High Secure Psychological Services at Ashworth Hospital are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and dynamic clinical and/or forensic psychologist with a drive to deliver high quality psychological care to patients with complex mental health and risk histories within a secure inpatient environment.

The successful candidate will be recruited to a band 7 preceptorship or band 8a post depending on previous experience. We believe in supporting clinicians to progress and grow into the psychologist they aspire to be. For clinicians who are due to complete their training or more recently qualified, we have an established preceptorship programme. As part of the clear progression pathway towards Band 8a, our preceptors join a monthly CPD group in addition to their regular individual supervision sessions to scaffold such growth and further develop transferable skills.

Main duties of the job

The specialities of our team and the therapies and other psychological interventions we offer, are very diverse to ensure we can meet the wide breadth of needs of our service users. We encourage our staff to pursue their preferred clinical models where this fits with service need, and there will be opportunities for further training. Our aim is to support, develop and retain you through bespoke continuous professional development plans that will help you achieve your aspirations. We have a strong track record of providing and supporting a range of gold standard CPD activities and certificates. Equally important is our team's wellbeing and we work as hard to facilitate and promote our self-care and sense of being valued and cohesive.

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 11 million people.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Job description Job responsibilities

This is a permanent full time post. We work Monday to Friday but the successful candidate will have some flexibility to negotiate the days they work, subject to meeting the identified core clinical role.

We offer a range of attractive benefits including: free onsite car secure parking; a designated desk space with two computer screens and no hot desking; a fully stocked stationary cupboard; a fully equipped free onsite cardio and weight gym, swimming pool and fitness and yoga sessions; a wellbeing team; a salary sacrifice car scheme; a free financial advice service; dedicated private rooms in our Therapy Suite to see service users; and a bright, spacious and air-conditioned psychology office that was purpose built a few years ago.

There are excellent transport links, with Ashworth Hospital being close to Maghull North train station and on a regular bus route. Located just of the M58, the hospital is also within easy reach of the cities of Merseyside, the Wirral, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire. Opposite the site, there is brand new service station with a range of food outlets.

The service has close links with local and international universities and provides training placements for clinical and forensic trainees. The service has developed innovative clinical interventions and research.

We welcome applications from enthusiastic, highly motivated and resourceful individuals who are keen to work as part of a team, and who can demonstrate strong skills and experience in working in secure settings.

The successful candidate will be recruited to a band 7 preceptorship or band 8a post depending on previous experience. We have a well established preceptorship development programme.

We are looking forward to welcoming you into our large yet exceptionally well integrated and super friendly psychology team of experienced admin staff, nurse therapists, and trainee and qualified clinical, forensic and neuro psychologists. Our inhouse Ashworth Research Centre conducts world leading research in a range of forensic areas, and research interests are encouraged and supported. We also have strong teaching and training links with universities in Northwest England, as well as hosting placements for trainees and interns from overseas.

For further information, please contact

Neil Jackson (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) on 0151 4724534 or neil.jackson@merseycare.nhs.uk

Michelle Green (Consultant Forensic Psychologist) on 0151 4712624 or michelle.green@merseycare.nhs.uk

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology or equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996.Training in specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS
• For Forensic Psychologists Doctoral level training in Forensic Psychology or equivalent (Accredited MSc plus full membership and chartered status of the Division of Forensic Psychology
• Registered or eligible for registration with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist.

Desirable

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology

Knowledge/ Experience Essential

• For Clinical Psychologists: Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of service users across the full range of care settings, including community, primary care and inpatients settings
• For Clinical Psychologists: Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity. Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• For Forensic Psychologists:Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across a range of mental health and forensic needs and presenting problems and including at least three different forensic groups: e.g. adolescents; male offenders; female offenders; offenders with a learning disability or those with dangerous and severe personality disorders. Presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity
• For Forensic Psychologists: Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• For Forensic Psychologists; Working level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the applied fields of psychology

Desirable

• For Clinical Psychologists: Previous experience within a secure forensic mental health service
• For Clinical Psychologists: Experience of teaching and training.
• For Clinical Psychologists: Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts
• For Clinical Psychologists: Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• For Clinical Psychologists: High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• For Forensic Psychologists: Knowledge of legislation in relation to the service user group and mental health.

Skills Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.

Other Essential

• Ability to sit in a constrained position when working with service users.
• Ability to sustain intense levels of concentration responding and participating as required
• Ability to self-reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately.
• Ability to cope and deal with highly distressing emotional circumstances.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media 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.

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

350-SEC4899311