to support others involved in such situations.
• Where relevant and by agreement with line manager to work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics or Saturday working, within the overall Job Plan.

Person Specification

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• Doctorate or equivalent in Clinical, Health or Counselling Psychology
• Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist

Desirable

• Training in 3rd wave therapies
• Training in trauma related therapies

EXPERIENCE

Essential

• oExperience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs
• oExperience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
• oExperience of work in health psychology or other relevant area
• oExperience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience
• oExperience of developing and carrying out research projects

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential

• oTheoretical knowledge of psychological processes that are relevant to physical health conditions
• oKnowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics
• oKnowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities
• oDoctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology
• oKnowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care
• oTo communicate complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information
• oTo be able to suitably adapt and sensitively deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences
• oTo plan allocation of tasks to assistant psychologists
• oTo select and administer specialist psychological assessments, including neuropsychological tests, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources
• oWell-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data

Desirable

• Experience of treating trauma, especially in relation to physical health conditions or that might affect the treatment and management of a physical health condition

OTHER

Essential

• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multimedia materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• 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.

Desirable

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Clinical Health Psychology Dept, St Mary's Hospital

Praed St

London

W2 1NY

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

333-J-WE-0618