An exciting opportunity has arisen for a trained Clinical Psychologist in the Colorectal and Peritoneal Oncology Centre (CPOC).

The successful candidate will undertake an exciting new development project within The Christie Psycho-Oncology Service that aims to support processes to enable CPOC patients to manage psychological and physical health challenges as effectively as possible, to attain maximal quality of life.

The post is an 8b 0.6 WTE fixed term contract for 24 months.

The CPOC team treats patients with appendix tumours, peritoneal metastases, locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer, sarcoma, neuro-endocrine tumours and anal cancer. These are all less common tumours which frequently present at an advanced stage. As a consequence of this many patients have had delayed diagnosis, often received conflicting opinions, have been offered/received multiple treatments or are facing their last chance for treatment. Patients often travel from all over the UK for our surgical services and so are geographically disparate from their support network. They face multi-modal treatment and life changing surgical intervention. As a consequence of this, many of our patients have significant psychological needs but are unable to access services. Support is currently provided as far as possible by our clinical nurse specialist team, each of whom are trained to deliver level 2 (mild symptoms affecting mood and/or cognition) psychological support.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will execute a 24-month position which is 0.6 WTE which has been implemented to identify and support the mental health needs of patients at The Christie based within the Colorectal and Peritoneal Services.

The post holder will assist managers and lead clinicians in the service to develop evidence-based and guideline-adherent psychological programs to address the gaps.

This post aims to enhance psychological support for inpatients and outpatients, ultimately improving the care provided to individuals facing cancer diagnoses, treatment, and recovery.

Additionally, the post holder manages a clinical caseload, providing specialized psychological assessments and interventions to referred patients.

They also collaborate closely with the team, offer supervision, and liaise with wider mental health services, ensuring comprehensive patient support. Overall, their role seeks to empower patients to effectively manage health challenges, maintain good governance, and collect and evaluate outcome data with a focus on co-production and service evaluation.

About us

The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.

We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Job description

Job responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical:

• Delivery of a specialist Clinical Psychology service for the CPOC, working as part of the team with patients, families, and other members of the team to improve patients psychological health and quality of life.
• Provide highly specialist psychological assessments for clients referred to the units, 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 clients, family members and professionals involved in the clients care.
• Formulate and implement plans for detailed and complex psychological therapeutic interventions, rehabilitation strategies or management, based on an appropriate conceptual framework, working in a range of settings including hospital outpatients and ward environments. Particular skills in delivering CBT and Cognitive Therapy are required for this post.
• Communicate sensitive, complex information to patients, carers and families, who may be in a high degree of distress, using the highest level of interpersonal skills.
• maintain a high degree of professionalism and to respect cultural diversity and be aware of the possible vulnerable and disempowered nature of clients at all times.
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients and planning and organisation of complex activities or programmes which require the formulation and adjustment of plans. Make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, physical and development processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• Provide highly specialised psychological expertise, advice, supervision and consultation to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by other professionals working with the client group. This will include attendance at multidisciplinary and/or multiagency meetings and reviews.
• Ensure that members of multidisciplinary teams receiving a service have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding clients difficulties through the provision of advice and consultations, and the dissemination of psychological research and theory.
• Undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
• Provide information, consultation, advice and signposting to relatives and carers.
• Work at times in a hazardous environment (e.g., where there are biological hazards such as MRSA and Clostridium Difficile), which is also stressful psychologically, involving exposure to high levels of distress.
• Deliver specialised therapy adapted to a medical environment, often in challenging settings (e.g., on a medical ward with limited time & privacy).
• Act as gatekeeper to patients local mental health services where necessary, referring to such services and liaising with primary and secondary agencies over a wide geographical location as appropriate

Teaching, training, and supervision

• Provide teaching and training of professional and non-professional groups on subjects related to the mental health/psychological needs of people with physical health problems especially relating to the peritoneal oncology service as outlined below.

Provide training and clinical supervision to Clinical Nurse Specialists in the delivery of psychological interventions as specified in the psychological support services draft consultation to enable these staff to practice as Level Two Practitioners within the four tier model of psychological support.

Contribute to any training and education programmes delivered by the psycho oncology department within the cancer network.

Contribute to development of education and training specific to the needs of CPOC

Provide relevant clinical supervision to psycho oncology team members.

• Provide clinical and research placements for trainee clinical psychologists ensuring 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.
• Provide pre and post qualification teaching for clinical psychologists where appropriate.
• Provide advice, consultation, and training and to other members of the teams to help ensure good psychological care of patients.
• Maintain and develop skills in the area of professional pre- and post-graduate teaching, training and clinical supervision and attend training courses and participate in other activities designed to ensure the maintenance of a high quality professional clinical contribution.
• Participate in an annual appraisal system within the knowledge and skills framework (KSF).
• In common with all clinical psychologists to receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
• Provide post-qualification training (CPD) and clinical professional supervision to assistant psychologist or recently qualified clinical psychologists if appointed to the service

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

• Develop the Clinical Psychology service in CPOC, in conjunction with key members of the team to best fit the needs of the service and service users.
• Participate as a senior clinician in the development of a high quality, responsive and accessible service including advising both clinical leads and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing in order to deliver an evidence based and guideline adherent service and care pathways.
• Exercise delegated responsibility for managing the psychological resources in the department whether in the form of additional qualified and unqualified clinical psychology staff or in the form of materials employed in the assessment and treatment of clients.
• Exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the Service.
• Participate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistant, trainees and qualified clinical psychologists where appropriate to the service

Research and service evaluation

• Utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
• Initiate and undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision and improve services.
• Participate in the audit programme undertaken by the psycho oncology department and where appropriate undertake appropriate clinically relevant research
• Represent a professional viewpoint in relation to nationally accepted good practice and to ensure a high level of ethical standards and professional conduct.

Administrative Duties and Information Technology

• Undertake administrative duties appropriate to the tasks of the post including the specialised use of IT.
• Be familiar with computer use, statistical packages, email, internet, PowerPoint and electronic literature searches for clinical and research purposes.
• Maintain and promulgate the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
• Keep accurate patient records and comply with the Trust policy on confidentiality of patient records and casework.
• Ensure appropriate communication with patients, referrers and professionals from other statutory and non statutory agencies involved in work within the specialism.
• Keep activity data and other information related to work as required

General

• Ensure the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.
• Ensure the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service by exercising the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking parting regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.
• Contribute positively to the effectiveness and efficiency of the teams in which they work.

To be noted:

• This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the post holder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.
• This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing service requirements and any such changes will be discussed with the post holder.
• The post holder is expected to comply with all relevant Trust policies, procedures and guidelines, including those relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, risk management and Confidentiality of Information.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional qualification in Clinical Psychology at doctoral level (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS
• Registration as a clinical psychologist with the HCPC

Desirable

• Recognized supervision training
• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialized areas of psychological relevance (e.g. within physical health)

Experience

Essential

• Considerable experience of working as a clinical psychologist, in relevant settings and services, e.g. physical health and/or oncology services
• Experience in assessment and therapeutic work with adults with mental health/psychological needs in the setting of physical health problems, especially in the delivery of CBT and Cognitive Therapy
• Experience in bereavement work
• Experience in psychosexual therapy
• Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, Experience of exercising full clinical
  Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
  
  413-83932-CSSS-AK