Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust

Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

This job is now closed

Job summary

We are a supportive, experienced and recently upgraded team who are excited to have this opportunity for a passionate and experienced psychologist to join us in an 8a role. You will be based across a varied borough supporting an integrated health and social care learning disability team.

This post provides services for those people eligible for Barnet Learning Disability Service, which serves a wide range of adult users with learning disabilities, their families, relatives and other carers.

Main duties of the job

Specialist psychological assessment and therapy for people with a learning disability; advice and consultation on psychological care through direct and indirect work; working autonomously within professional guidelines and the framework of the Service's policies and procedures.

The post holder will contribute to the delivery of an effective, high quality psychology service within BLDS.

About us

Working for North London Mental Health Partnership

The partnership between Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH) and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust (C&I) is going from strength to strength since it was originally established in 2021 forming the North London Mental Health Partnership.

Why choose to join the Partnership?

We believe that by working together, our two Trusts can achieve more for the residents of North Central London and our patients than we can by working apart.
Deliver the best care using the most up-to-date practise in supporting those with mental health illnesses.
Transforming and creating a positive environment for our service users, staff and visitors.
Creating and working together to become a great place to work for all our staff.
We offer flexible working, a wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives, NHS Pension and so much more.
Generous Annual Leave Allowance
NHS Discounts in a large variety of retail stores and services.
We have excellent internal staff network support groups.

The postholder will need to be comfortable working in an environment of complex matrix management arrangements and will at all times behave and align with our Trusts' values and cultural pillars:

We are kind
We are respectful
We work together
We keep things simple
We empower
We are proudly diverse

Date posted

23 November 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£56,388 to £62,785 a year per annum including Outer London Allowance

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

306-BEH-1519

Job locations

Barnet Learning Disability Service Vale Drive Health Centre

First Floor Vale Drive Medical Practice Vale Drive, Barnet EN5 2ED

Barnet

EN5 2ED

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities Clinical Responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessments and interventions of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests (e.g. WAIS), 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 (e.g. BBAT).
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological assessment and intervention/treatment and/or management of a clients challenging behaviours or mental health problems. This should be based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employ methods based upon evidence of efficacy. Such interventions may be required across the full range of care settings, for example providing advice to inpatient settings where relevant.
To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families, and groups, within and across teams. Interventions may be employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations. Candidate will be able to draw upon different explanatory models and maintain a number of provisional hypotheses.
To evaluate and make decisions about intervention/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 autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of users whose problems are managed by psychologically based assessments/interventions.
To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and intervention/treatment plan.
To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding, assessments and interventions to the benefit of all users of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual users and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management, for example completing 8 step risk management plans with BLDS colleagues.

Operational Responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological support to people with a learning disability and their families, for example via regular therapy sessions, observations and telephone contact ensuring timely communication of assessments and reviews.
To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.
To deputise in meetings for the lead psychologist when needed.
To receive regular clinical professional supervision from the lead clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues, for example during periods of leave.
To gain additional highly specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology and/or the service (as agreed with the professional psychology manager).
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.
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 and counselling psychology and related disciplines.

Policy / 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 such as group planning or training for local organisations.
To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members for example keeping up to date with new approaches and attending CPD as required.
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.
To work independently and make use of regular clinical and management supervision.

Research And Development

To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research including availing of available support such as QI at the Trust.
To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision and lead of specific areas of activity for the team as agreed (e.g. Dementia pathway, eligibility clinic or Challenging Behavior Pathway).

Responsibility for Human Resources

Support with day-to-day induction of new starters across the wider team.
To manage the workloads of assistant and trainee psychologists, within the framework of the services policies and procedures.
Should the opportunity arise may be required to clinically supervise and/or line manage psychologists.
To be involved, in the short listing and interviewing of assistant/graduate psychologists and qualified psychologists.
To provide clinical placements for trainee clinical psychologists, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good mental health care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.
To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant/graduate psychologists.
To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical and/or counselling psychology, as appropriate including providing induction presentations for trainees and new starters.
To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, including introductory sessions to support staff on topics such as challenging behaviour or trauma informed care.
To perform duties in relation to local, regional and national initiatives in developing services in the specialist area as opportunities arise, for example providing feedback to NCL commissioning queries and projects.
To support investigations and serious case reviews in the Trust as required.

