Are you a qualified Clinical Psychologist enthusiastic about improving the lives of older people with dementia and their carers? Do you have excellent people skills in addition to traditional clinical ones? If so, you could be the colleague we are looking for. You will be part of an enthusiastic multidisciplinary team including specialist mental health nurses, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and third Sector partners, including Age UK Oldham and Making Space.

Your responsibilities will include educating and supporting families and carers of people with dementia and teaching other practitioners, in addition to traditional work in neuropsychological assessment to aid early diagnosis. Research and audit opportunities may be negotiated as appropriate to the needs of the developing service.

Given the substantial ethnic diversity in Oldham we are proud to have established good diagnostic rates and work hard to offer post diagnostic support, but work needs developing further in this area.

The post holder will be a skilled band 7 qualified clinical psychologist with the passion and enthusiasm to work towards progression to a band 8A as part of their preceptorship. The time frame of development will be dependent upon previous skills and experience.

A keen interest in dementia is essential and experience working in dementia services will be an advantage.

Main duties of the job

To provide a highly specialist clinical psychologist service to the memory service in Oldham. The post holder will provide specialist assessments, formulations and interventions (including neuropsychological assessments). A key function of the role will be to support the multi-disciplinary team in the memory service pathway to develop a psychological understanding and context for service users and carers.

The post holder will propose and implement evidence-based practice, utilising research skills for audit and service developments.

To promote a service philosophy that is strongly person centred for service users and carers including involvement of service users and carers in the assessment of their needs, formulation and delivery of the care plan and the evaluation and development of services.

About us

Do you want to join an established memory assessment service within Pennine Care, helping deliver excellent standards of dementia care to patients and their carers in Oldham. Be part of a supportive, multi-disciplinary team working in a welcoming and friendly environment. Flexible working can be discussed to promote a good work life balance.

Job description Job responsibilities
Main Duties & Responsibilities

• To provide highly specialist psychological assessments for Older People based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi structured interviews with service users and carers.

• To provide reports and communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner and assist in the diagnosis of service users

• To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological intervention and/or management of Older Peoples mental health problems, based upon appropriate conceptual framework of the service users problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy. Clinical work requiring intense concentration over prolonged periods and also frequently involves working with highly distressed service users.

• To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models. Judgement regarding choice of therapy intervention is based on appraisal of evidence based therapeutic options.

• To evaluate and make decisions about intervention options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

• To provide specialist psychological support, consultation and guidance to other professionals contributing directly to the service users assessment, formulation and intervention plan.

• To develop and deliver pre diagnostic counselling support if required

• To develop and deliver structured post diagnostic education/support programme for patients with a confirmed diagnosis of dementia and their relatives/carers if required

• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.

• To communicate and receive highly complex and contentious information in a skilled and sensitive manner, in the course of psychological therapy.

Teaching, Training and Supervision

• To support clinical placements for trainee clinical and/or counselling psychologists, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good mental health care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.

• To provide advice, consultation and training to other members of the team for their provision of psychologically based interventions to help improve service users functioning.

• To provide post-qualification training (CPD) and clinical professional supervision to recently qualified clinical and/or counselling psychologists attached to the team.

• To provide pre and post qualification teaching of clinical psychology as appropriate.

• To maintain and develop skills in the area of professional pre and post graduate training and clinical supervision.

• Support the delivery of training to other professional, carers and others across the care pathway

Research and Service Evaluation

• To take the psychology lead, as a highly specialist clinician, in the evaluation, monitoring and development of the teams operational policies, 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 routinely 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, and provide electronic data entry and analysis.

• As a major job responsibility to undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service to help develop and improve services to clients and their families.

• To act as field supervisor for the doctorate in clinical psychology theses providing expert research and knowledge in a clinical area

General Duties of all post holders

• To undertake any other reasonable duty, which is appropriate to the band, when requested by Senior Staff
• To be familiar with and comply with all Trust and departmental policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines

• To be aware of and work towards the Trusts strategic goals

Equality and Diversity & Equal Opportunities

• The post holder must carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trusts Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies, avoiding unlawful discriminatory behaviour and actions when dealing with colleagues, service users, members of the public and all other stakeholders
• The post holder must promote awareness of and respect for equality and diversity in accordance with Trust policies and procedures
• The post holder is responsible for treating all staff, patients, service users, NHS contractors and the general public with dignity and respect at all times

Safeguarding

• Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced CRB disclosure and registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), Vetting and Barring Scheme. Checking will be in accordance with the timeline promulgated by the Independent Safeguarding Authority.
• All staff have a responsibility to promote the welfare of any child, young person or vulnerable adult they come into come into contact with and in cases where there are safeguarding concerns, to act upon them and protect the individual from harm.
• All staff should refer any safeguarding issues to their manager and escalate accordingly in line with the Trust Child and Adult Safeguarding Policies.
• All staff should familiarise themselves with the NICE Guidelines when to suspect child maltreatment 2009.

Professional and Personal Development

• The post holder must ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities by attending the Trust Mandatory Training and Induction Programme
• The post holder will be involved in a formal IPDR/KSF review with his or her manager at least every 12 months. Once performance / training objectives have been set, the staff members progress will be reviewed on a regular basis, so that new objectives can be agreed and set, in order to maintain progress in the service delivery

• The post holder will be expected to take responsibility for their own professional development and will be supported by the Trust to achieve development opportunities as appropriate

Confidentiality & Information Governance

• Confidentiality is of prime importance. In the normal course of duties, the post holder will have access to confidential documents and information relating to patients, service users, staff and contractors, as well as information of a commercially sensitive nature. Such information should not be communicated to anyone outside or inside the NHS unless done in the normal course of carrying out the duties of the post. Disciplinary action will be considered where a breach of confidence has been established
• All information obtained or held during the post-holders period of employment that relates to the business of the Trust and its service users and employees will remain the property of the Trust. Information may be subject to disclosure under legislation at the Trusts discretion and in line with national rules on exemption
• The post holder must maintain high standards of quality in corporate and clinical record keeping ensuring information is always recorded accurately, appropriately and kept up to date. The post holder must only access information, whether paper, electronic or in other media, which is authorised to them as part of their duties
• The post holder must ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998

Health & Safety at Work

• The post holder is required to take reasonable care of the health and safety of themselves and other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work and to co-operate with the Trust in adhering to statutory and departmental safety regulations.
• The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they do not intentionally or recklessly misuse or interfere with anything provided in the interests of health safety or welfare e.g. misuse of equipment

• The post holder is required to contribute to the control of risk and must report immediately, using the Trust Incident reporting system, any incident, accident or near miss involving patients, service users, carers, staff, contractors or members of the public

• All Trust sites have been designated a no smoking area. The post holder is therefore advised smoking is not permitted within the hospital premises or grounds or whilst representing the Trust in the course of their duty. While the Trust will not discriminate against employing smokers, all prospective employees should be aware of this policy

Infection Control

• Infection Prevention and Control is the responsibility of all Trust staff.
• All staff have a responsibility to protect service users, visitors and employees against the risk of acquiring health care associated infections by consistently observing Trust Infection Prevention and Control Policies and procedures and best practice guidance in order to maintain high standards of Infection Prevention and Control.

Person Specification Application and interview Essential

• Experience working as a qualified clinical psychologist.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified clinical psychologist and within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
• Post qualification experience of psychological assessment, intervention and management working with a wide range of clinical pre
  
  Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
  
  311-O245-22