Job summary
South West London and St George's Mental Health (SWLSTG) NHS Trust is provides mental health services to the population of South West London, specifically the five boroughs of Richmond, Kingston, Wandsworth, Merton, and Sutton. The Trust also provides a range of specialist and highly specialist services to a wider regional and nationalcatchment area (e.g., OCD/BDD, Trauma, Forensic, and Deaf National Services). The Cognition and Mental Health in Ageing (CMHA) pathway within the Specialist Service Line provides services to people with dementia and older people with mental health problems. There are community-based services for older people residing in each of thefive boroughs listed above, as well as two inpatient wards providing mental health beds for older people with dementia or severe mental health difficulties. The Trust's headquarters and senior leaders' offices were in December 2022 moved to brand new purpose-built facilities (Trinity Building) at Springfield Hospital in Wandsworth.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for a highly experienced and motivated clinical psychologist to lead the psychology and psychotherapy (P&P) staff working across the CMHA pathway. Suitable candidates will have deep expertise and experience in either of three clinical areas, which are (1) assessment and management of older people with dementia, (2) assessment and treatment of older people with mental health difficulties using evidence-based psychological therapies (e.g., CBT, IPT), and (3) neuropsychological assessment of older people. For the clinical part of their role, the successful candidate will be based in one of the older adult community teams. The postholder will be providing monthly professional supervision to three 8b clinical psychologists (who each lead on one of the areas above), and they may also provide clinical consultation and supervision to other psychologists working across CMHA. The successful candidate will lead on psychology recruitment for CMHA and will be responsible for the development of a robust continuing professional development (CPD) programme for P&P staff. In collaboration with the Head of P&P for Trust Specialist Services and the Clinical Manager for CMHA, the postholder will work to ensure excellent governance of psychological assessments and therapies provided by the P&P staff under their remit, and to support other staff working across the service line who provide psychologically-based care and treatments.
About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Working within a highly specialised clinical area, to provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and where appropriate to the professional, 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.
- To formulate plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
- To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist 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.
- To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options 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.
- To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of and discharge of clients whose problems are managed as a psychologically based standard care plan, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.
- To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
- To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for the understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge, research and theory.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
- To act as care co-ordinator, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of a care package appropriate for the clients needs, co-ordinating the work of others involved with care, arranging clients care reviews as required and communicating effectively with the client, his/her family and all others involved in care; and to monitor progress during the course of multi-disciplinary interventions.
- To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.
- To provide expertise and advice to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team.
- To provide expert consultation about the psychological care of the client group to staff and agencies within and related to the Directorate.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Working within a highly specialised clinical area, to provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and where appropriate to the professional, 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.
- To formulate plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
- To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialist 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.
- To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options 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.
- To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of and discharge of clients whose problems are managed as a psychologically based standard care plan, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.
- To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
- To ensure that all members of the clinical team have access to a psychologically based framework for the understanding and care of clients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge, research and theory.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
- To act as care co-ordinator, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of a care package appropriate for the clients needs, co-ordinating the work of others involved with care, arranging clients care reviews as required and communicating effectively with the client, his/her family and all others involved in care; and to monitor progress during the course of multi-disciplinary interventions.
- To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.
- To provide expertise and advice to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team.
- To provide expert consultation about the psychological care of the client group to staff and agencies within and related to the Directorate.
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
- To be registered with the Health Professions Council under the appropriate domain specific title
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
- BABCP accreditation as practitioner and/or supervisor
- Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QICN)
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of six years, including at least 3 years post qualification experience within the designated specialty where the post is located
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client 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, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- Extensive experience of working with clients presenting with neurodegenerative disorders, with skills in neuropsychological assessment and in the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms in dementia.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision
Desirable
- Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists
- Experience of multi-professional management of teams or services within the designated specialty
- Experience of representing the profession in local policy fora
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies
- Highly developed knowledge of psychological / psychosocial interventions for people with dementia and their carers
- Highly developed knowledge of neuropsychological theory, and skills in neuropsychology assessments and interventions for older people with mental health problems and/or dementia.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
Desirable
- Highly developed 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 and severely challenging behaviours etc)
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
- To be registered with the Health Professions Council under the appropriate domain specific title
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
- BABCP accreditation as practitioner and/or supervisor
- Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QICN)
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of six years, including at least 3 years post qualification experience within the designated specialty where the post is located
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client 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, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- Extensive experience of working with clients presenting with neurodegenerative disorders, with skills in neuropsychological assessment and in the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms in dementia.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision
Desirable
- Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists
- Experience of multi-professional management of teams or services within the designated specialty
- Experience of representing the profession in local policy fora
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies
- Highly developed knowledge of psychological / psychosocial interventions for people with dementia and their carers
- Highly developed knowledge of neuropsychological theory, and skills in neuropsychology assessments and interventions for older people with mental health problems and/or dementia.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
Desirable
- Highly developed 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 and severely challenging behaviours etc)
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies
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).
