Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to provide a highly specialist clinical psychology service to patients with neuromuscular disease. The post demands the delivery of a specialist clinical psychology service to neuromuscular patients with complex physical health needs.
The post is split between the McArdle service (0.3) and the Neuromuscular Complex Care Centre (NMCCC) (0.7) within the Centre for Neuromuscular Disease (CNMD) at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. The NMCCC provides a unique opportunity to work as part of a wide multi-disciplinary team, picking up referrals during routine in-patient stays. The CNMD is one of the largest clinical and research centres of its kind in the UK and Europe. There will be lots of opportunities for the post holder to network nationally and internationally and to develop a research framework. There will be opportunities to supervise students.
Main duties of the job
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and joining a weekly team meeting. Seeing and assessing patients on the NMCCC. Attending the McArdle Highly specialised service. Seeing patients in outpatients (face to face and virtual, individual and group) establishing referral criteria, signposting to local services where appropriate, undertaking audit and research to advance patient management. Supervising trainees
About us
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.
We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological,gastrointestinaland oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclearmedicineandpathology.
Weare committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more informationregardingthe main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
- To provide a highly specialised psychological service to patients living with neuromuscular disease and their family or carers.
- To liaise with work and educational services and other organisations providing provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
- To provide highly specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments of clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of highly complex data from a variety of sources including neuropsychological tests, self report measures, direct and indirect clinical observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the patients care.
- To formulate plans for formal psychological treatment and/or management of patients cognitive and psychological problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across a range of care settings.
- To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individual and/or their carers within and across teams based upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
- To make expert evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account highly complex factors concerning historical and neuro-developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
- To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of and discharge of patients whose problems are psychological in origin, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual patients and provide both general and specialist advice.
- To plan and organise complex activities or programmes which require the formulation or adjustment of patient care plans as appropriate.
- To provide specialist advice, guidance and psychotherapy to patients and their carers.
- To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner information regarding the assessment to a wider multidisciplinary team to further develop the patients programme of care.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*
*UCLH top trust to work at in England- In the most recentNHS staff surveyUCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit:Flexible working.
To discover more about what makes UCLHa great placeto work, visit:Why Choose UCLH?
Job description
Job responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more informationregardingthe main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
- To provide a highly specialised psychological service to patients living with neuromuscular disease and their family or carers.
- To liaise with work and educational services and other organisations providing provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
- To provide highly specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments of clients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of highly complex data from a variety of sources including neuropsychological tests, self report measures, direct and indirect clinical observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and others involved in the patients care.
- To formulate plans for formal psychological treatment and/or management of patients cognitive and psychological problems based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across a range of care settings.
- To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individual and/or their carers within and across teams based upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
- To make expert evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account highly complex factors concerning historical and neuro-developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
- To exercise full responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of and discharge of patients whose problems are psychological in origin, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communicating with the referral agent and others involved with the care on a regular basis.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual patients and provide both general and specialist advice.
- To plan and organise complex activities or programmes which require the formulation or adjustment of patient care plans as appropriate.
- To provide specialist advice, guidance and psychotherapy to patients and their carers.
- To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner information regarding the assessment to a wider multidisciplinary team to further develop the patients programme of care.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*
*UCLH top trust to work at in England- In the most recentNHS staff surveyUCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit:Flexible working.
To discover more about what makes UCLHa great placeto work, visit:Why Choose UCLH?
Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
Essential
- Honours degree in psychology or related disciplines, and a Doctorate and/or PhD level in clinical psychology / clinical neuropsychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
- Doctoral level research completed in a relevant area of clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology.
- Specialist knowledge of neuropsychological and psychological needs within the neuromuscular population.
- Knowledge of psychological and neuropsychological interventions and issues with the ability to guide and advise medical/nursing and therapy staff.
- Further specialist training in the assessment and treatment of a wide range of psychological disorders presenting with the full range of clinical severity through a combination of formal training or specialist short courses.
- Knowledge of further educational and support systems for adults with learning disability and/or neurodevelopmental needs.
- Knowledge of working with physical and sensory disability and/or neurodevelopmental disorders.
Desirable
- Knowledge of psychological approaches to long term conditions, palliative care, and disability.
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of five years, including at least three years post-qualification experience.
- Previous experience presenting to peers / colleagues on a range of clinical and research issues.
- Experience of working with patient groups living with life limiting conditions including physical and/or sensory disability, neurodevelopmental or learning difficulties across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity including outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient and residential care settings and in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems.
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat patients and their application with patients who have neurological conditions.
- Experience of managing junior psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists.
- Experience of managing a research project, working to deadlines and managing grants and responding to funders.
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with neuromuscular disease e.g., McArdle disease or Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Demonstrates understanding of, and ability to, manage the needs of patients with physical, sensory and intellectual disability or neuro-developmental disorder.
