Highly Specialist Community Practitioner Psychologist in Sickle Cell

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key areas of the role (taking a Community Psychology approach)A multi-level strengths-based perspective:

Map and acknowledge the existing strengths, knowledges and resources within the SCD community e.g. engagement with key stakeholders to understand, support and build on what is already happening in order to facilitate access to health care, healthy lifestyle and psychological support (local charities, community led groups, events, and organisations may include sickle cell society, youth groups, community centres, local exercise referral specialists, health psychologists affiliated with local authorities working on public health/behavioural health change, walking groups, NHS Talking Therapies Long Term Conditions).

Sense of community:

Build relationships with children, young people, adults and parents/families; schools/education providers; healthcare providers; key stakeholders (and any other key organisations, and services such as community-based psychology services where they identify an interest e.g. NHS Talking Therapies, secondary mental health care; therapy services specifically set up for People of the Global Majority) who form part of the community.

Respect for human diversity:

Recognise people affected by SCD have different needs/strengths/concerns.

Collective wellness:

Co-produce and co-facilitate educational sessions and health behaviour change programmes for patients, families and carers on topics they identify to impact on their health and in collaboration with SCD community MDT colleagues eg SCD crisis prevention, healthy eating, managing pain and fatigue, navigating housing challenges, racism and oppression.

Empowerment and citizen participation:

Support to build capacity within the community SCD MDT: Consultation, education, support and reflective practice for community SCD MDT members (nurses, nurse counsellors, welfare advisors, dieticians, physiotherapists, Drs) to strengthen psychologically informed practice and to share learning. Offer expertise in the spirit of partnership and curiosity.

Collaboration:

To promote a joined up psychological approach to supporting our people affected by SCD across the community and acute health care settings.

Sharing of expertise and knowledge between the community psychologist and the hospital-based SCD psychologists, e.g. in relation to specific expertise relating to paediatrics and adults affected by SCD, building on community psychology initiatives already in place.

Connect with the sickle cell society peer mentoring programme; community-based youth organisations; SENCO networks and Educational services to aid understanding of the needs of people with SCD; peer support and education group for young people at key developmental stages.

Parent support eg co-creation of groups led by parents for peer support and education supported by SCD MDT and with links to perinatal services

Social justice:

Include and acknowledge the role of oppression, discrimination and racism in experiences and outcomes of people affected by SCD.

Support and initiate creative ways to transfer resources to those who need it most, including local community organisations eg support for fundraising or bid writing for local patient-led SCD foundations; to enable peer-led patient support when people have SCD crises; peer supported PIP applications (in collaboration with welfare advisor).

Empirical grounding:

Use of community psychology theory principles to guide qualitative and quantitative research with people affected by SCD to identify areas for development/change and evaluate the impact of interventions implemented to facilitate change from an impact and sustainability standpoint.

Communicate research and evaluation to a range of different audiences and do this in conjunction with service users.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a qualified practitioner psychologist in haematology or a physical health setting with clients presenting with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
• Significant experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
• Experience of providing professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups in the area of physical health
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts
• Experience of teaching and training other professionals in psychological concepts
• Experience of multi-agency collaboration
• Experience of providing both group based and individual psychological interventions

Desirable

• Experience of working psychologically across the lifespan
• Experience of being an advocate for people using or trying to use public, voluntary or community services
• Experience of co-production
• Experience of working to enhance public health or mental health in a community setting

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential

• Specialist knowledge in a minimum of two evidence based psychological interventions, through supervised clinical practice and specialist training
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology related to health care problems including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of health psychology.
• Highly developed specialist knowledge of the theory and practice of specialized psychological therapies in specific areas of physical health such as pain.
• Doctoral level qualification or its equivalent in Clinical, Health or Counselling Psychology as accredited by BPS
• Registered with HCPC as practitioner psychologist
• Awareness of racial, cultural and diversity differences/issues through attendance of relevant training and reflective practice

Desirable

• Knowledge of ecological and systems models as applied to social change

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed communication skills, both written and verbally, with the ability to communicate complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
• Significant experience and ability to undertake risk assessment of client in relation to self and others, and refer on to appropriate services as necessary

Desirable

• Ability to partner with community stakeholders to plan, develop and sustain community projects

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital

Great Maze pond

London

SE1 9RT

Employer's website

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)