Band 8B Clinical/Counselling Psychologist (0.9WTE)- Clinical Health Psychology

Would you like to develop your leadership skills in pain management and your experience in Clinical Health Psychology? We are looking to welcome a Clinical/Counselling Psychologist to our Clinical Health Psychology Service. We are a friendly and supportive team of psychologists who provide specialist input for people with a range of physical health conditions using approaches including ACT, CBT, CFT & EMDR.

You will be the lead psychologist in the well established MDT pain management service, working alongside and supervising other psychologists.

You will also have the opportunity to work with cardiac, gastroenterology, dermatology, oncology and palliative care referrals as well as joining the fortnightly MDT critical care follow up clinic.

The post is 0.9WTE and permanent. Flexible working is supported wherever possible, including the possibility of some remote working.

You will have extensive experience of working in pain management. Experience of clinical health psychology is also desirable. However, we welcome applicants with a keen interest to learn about other specialties within health psychology with valuable transferable skills to bring to the role.

Main duties of the job

To work as the lead psychologist in the persistent pain management MDT and as a member of the clinical health psychology team.

To provide assessment and intervention to patients with persistent pain and a range of physical health conditions.

To lead a pain management group programme in conjunction with MDT colleagues.

To be the lead psychologist for ICU follow up service.

To provide advice and consultation to MDT colleagues and medical teams.

To promote psychological thinking with non-psychology colleagues.

To participate in teaching, training, audit, and service development.

To provide clinical supervision to psychology and MDT colleagues.

About us

Health, Safety and Security:

All employees have a duty to report any accidents, complaints, defects in equipment, near misses and untoward incidents, following Trust procedure.

To ensure that Health and Safety legislation is complied with at all times, including COSHH, Workplace Risk Assessment and Control of Infection.

Confidentiality:

• Working within the trust you may gain knowledge of confidential matters which may include personal and medical information about patients and staff. Failure to observe this confidentiality could lead to disciplinary action being taken against you.

Data Quality

• All employees are reminded about the importance of Data Quality and staff should make themselves aware of departmental and corporate objectives for Data Quality.

• Data Quality forms part of the appraisal and objective setting process for staff responsible for data entry and data production staff should ensure that they adhere to policies and procedures at all times. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action being taken.

Codes of Conduct and Accountability:

• You are expected to comply with relevant Bolton NHS Foundation Trust codes of conduct and accountability.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults:

• You must comply with all relevant policies, procedures and training on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical:

Provide specialist psychological assessment of complex cases, including risk assessment within pain, critical care and clinical health psychology service.

To implement interventions according to the patients clinical needs, with their consent, based on and consistent with the assessment and formulation, identifying goals for the specific interventions to be undertaken

Using advanced clinical reasoning and highly developed analytical skills and knowledge to provide specialist case formulations to develop appropriate care pathways, utilising psychological models and best practice guidelines

Provide evidence-based psychological interventions within both individual and group settings

To take a leadership role within the pain management programme team

To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the psychological assessment, treatment and follow-up of patients with persistent pain conditions

Attend and contribute to MDT meetings, case conferences and reviews by providing specialist psychological guidance and perspectives in relation to case formulation, diagnosis, treatment and individual care planning

To evaluate the effectiveness of clinical interventions (both group and individual) via a range of methods, from quantitative individual clinical outcomes derived from standardised psychometrics, to qualitative evaluations of systemic interventions.

To be responsible for implementing and evaluating service developments.

Communication:

Communicate highly complicated, distressing and sensitive clinical/personal information appropriately, both in verbal and written forms to patients, families, carers, colleagues within the pain management team, general practitioners, other health care professionals and outside agencies where appropriate

Revise service information leaflets to promote patient choice and effective wait list management

Communicate psychological formulations to pain colleagues offering a clear treatment plan

Utilise highly developed communication skills to facilitate work with patients who may have complex physical, sensory, communication, intellectual or behavioral difficulties

Utilise clinical and communication skills to manage hostile or challenging behaviours exhibited by patients, family members or carers

Maintain a high degree of professionalism and to work effectively with professionals with diverse theoretical and training backgrounds as well as with systems relevant to patients (e.g. voluntary services, self help and advocacy groups)

Communicate clearly defined referral pathways and inclusion and exclusion criteria for referrers to enable appropriate triage of patients to the most suitable treatment pathway

To take responsibility for liaising and communicating with service level managers and senior management, when appropriate, in service development issues.

Supervision, Training and Development:

Provide supervision to Band 7/8a colleagues, trainee clinical psychologists and assistant psychologists, as required

Provide specialist psychological consultancy and guidance to the wider multidisciplinary team, to enable the team to incorporate informed psychological practice in their work with patients

Disseminate psychological research and theory by providing teaching and training on psychological aspects of long term conditions, relevant clinical/research topics and/or training events attended, to colleagues within the Trust

Participate in personal appraisal and supervision and maintain specialist clinical knowledge and skills through continued professional development activity

Research and Audit:

Participate in clinically relevant research and development activity, particularly in evaluating current psychological practice, innovative psychological assessment and interventions

To take a lead role in planning and implementing service development initiatives and develop appropriate means of assessing such initiatives, including research and audit

Contribute to the development and evaluation of audit projects aimed at improving services for patients and/or referrers

Administration:

To adhere to Trust Information Governance policies, audit policies and agreed standards of clinical record keeping, including electronic data entry and report writing

To attend and contribute to clinical health psychology team and other appropriate meetings within the Trust. To undertake duties arising from such meetings in keeping with the nature and grading of the post

To attend persistent pain MDT meetings and be responsible for coordinating pain management programme team meetings.

To plan and coordinate personal workload, service activities, CPD and supervision whilst working in the best interests of the pain management team, critical care follow up team and wider clinical health psychology team

General Requirements:

To contribute to the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice.

To engage fully in Personal Development Planning and appraisal with specific reference to Service Action Plans.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping in line with professional and Trust directives.

To be aware of and comply with Trust guidelines and policies and procedures, including Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities and Diversity.

Driving skills or ability to travel to other localities to meet requirements of job.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate Doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology as accredited by the BPS including two or more distinct psychological therapies
• HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Completion of clinical supervision training
• Completion of post-doctoral training or recorded CPD experience in psychological theories and approaches to physical health.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of clients
• Post-qualification experience in pain management and clinical health psychology
• Experience in planning, implementing and evaluating pain management programmes as a qualified Clinical/Counselling Psychologist
• Experience of working with people with long term physical health conditions

Desirable

• Experience in research and audit methods

Skills

Essential

• Skills consistent with doctoral level training in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management
• Skills in providing teaching and training on relevant psychological topics within public, professional and academic settings
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HCPC & BPS

Desirable

• Skills in co-ordinating, chairing and arranging multidisciplinary meetings and activity in relation to patient care and other activities

Knowledge

Essential

• Well developed theoretical and practical knowledge in the fields of clinical/counselling and health psychology, consistent with doctorate level training
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodologies

Other

Essential

• Ability to meet any travel requirements of the post, including the capacity to attend medical wards
• Capacity for intense concentration while delivering highly complex clinical interventions during clinical contact
• Ability to self-reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately

Employer details

Employer name

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Great Lever Health Centre

Rupert Street

Bolton

BL3 6RN

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

241-936-IC-24