Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Talking Therapies Senior Leadership Team working across the 5 South West London and St George's Talking Therapies (SWStG TT) services. You will join the Head of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Operational Lead and Health Inequalities Lead in providing leadership, governance, service development and strategy across the 5 Talking Therapies Services.
SWLStG services are committed to an antiracist approach and to reducing health inequalities both in access to services and outcomes and there will be opportunities to be involved in this work at both TT and Trust level within this role.
Career Progression pathways and development opportunities:
We are committed to getting the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. We have career pathways available, where you will be able to develop your skills and build on your experience to progress into other roles across different specialties. For this role, we offer career pathways to Head of Psychology and Psychotherapy roles. In addition, we offer ongoing training and development in Clinical, Leadership and Managerial skills.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work closely with the Head of Psychology and Psychotherapy; Health Inequalities Lead and Operational Lead for SWLStG TT services to ensure the TT services are run effectively and efficiently and deliver a high quality evidence based and safe service across the 5 boroughs.
The post holder will provide regular clinical supervision, develop and deliver training, and support the senior management teams across the services to meet their performance targets and the needs of patients and referrers. They will have distinct areas of responsibility (as agreed with the Head of Psychology and Psychotherapy for TT), and a small clinical case load providing High Intensity clinical sessions. Together with the Head of Psychology and Psychotherapy for Talking Therapies, you will hold responsibility for the clinical governance of SWLStG TT services, ensuring that effective systems and pathways are in place, and complete regular audits to provide assurance and identify and implement improvements.
The role will also involve liaison with other services, to ensure smooth pathways with TT services, and with partner organisations to ensure contracts are well managed and clinically effective. The post holder will also have a role in supporting with reporting to the ICB and Trust Board.
Flexible working:
Mondays are a core on site days for the SWLStG TT Senior Leadership Team, and Fridays would be a preferred working day for this role.
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 as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.
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 of benefits 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
1. Oversee the clinical caseloads of clinical staff working in NHS Talking Therapies , and ensure safe and clinically effective case management of cases. Oversee clinical outcomes and adjust delivery of clinical services to ensure that patients needs are met by the least intrusive intervention necessary to alleviate their conditions according to stepped care model of service delivery in line with NHS Talking Therapies developments in primary care.
2. Ensure that clinical staff working in NHS Talking Therapies implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals with common mental disorders, as outlined by NICE, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
3. Ensure that clinically qualified staff provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients referred by general practitioners and other primary care staff, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological 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.
4. Ensure that clinically qualified staff diagnose, formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
5. Ensure that clinically qualified staff, including post holder, make highly skilled evaluations and recommendations 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.
6. Ensure that trainee low and high intensity therapists working in the NHS Talking Therapies services adhere to standardised protocols and supervision standards to produce clinically safe triage assessments and interventions.
7. Ensure that staff exercise full responsibility and autonomy for providing interventions and/or treating and discharging clients, according to service guidelines and agreed care pathways, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions are communicated with the patient, the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.
8. Ensure that staff adheres to agreed protocols.
9. To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to staff in primary care as required, contributing directly to clients formulation diagnosis and treatment plan.
10. Ensure that clinical staff undertakes suitable risk assessment and risk management for all clients and that systems are in place to ensure safe working practices. Provide both general and specialist advice to psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management as required.
11. Ensure that clinical staff communicates 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 clients contact with the service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Oversee the clinical caseloads of clinical staff working in NHS Talking Therapies , and ensure safe and clinically effective case management of cases. Oversee clinical outcomes and adjust delivery of clinical services to ensure that patients needs are met by the least intrusive intervention necessary to alleviate their conditions according to stepped care model of service delivery in line with NHS Talking Therapies developments in primary care.
2. Ensure that clinical staff working in NHS Talking Therapies implement a range of psychological interventions for individuals with common mental disorders, as outlined by NICE, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
3. Ensure that clinically qualified staff provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of clients referred by general practitioners and other primary care staff, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological 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.
4. Ensure that clinically qualified staff diagnose, formulate and implement plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.
5. Ensure that clinically qualified staff, including post holder, make highly skilled evaluations and recommendations 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.
6. Ensure that trainee low and high intensity therapists working in the NHS Talking Therapies services adhere to standardised protocols and supervision standards to produce clinically safe triage assessments and interventions.
7. Ensure that staff exercise full responsibility and autonomy for providing interventions and/or treating and discharging clients, according to service guidelines and agreed care pathways, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions are communicated with the patient, the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.
8. Ensure that staff adheres to agreed protocols.
9. To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to staff in primary care as required, contributing directly to clients formulation diagnosis and treatment plan.
10. Ensure that clinical staff undertakes suitable risk assessment and risk management for all clients and that systems are in place to ensure safe working practices. Provide both general and specialist advice to psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management as required.
11. Ensure that clinical staff communicates 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 clients contact with the service.
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised postgraduate qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy and eligibility for accreditation with BABCP as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist OR Post graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling 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.
Desirable
- IPT trained
- EMDR trained
- MSc or equivalent postgraduate training in Behavioural Cognitive Psychotherapy
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified CBT therapist, clinical or counselling psychologist for a minimum of six years, including at least 2 years' experience working within the Primary Care Mental Health service setting.
- Experience of working with adults in all areas of care, and presenting with the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
- Experience of teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision, including documented experience of supervision for at least three years.
Desirable
- Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualification applied psychologists
- Experience of multi- professional management of teams or services.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical or counselling psychology or CBT equivalent including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge and therapeutic skills necessary to deliver psychological treatments in line with NICE guidelines and NHS Talking Therapies agenda as relevant to Primary Care
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- A high level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level 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.
Desirable
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnosis, people with additional disabilities and/or severely challenging behaviours etc.)
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised postgraduate qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy and eligibility for accreditation with BABCP as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist OR Post graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling 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.
Desirable
- IPT trained
- EMDR trained
- MSc or equivalent postgraduate training in Behavioural Cognitive Psychotherapy
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified CBT therapist, clinical or counselling psychologist for a minimum of six years, including at least 2 years' experience working within the Primary Care Mental Health service setting.
- Experience of working with adults in all areas of care, and presenting with the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
- Experience of teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision, including documented experience of supervision for at least three years.
Desirable
- Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualification applied psychologists
- Experience of multi- professional management of teams or services.
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical or counselling psychology or CBT equivalent including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge and therapeutic skills necessary to deliver psychological treatments in line with NICE guidelines and NHS Talking Therapies agenda as relevant to Primary Care
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- A high level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level 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.
Desirable
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnosis, people with additional disabilities and/or 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).