General

All staff are responsible for the continual compliance with CQC standards and outcomes.
The postholder must be aware of, and work in line with, the Trusts Safeguarding Adults and Children procedures.
To communicate highly complex and potentially highly contentious information in a skilled and sensitive manner, in situations with users who may be expressing extreme hostility or highly emotional reactions, requiring the highest level of communication skills, for example managing expectations for service delivery and waiting lists.
To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care, for example routinely delivering treatment plans or diagnostic information in an accessible and sensitive way.
Requirement to complete breakaway physical intervention training as part of Trust mandatory training.
Long periods of considerable mental effort required to complete psychology sessions, observations, join meetings etc.
Exposure to complex and potentially difficult emotional content as a routine part of the role
Lone working within the community requires a level of self awareness and autonomy as well as engaging with team lone working protocols.

Personal Development

All staff are required to be appraised by their line managers at least once a year at a personal development review meeting where progress made over the last year is discussed and agreed. Focus on the following years departmental and personal objectives will be identified, discussed and agreed. Where necessary, help and support will be provided and development opportunities agreed in line with service provision and the knowledge and skills competency framework.

Please refer to Job description and personal specification for a full outline of role responsibilities and skills, knowledge and experience required.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities Clinical Responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological assessments and interventions of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests (e.g. WAIS), 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 (e.g. BBAT).
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological assessment and intervention/treatment and/or management of a clients challenging behaviours or mental health problems. This should be based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employ methods based upon evidence of efficacy. Such interventions may be required across the full range of care settings, for example providing advice to inpatient settings where relevant.
To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families, and groups, within and across teams. Interventions may be employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations. Candidate will be able to draw upon different explanatory models and maintain a number of provisional hypotheses.
To evaluate and make decisions about intervention/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 autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of users whose problems are managed by psychologically based assessments/interventions.
To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients formulation, diagnosis and intervention/treatment plan.
To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding, assessments and interventions to the benefit of all users of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual users and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management, for example completing 8 step risk management plans with BLDS colleagues.

Operational Responsibilities

To provide specialist psychological support to people with a learning disability and their families, for example via regular therapy sessions, observations and telephone contact ensuring timely communication of assessments and reviews.
To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.
To deputise in meetings for the lead psychologist when needed.
To receive regular clinical professional supervision from the lead clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues, for example during periods of leave.
To gain additional highly specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology and/or the service (as agreed with the professional psychology manager).
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.
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 and counselling psychology and related disciplines.

Policy / 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 such as group planning or training for local organisations.
To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members for example keeping up to date with new approaches and attending CPD as required.
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.
To work independently and make use of regular clinical and management supervision.

Research And Development

To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research including availing of available support such as QI at the Trust.
To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision and lead of specific areas of activity for the team as agreed (e.g. Dementia pathway, eligibility clinic or Challenging Behavior Pathway).

Responsibility for Human Resources

Support with day-to-day induction of new starters across the wider team.
To manage the workloads of assistant and trainee psychologists, within the framework of the services policies and procedures.
Should the opportunity arise may be required to clinically supervise and/or line manage psychologists.
To be involved, in the short listing and interviewing of assistant/graduate psychologists and qualified psychologists.
To provide clinical placements for trainee clinical psychologists, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good mental health care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.
To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant/graduate psychologists.
To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical and/or counselling psychology, as appropriate including providing induction presentations for trainees and new starters.
To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, including introductory sessions to support staff on topics such as challenging behaviour or trauma informed care.
To perform duties in relation to local, regional and national initiatives in developing services in the specialist area as opportunities arise, for example providing feedback to NCL commissioning queries and projects.
To support investigations and serious case reviews in the Trust as required.

