Job summary
This post is an exciting opportunity for a senior psychological therapist to act as Clinical Lead for a Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) Approved Premises (AP). The post holder will play a key role in creating and maintaining a healthy psychosocial environment in the Approved Premises, ensuring that the unit adheres to the theoretical principles of the PIPE model. This will include design, delivery and oversight of the core components of the PIPE model, including group work, supervision, and the management of group dynamics.
Main duties of the job
- To manage a wide range of complex dynamics within the PIPE AP environment and host organisation. This will require the post holder to take on a leadership role within the service, working effectively alongside operational and strategic leads.
- To contribute to staff development by offering training, supporting, and providing clinical supervision. As part of the National PIPE specification, they will also participate in individual and group (peer) supervision, provided by a group analytic consultant each month.
- The PIPE clinical lead will ensure that the application of the PIPE service supports and adheres to its agreed pathway function, e.g. Progression or Community.
- To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the services' policies and procedures.
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs) are specifically designed, contained environments where staff members have additional training to develop an increased psychological understanding of their work. This understanding enables them to create an enhanced safe and supportive environment, which can facilitate the development of those who live and work there. They are designed to have a particular focus on the environment in which they operate; actively recognising the importance and quality of relationships and interactions. They aim to maximise ordinary situations and to approach these in a psychologically informed way, paying attention to interpersonal difficulties, for example those issues that might be linked to personality disorder.
PIPEs are not treatment interventions - the PIPE model has been developed as an environmental approach to enhance the delivery of core work within Prison and Probation (i.e., community) settings, where additional psychological or psychosocial considerations are required.
The post holder will hold a strategic position as Clinical Lead for the PIPE service. They will have a key role in creating and maintaining a healthy psychosocial environment; ensuring that the unit adheres to the theoretical principles of the PIPE model. This will include design, delivery and oversight of the core components of the PIPE model, including group work and the management of group dynamics (0.8wte).
The post holder will manage the development of a positive and enabling milieu, ensuring that the delivery of psychosocial aspects of the PIPE service is compliant with policy and delivery arrangements. This will include ensuring the PIPE service works towards meeting and maintaining the standards set out for the Royal College of Psychiatrists Enabling Environments award.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs) are specifically designed, contained environments where staff members have additional training to develop an increased psychological understanding of their work. This understanding enables them to create an enhanced safe and supportive environment, which can facilitate the development of those who live and work there. They are designed to have a particular focus on the environment in which they operate; actively recognising the importance and quality of relationships and interactions. They aim to maximise ordinary situations and to approach these in a psychologically informed way, paying attention to interpersonal difficulties, for example those issues that might be linked to personality disorder.
PIPEs are not treatment interventions - the PIPE model has been developed as an environmental approach to enhance the delivery of core work within Prison and Probation (i.e., community) settings, where additional psychological or psychosocial considerations are required.
The post holder will hold a strategic position as Clinical Lead for the PIPE service. They will have a key role in creating and maintaining a healthy psychosocial environment; ensuring that the unit adheres to the theoretical principles of the PIPE model. This will include design, delivery and oversight of the core components of the PIPE model, including group work and the management of group dynamics (0.8wte).
The post holder will manage the development of a positive and enabling milieu, ensuring that the delivery of psychosocial aspects of the PIPE service is compliant with policy and delivery arrangements. This will include ensuring the PIPE service works towards meeting and maintaining the standards set out for the Royal College of Psychiatrists Enabling Environments award.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in forensic, counselling or clinical psychology, including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developments as accredited by the BPS.
- Registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist.
- Completion of further post-doctoral post-qualification specialist training including training in supervision of trainee psychologists.
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Completion of two years post-doctoral/post-qualification supervised clinical experience with the client group of the post (personality disorder and/or forensic services) or a related client group.
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
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 clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non- professional groups.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Desirable
- 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).
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
Effort and Environment
Essential
- Physical Effort: Light physical effort for several short periods; sitting in constrained position for extended periods.
- Mental Effort: Ability to manage unpredictable workloads and frequent demands on concentration and attention. Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Working Conditions: To face regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting.
- 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
- Personal experience of mental health problems.
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in forensic, counselling or clinical psychology, including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developments as accredited by the BPS.
- Registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist.
- Completion of further post-doctoral post-qualification specialist training including training in supervision of trainee psychologists.
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
- Completion of two years post-doctoral/post-qualification supervised clinical experience with the client group of the post (personality disorder and/or forensic services) or a related client group.
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
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 clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non- professional groups.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Desirable
- 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).
- High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
Effort and Environment
Essential
- Physical Effort: Light physical effort for several short periods; sitting in constrained position for extended periods.
- Mental Effort: Ability to manage unpredictable workloads and frequent demands on concentration and attention. Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Working Conditions: To face regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting.
- 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
- Personal experience of mental health problems.
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