- Demonstrates professional and effective verbal and written communication skills including excellent negotiation skills with patients, carers and other health professional staff in service delivery.
- Ability to communicate highly sensitive information to cognitively impaired and/or psychologically vulnerable people and their carers, who may have significant barriers to understanding or acceptance.
Personal & people development
Essential
- Ability to establish good rapport and professional working relationships within multidisciplinary teams and other agencies for extended periods of time.
- Ability to show leadership, initiative and utilise clinical supervision in different services effectively.
- Ability to identify areas for own personal / professional development through highly developed reflective practice skills and integrate knowledge gained into own practice.
- Effective time management and ability to prioritise own workload in clinical practice and in the context of a research project.
- Ability to autonomously manage own caseload and balance this with demands of an ongoing research demands.
- Ability to represent clinical psychology in multi-disciplinary group settings and within specialist clinical services.
Desirable
- Ability to complete clinical and research duties in an autonomous fashion.
Quality and service improvement
Essential
- Demonstrate evidence of working effectively in multidisciplinary teams either with audit or service evaluation.
- Evidence of effective clinical reasoning in the assessment and management of complex disability and end of life or palliative care
Information processing (IT skills)
Essential
- Competent IT skills (word processing, spreadsheets, statistical packages)
Personal Qualities
Essential
- A high level of interpersonal and communication skills.
- Must be able to cope with highly emotive and psychologically challenging demands of working with neurologically imp aired patients for long periods of time.
- Must be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people in a sensitive, caring, and non-judgemental manner.
- Ability to contain and work with organisation stress and 'hold' stress of others.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
Essential
- Honours degree in psychology or related disciplines, and a Doctorate and/or PhD level in clinical psychology / clinical neuropsychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
- Doctoral level research completed in a relevant area of clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology.
- Specialist knowledge of neuropsychological and psychological needs within the neuromuscular population.
- Knowledge of psychological and neuropsychological interventions and issues with the ability to guide and advise medical/nursing and therapy staff.
- Further specialist training in the assessment and treatment of a wide range of psychological disorders presenting with the full range of clinical severity through a combination of formal training or specialist short courses.
- Knowledge of further educational and support systems for adults with learning disability and/or neurodevelopmental needs.
- Knowledge of working with physical and sensory disability and/or neurodevelopmental disorders.
Desirable
- Knowledge of psychological approaches to long term conditions, palliative care, and disability.
Experience
Essential
- Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of five years, including at least three years post-qualification experience.
- Previous experience presenting to peers / colleagues on a range of clinical and research issues.
- Experience of working with patient groups living with life limiting conditions including physical and/or sensory disability, neurodevelopmental or learning difficulties across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity including outpatient, community, primary care, inpatient and residential care settings and in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems.
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat patients and their application with patients who have neurological conditions.
- Experience of managing junior psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists.
- Experience of managing a research project, working to deadlines and managing grants and responding to funders.
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with neuromuscular disease e.g., McArdle disease or Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Demonstrates understanding of, and ability to, manage the needs of patients with physical, sensory and intellectual disability or neuro-developmental disorder.
- Demonstrates professional and effective verbal and written communication skills including excellent negotiation skills with patients, carers and other health professional staff in service delivery.
- Ability to communicate highly sensitive information to cognitively impaired and/or psychologically vulnerable people and their carers, who may have significant barriers to understanding or acceptance.
Personal & people development
Essential
- Ability to establish good rapport and professional working relationships within multidisciplinary teams and other agencies for extended periods of time.
- Ability to show leadership, initiative and utilise clinical supervision in different services effectively.
- Ability to identify areas for own personal / professional development through highly developed reflective practice skills and integrate knowledge gained into own practice.
- Effective time management and ability to prioritise own workload in clinical practice and in the context of a research project.
- Ability to autonomously manage own caseload and balance this with demands of an ongoing research demands.
- Ability to represent clinical psychology in multi-disciplinary group settings and within specialist clinical services.
Desirable
- Ability to complete clinical and research duties in an autonomous fashion.
Quality and service improvement
Essential
- Demonstrate evidence of working effectively in multidisciplinary teams either with audit or service evaluation.
- Evidence of effective clinical reasoning in the assessment and management of complex disability and end of life or palliative care
Information processing (IT skills)
Essential
- Competent IT skills (word processing, spreadsheets, statistical packages)
Personal Qualities
Essential
- A high level of interpersonal and communication skills.
- Must be able to cope with highly emotive and psychologically challenging demands of working with neurologically imp aired patients for long periods of time.
- Must be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people in a sensitive, caring, and non-judgemental manner.
- Ability to contain and work with organisation stress and 'hold' stress of others.
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).
Employer details
Employer name
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, UCLH
Queen Square
London
WC1N 3BG
Employer's website
https://www.uclh.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)
