Clinical Psychologist

We are looking for a Band 7 Clinical Psychologist to join the Exeter and East Devon multidisciplinary Learning Disability teams, to help us support the wellbeing of this vulnerable and marginalised group.

You will be a senior part of the Clinical Psychology team across Devon, working in and sharing the clinical leadership of your MDTs. You will be part of a rich multi-disciplinary team including Nursing, Psychiatry, Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech and Language therapy. We have a caring and mutually supportive culture which is a vital foundation for the challenging but rewarding work that we do.

Main duties of the job

To improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with Learning disabilities and provide psychological services to people who use services and staff in your area Intensive Assessment and Treatment Team (IATT).

This will be achieved in this post by:

1. Ensuring the systematic provision of a high quality psychological service to people with Learning Disabilities in Devon as a key component of Health and Social Care Partnership services.

2. Providing clinical leadership, co-ordination and supervision for staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the psychology service.

3. Carrying a specialist caseload of clients, and providing advice and consultancy to clients and professionals.

4. Working autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the team.

5. Receiving regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the Health Professions Council/British Psychological Society.

6. Contributing to the management of psychology services in the locality.

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people\\\’s recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience – we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

Duties andResponsibilities

Communication and Working RelationshipSkills

• To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of people with learning disabilities under the services care.
• To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner to people with learning disabilities who may present with behaviour that challenges service delivery or who may have complex neurological deficits which affect their understanding, communication and behaviour

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• To undertake highly skilled assessments and make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about assessment, treatment and discharge, and about the psychological management of clients (including management of risk).

Planning and Organisational Skills

• To plan, organise and prioritise own workload, balancing the demands of direct client care, support and guidance of carers and professionals, service research and development activities.

Responsibilityfor Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

• To provide Psychological Therapies to the community team for people with learning disabilities, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of people with learning disabilities, formulating plans for their psychological treatments and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups.
• To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance, and consultation to other professionals, paid and non-paid carers contributing directly to a service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

Responsibility for Policy and ServiceDevelopment Implementation

Policy & service:

• To follow policy guidance in own role and to identify and comment on proposed policy changes and service developments.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

• Careful use of equipment and resources as provided

Responsibilityfor Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

There is a requirement to support learners on a regular basis which includes the achievement and updating of profession specific training to the required standard to fulfil this role.

• In common with all Clinical Psychologists, the post holder will receive regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance to Trust policy and Professional Practice Guidance set out by the British Psychology Society and the Health Professions Council. The postholder will be supported by the senior psychologists within the speciality and will be expected to use the expertise of others within the service to further develop their clinical skills with this group of people who use services.
• To supervise the work of Assistant Psychologists and/or Trainee Clinical Psychologists as required. To provide supervision and Consultancy to Health and Social Care colleagues within the area ATT

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

• To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• To undertake service relevant research and development activity agreed with the Learning Disability Health and Social Care Partnership, and to organise the R&D activities of assistants and/or trainees as required

Freedom to Act

• The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines.
• To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the Health and Social Care Partnership for People with Learning Disabilities.
• To provide expert and specialist clinical psychology intervention, expertise and advice guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of clinical care to colleagues, other service providers, clients, supporters and families.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

• To ensure that skills and techniques relevant to clinical work and demands of this post are continuously updated.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the Mental Health and Mental Capacity Act and their implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to people with learning disabilities and mental Health.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation in relation to people with learning disabilities and mental health.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological approaches in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. people who may present with challenging behaviour; personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities).
• High level knowledge of theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Knowledge and skills in risk assessment and risk management.

Physical Skills

• Mobility to travel across sites.
• Ability to carry out psychometric assessments.

Experience

• Experience of psychological assessment and treatment of people who use services across the full range of care settings.
• Experience of teaching, training and supervision.
• Experience of working with a wide range of people who use services across the life course and who present with issues that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing issues, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience gained during supervised training or working with people with learning disabilities.
• Experience of working in services for people with learning disabilities.

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• Skills in the ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to people who use services, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and care system groups.
• Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with individuals and departments within and outside Devon Partnership Trust.
• Ability to work independently and use initiative with a service consisting of a network of teams.
• Ability to tolerate ambiguity and maintain own morale and motivation in challenging service delivery contexts.

Qualifications

• Doctorate/Masters level or equivalent qualification in clinical/counselling
• Eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Further training in assessment and interventions with people with learning disabilities

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. people who may present with challenging behaviour; personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities).
• Masters level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multi-variate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Ability to be flexible and cope with multiple demands and manage own workload.
• Understanding of the responsibility that clinicians have to be accountable for documenting and evidencing their clinical work and capacity to make use of information technology to keep required records up to date.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Clinical Psychologist and Development Lead

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pro rata (30 hours per week)