General

All staff are responsible for the continual compliance with CQC standards and outcomes.
The postholder must be aware of, and work in line with, the Trusts Safeguarding Adults and Children procedures.
To communicate highly complex and potentially highly contentious information in a skilled and sensitive manner, in situations with users who may be expressing extreme hostility or highly emotional reactions, requiring the highest level of communication skills, for example managing expectations for service delivery and waiting lists.
To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care, for example routinely delivering treatment plans or diagnostic information in an accessible and sensitive way.
Requirement to complete breakaway physical intervention training as part of Trust mandatory training.
Long periods of considerable mental effort required to complete psychology sessions, observations, join meetings etc.
Exposure to complex and potentially difficult emotional content as a routine part of the role
Lone working within the community requires a level of self awareness and autonomy as well as engaging with team lone working protocols.

Personal Development

Please refer to Job description and personal specification for a full outline of role responsibilities and skills, knowledge and experience required.

Person Specification

Qualifications/ Registrations

Essential

Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS, or registered for, and actively pursuing, the Statement of Equivalence in Clinical Psychology.
Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
Formal training in supervision of others
Additional post graduate training relevant to the serviced and job role as outlined in the job summary

Desirable

Pre or post qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Skills / Abilities

Essential

Skilled in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
Able to draw on a range of psychological and theoretical approaches to inform assessment, formulation, and therapy. High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
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.
Skilled in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
Ability to contain, explore and formulate an understanding of high levels of distress both directly with patients and indirectly via supervision of other staff
Skilled in the use of IT software and hardware relevant for the role including Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams etc.

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient 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.
Experience of work with people with significant learning disabilities in community settings.
Experience of working with people with autism and/ or severe learning disabilities
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 distressing clinical experiences and challenging behaviours.
Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Experience of teaching, training or supervision.
Experience of working with people whose behaviour challenges

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.).
Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

Personal qualities

Essential

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.
Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary service setting including a 'can do/ attitude and motivation towards continuous improvement and change
Familiarity with and commitment to Trust Values

Desirable

Personal experience of mental health problems.

Other

Essential

Ability to maintain particular physical positions for long periods of time to complete in person assessments and observations.

Desirable

Knowledge of local area and population needs.
Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Person Specification

Qualifications/ Registrations

Essential

Doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the BPS, or registered for, and actively pursuing, the Statement of Equivalence in Clinical Psychology.
Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
Formal training in supervision of others
Additional post graduate training relevant to the serviced and job role as outlined in the job summary

Desirable

Pre or post qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Skills / Abilities

Essential

Skilled in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
Able to draw on a range of psychological and theoretical approaches to inform assessment, formulation, and therapy. High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
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.
Skilled in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
Ability to contain, explore and formulate an understanding of high levels of distress both directly with patients and indirectly via supervision of other staff
Skilled in the use of IT software and hardware relevant for the role including Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams etc.

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient 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.
Experience of work with people with significant learning disabilities in community settings.
Experience of working with people with autism and/ or severe learning disabilities
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 distressing clinical experiences and challenging behaviours.
Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
Experience of teaching, training or supervision.
Experience of working with people whose behaviour challenges

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.).
Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

Personal qualities

Essential

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.
Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary service setting including a 'can do/ attitude and motivation towards continuous improvement and change
Familiarity with and commitment to Trust Values

Desirable

Personal experience of mental health problems.

Other

Essential

Ability to maintain particular physical positions for long periods of time to complete in person assessments and observations.

Desirable

Knowledge of local area and population needs.
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.

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).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Certificate of Sponsorship

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

Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Barnet Learning Disability Service Vale Drive Health Centre

First Floor Vale Drive Medical Practice Vale Drive, Barnet EN5 2ED

Barnet

EN5 2ED

Employer's website

http://www.beh-mht.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Barnet Learning Disability Service Vale Drive Health Centre

First Floor Vale Drive Medical Practice Vale Drive, Barnet EN5 2ED

Barnet

EN5 2ED

Employer's website

http://www.beh-mht.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)