Job responsibilities
Clinical:
1. To provide specialist psychological assessments of patients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.
2. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patients psychological difficulties, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
3. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
4. To be responsible for carrying out cognitive assessments with young people and supporting families and schools to understand the results of the assessment.
5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for assessment, treatment options and discharge planning, taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
6. To work as part of a MDT; carrying out Nurse-Psychology clinics, providing specialist psychological advice guidance to families and consultation to other professionals involved in the patients care.
7.To undertake risk assessment and risk management as appropriate for individual patients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
8. To have a good understanding of social services advocating for the childs best interests.
9. To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans including patients, their families, referring agents and others involved the network of care.
10. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.
Teaching, training, and supervision 1. To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
2.To gain experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology and/or the service (as agreed with the professional psychology manager) up to 12 days per year (pro rata)
3.To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staffs psychological work as appropriate.
4.To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant/trainee psychologists as required
5.To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical staff as appropriate.
6.To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the patient group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the services operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
- To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
- To manage the workloads of assistant/trainee psychologists, within the framework of the team/services policies and procedures.
- To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of assistant / graduate
Research and service evaluation
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.
- To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.
- To take an active role in health education.
General (Profession related)
- To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the postholders professional and service manager(s).
- To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.
General (Trust related)
- To have responsibility for the Health, Safety and Welfare of self and others and to comply at all times with the requirement of the Health and Safety Regulations.
- To ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.
- To work in accordance with the Trusts Equal Opportunities policy to eliminate unlawful discrimination in relation to employment and service delivery.
- To ensure skills are up-to-date and relevant to the role, to follow relevant Trust policies and professional codes and to maintain registration where this is a requirement of the role.
- To comply with St. Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust No Smoking Policies.
- To undertake such duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the grade and the needs of the service.
This job description is not an exhaustive document but is a reflection of the current position. Details and emphasis may change in line with service needs after consultation with the postholder.
