8a Senior Clinical/Counselling Psychologist (two work locations)

Job summary

The Intensive Support Team offers therapeutically-informed assessments for individuals with dementia who reside in care homes. This is guided by the principles of the Newcastle Model and Positive Behaviour Support, offering evidence-based approaches to promote the wellbeing of people with dementia. To succeed in this role, you will have the confidence to engage with a range of stakeholders, including the person, relatives, professionals, and care home staff.

You will draw on your professional skills and knowledge to assess/respond to distress behaviours in dementia, as part of a stepped-care service, by delivering interventions that focus on unmet needs of people using services. You will offer specialist training, supervision, and share ideas informed by psychological theory and practice. There is an emphasis on partnership working and engaging with people working across statutory/voluntary sectors to facilitate a whole-system approach to care delivery for people with dementia.

The candidate must have a full and valid driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes due to the community element of this role.

You will be co-located with the CMHTOP (9-5, Mon-Fri) in the Mid Surrey hub in Horizon House, 28 Upper High St, Epsom KT17 4QJ three days (0.6 WTE) per week and the North West Surrey hub in Unither House, Curfew Bell Rd, Chertsey KT16 9FG two days (0.4 WTE) per week.

Main duties of the job

• To be responsible for the systematic provision of specialist assessments for people with dementia who present with complex presentations or behaviour that challenges.
• To deliver high quality direct (assessment and therapeutic) and indirect (consultative, advisory, and evaluative) specialist psychological interventions by making autonomous clinical decisions about own professional practice.
• To act as a person-centred leader and role model at all times to inspire others to deliver high quality, dignified care for people with dementia.
• To ensure the clinical effectiveness of your own practice and the functioning of the service by undertaking audit, research, and service development activities relevant to the service area.
• To operate as part of a multidisciplinary team and work closely with primary care services, statutory/voluntary agencies, and service users & carers.
• To work autonomously within the clearly defined boundaries of the role, as well as carrying out specific clinical tasks and responsibilities that may cross professional demarcations of care.
• To offer clinical supervision to CMHTOP Care Home Pathway colleagues (non-psychologists) and Assistant Psychologists.
• To take a leadership role within defined sectors of the Trust (Mid Surrey and NW Surrey) and work collaboratively with the Care Home Pathway Lead within the CMHTOPs to ensure the care home pathway functions well within those regions.

About us

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of health and social care services for people of all ages with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in Surrey and North East Hampshire. We also provide social care services for people with a learning disability in Croydon and ASD and ADHD assessment services in Hampshire.

We actively seek to engage people who use our services and our communities in improving the mental wellbeing of the local population. We work closely with other NHS and voluntary sector organisations who provide services and support people who use services and carers.

Surrey is a beautiful county lying just 30 minutes away from Central London and from the South Coast.

Our historic market towns and bustling districts are enveloped in wonderful countryside, and our excellent road and rail networks bring the rest of the country within easy reach.

For international travel, both Gatwick and Heathrow airports are nearby.

Please note that we reserve the right to close posts as soon as sufficient applications are received.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Employer details

Employer name

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Horizon House and Unither House

Horizon: 28 Upper High Street

Epsom

KT17 4QJ

Employer's website

https://www.sabp.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)

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Employer details

Employer name

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Horizon House and Unither House

Horizon: 28 Upper High Street

Epsom

KT17 4QJ

Employer's website

https://www.sabp.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)

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