Band 8c Consultant Practitioner Psychologist

Our trust has over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients. Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced applied consultant psychologist to lead the ICU psychology services at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. The ICU psychology provision started in 2021, following the well‑received input during the COVID pandemic. Its provision is focused on support for inpatients and valued others, as well as staff. The current post will manage the ICU psychologists (1WTE 8B at Royal Free Hospital and 0.7WTE 8B at Barnet Hospital) and work clinically in the Royal Free Hospital ICU. This unit has 46 beds and includes enhanced post‑operative beds to support the complex surgeries undertaken.

This post would suit an applied psychologist (clinical/counselling/health) with clinical and managerial experience in a senior role, ideally in a physical health setting where the issues are similar to those of patients being treated within critical care and their valued others. Experience should include service‑related research, clinical audit, teaching and training, as well as working at an organisational or service level. Additionally, we would welcome applicants with in‑depth knowledge, skills and experience in a specific psychological therapy. Research activity is positively encouraged and supported with opportunities to work collaboratively with colleagues on a national and international scale. There is also access to regular supervision from within the hospital and externally with discussion.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will lead and manage the ICU psychology services at both Barnet and Royal Free Hospitals.
• They will also provide direct clinical input into well‑developed multi‑professional teams of medical staff, therapies (physiotherapy, OT, Dietetics, Speech and Language Therapy) and nursing colleagues, and contribute to the comprehensive care of these patient groups in both inpatient and outpatient settings within the Royal Free Hospital ICU.
• There are interdependencies with other clinical teams in the hospital, such as Liaison Psychiatry and the Palliative Care Team.
• The post holder would also be expected to work at a divisional and directorate level within ICU, Anaesthetics and Theatres and support the psychological professions across the Trust.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's biggest and most innovative trusts. Across four main hospitals, our dedicated team of staff care for over 1.6 million patients, treat more than 200,000 in A&E, deliver over 8,000 babies and carry out more than 17 million tests. Our size, scale and influence offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward‑thinking approach to working that works around your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next level training, we make it easier to take your career to the top.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description for more information about this role and working at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Person specification

• Royal Free World Class Values: Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values.
• Education and professional qualifications: Registered with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist, Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent, as accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). Post‑qualification training in clinical supervision, Post‑doctoral training in additional specialised area of psychologist practice, Senior management/leadership training, Registered on the Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS), maintained by the BPS.
• Experience: Assessed experience of working as a qualified practitioner psychologist for a minimum of 6 years with at least 4 years at a highly specialised level (or equivalent quality and quantity of experience), Extensive experience and skills in applying psychology within a relevant setting, Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient and residential care, Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for patients’ psychological care and treatment, both as practitioner, and within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan, Substantial experience of highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients, with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity, Experience in the application of more than one treatment model in clinical psychology practice, Experience of and skills in maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse, Experience of multidisciplinary teamwork, including with medical colleagues, Experience of professional management and supervision of qualified and pre‑qualified applied psychologists (e.g. clinical, counselling and health) and other psychological professionals (e.g., psychotherapists, counsellors), Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts, including working with interpreters, Experience of formal teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision of psychologists, Experience of teaching and training of other professionals, Experience of representing psychology in multi‑professional settings (e.g., policy, governance or other forums), Experience of service development in ICU or similar service context, Experience of successful clinical leadership in ICU or similar service context, Experience co‑ordinating the recording and reporting of clinical information as required and to initiate developments and responses to need in this area, Experience of supervising junior colleagues to develop their careers, Experience of budgeting and financial control/planning skills and knowledge of funding arrangements for service and professional development.
• Skills and aptitudes: Extensive, highly specialist knowledge and expertise in psychology within a relevant medical/health setting, Expert skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including the use of theoretical models to analyse information and to develop formulations upon which to base choice of treatment, Ability to analyse and manage complex, multifactorial information from a range of sources, both clinical and organisational, and integrate and formulate from a range of psychological perspectives, to make expert professional judgements about appropriate action in an NHS context, Expert skills in the ability to comprehend and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS, including overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance, Highly‑developed skills in providing advice, expertise and consultation to other professional and non‑professional groups, Knowledge of legislation in relation to the profession and mental health generally and the implications for clinical practice and professional management in ICU psychology, Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex, multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of clinical psychology, Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours, Ability to plan, deliver and manage a specialist service, and undertake service evaluation and development, based on a thorough understanding of national policy and local and national NHS strategies, and an expert interpretation of current professional best practice, Ability to develop, co‑ordinate and manage a culturally‑competent and non‑stigmatising service including an awareness of the potential impact of discrimination and disadvantage on disability and mental health, Ability to support and coordinate the work of psychology colleagues and psychology service staff, including administrative staff, Ability to contain and work with organisational stress and able to hold the stress of others, Ability to work creatively, co‑operatively, reliably and consistently as an independent practitioner, as a mentor and supervisor, and in multi‑disciplinary and senior management settings, Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi‑media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional, academic and senior NHS management settings, Advanced IT skills, including using Outlook and other Microsoft Office programmes, and the ability to learn and use software packages relevant to the Trust, Ability to identify and employ, as appropriate, clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of clinical practice, Ability to form meaningful working relationships with others, Ability to articulate the value added by psychology services within the context of multi‑disciplinary physical and mental health services.
• Personal qualities and attributes: Highly competent organisational, administrative and time management skills, Ability to maintain an open mind, problem‑solve creatively, and meet challenges with a flexible, patient and positive attitude, Ability to contain and manage conflict, A commitment to the evaluation of services, Ability to demonstrate leadership, responsibility and dependability to others.
• Other: Demonstrable commitment to advancing professional practice in acute health settings, Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the BPS and HCPC, Record of having published in either peer‑reviewed or academic professional journals and/or books, or participation in national initiatives within the profession (e.g., BPS/ACP‑UK working groups, conferences, training).

Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities. Please note: Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification. Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job. Interview arrangements will be communicated via email so please check your email regularly following the closing date.

Please be advised that due to exceptionally high demand, all Royal Free accommodation is at full capacity and waiting lists are being held. Average waiting times are 12 months. Please do not rely on Trust accommodation when you commence your role and ensure you investigate alternative accommodation for your arrival.