Job summary
We are looking for an enthusiastic, innovative and highly motivated psychologist to lead the Complex Emotional Needs (CEN) pathway in Westminster Adult Community Services.Joining our Adult Psychological Therapies services in Westminster will provide you with the opportunity to develop your leadership skills, overseeing the provision and development of psychological therapy and psychosocial interventions for service users with Complex Emotional Needs as part of the integrated multi-disciplinary community services.
The post holder will be responsible for oversight, management and running of the CEN provision in the Borough to ensure the delivery of high quality integrated, recovery-focused and evidence-based interventions to individuals who present with Complex Emotional Needs and personality related difficulties. They will work alongside other clinical leads across the Borough to ensure a coherent and joined up service provision to those with complex mental health conditions.
We especially welcome applications from candidates with the valuable experience of the diverse social and cultural communities the Trust serves as we are seeking to ensure our psychology staffing has greater diversity and better represents local communities. The successful candidate will be supported to develop their career and flourish as a valued member of the psychology staff group. There are also a number of support systems within the Trust including staff peer networks.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will have strong leadership skills and clinical expertise in complex mental health difficulties and significant experience working within the area of Complex Emotional Needs. The post holder will have a key role in contributing to the ongoing development and delivery of the specialist CEN pathway, ensuring the systematic provision of a high-quality specialist psychological therapies service. They will lead on management of referrals and allocation to specialist treatment pathways. They will also support the delivery of psychological interventions in their key areas of skill e.g. DBT or MBT.
The post holder will contribute to and initiate service developments related to psychological care provision for this client group across the Borough. They will also have a strong commitment to the recovery model, multi-disciplinary working, service user and carer involvement, and working with people who are cautious about engaging with mental health services. Strong team skills and confidence in providing consultation, training and supervision to other staff is essential.
The post holder will be part of a supportive group of Psychological Therapists, with good supervision structures and access to opportunities within the borough and wider trust for development of special interests and the sharing of specialist knowledge. The service also has close links with several regional Clinical & Counselling Psychology Training Courses.
About us
CNWL NHS Trust is committed to staff personal development, with a trust wide culture change and leadership programme that has staff wellbeing at its core.
- An opportunity to work for one of the top 10NHS employers
- Flexible working
- Variety of work
- Access to a variety of CPD opportunities
- We encourage staff input and ideas in relation to moving services forward, improving care pathways and meeting the client group's needs.
As a Trust we are committed to investing in our staff through a range of initiatives, both profession-specific and organisation wide. Psychological professions staff are able to access a range of trust-wide CPD initiatives. We have partnered with Bespoke and Contextual Consulting to provide some of the profession specific CPD, alongside additional CPD sessions we commission as part of CNWL CPD programme for Psychological Professions. CNWL also has seven established staff networks supporting a range of individual needs.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To ensure the systematic provision of a high quality specialist psychological services to clients within the complex emotional needs pathway.
To supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by psychologists, psychotherapists and other clinical members of the team who provide psychologically based care and treatment.
To take responsibility for the day-to-day operational and clinical practice of psychologists and psychological therapists working within the CEN pathway and to act as a point of liaison between the CEN pathway and other local services.
In conjunction with the Lead Psychologist, to take a lead role in the co-ordination and delivery of psychological services across the CEN pathway to ensure the provision of a consistent and well-integrated psychological service model across the borough.
To manage referrals into and out of the CEN pathway in a co-ordinated and effective way and to assist with the equitable allocation of cases for assessment and treatment.
To assist with the co-ordination and provision of training placements for trainee psychologists, honorary psychotherapists and other staff as agreed with the Lead Psychologist.
To liaise with the relevant training institutions and agencies, including Clinical Psychology Training Schemes and other training courses.
The post-holder will be responsible for ensuring that systems are in place for the effective professional supervision and clinical governance of the psychological therapists and therapy clinicians within the pathway, for which the post holder has designated professional responsibility, including clear systems for professional supervision, appraisal, performance management and the identification of CPD needs across the team.
The post-holder will be expected to provide necessary service activity reports in a timely and organised fashion and ensure that the psychologists and psychotherapists within the service areas are using the appropriate information recording systems in accordance with Trust and other relevant professional policies.
To ensure compliance with Trust policies and procedures in a variety of areas and where required to assist in the reporting of key performance indicators to relevant commissioners and monitoring bodies e.g., CQC, GP Commissioning Bodies etc.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic clinical governance of psychological practice within the psychological therapies service.
A key requirement of the job is to carry out necessary audit, policy and service development and research activities within the service to ensure the delivery of a high quality service with a sound basis in in best clinical practice.
To assist the Lead Psychologist with the full range of planning and implementation of policy and service development changes within the area served by the services.
Where required, to act as a deputy for the Psychological therapies service in Westminster including attendance at key meetings and policy forums. The post-holder may also be asked to represent the psychological therapies service in Trust-wide forums and meetings.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To ensure the systematic provision of a high quality specialist psychological services to clients within the complex emotional needs pathway.
To supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by psychologists, psychotherapists and other clinical members of the team who provide psychologically based care and treatment.
To take responsibility for the day-to-day operational and clinical practice of psychologists and psychological therapists working within the CEN pathway and to act as a point of liaison between the CEN pathway and other local services.
In conjunction with the Lead Psychologist, to take a lead role in the co-ordination and delivery of psychological services across the CEN pathway to ensure the provision of a consistent and well-integrated psychological service model across the borough.
To manage referrals into and out of the CEN pathway in a co-ordinated and effective way and to assist with the equitable allocation of cases for assessment and treatment.
To assist with the co-ordination and provision of training placements for trainee psychologists, honorary psychotherapists and other staff as agreed with the Lead Psychologist.
To liaise with the relevant training institutions and agencies, including Clinical Psychology Training Schemes and other training courses.
The post-holder will be responsible for ensuring that systems are in place for the effective professional supervision and clinical governance of the psychological therapists and therapy clinicians within the pathway, for which the post holder has designated professional responsibility, including clear systems for professional supervision, appraisal, performance management and the identification of CPD needs across the team.
The post-holder will be expected to provide necessary service activity reports in a timely and organised fashion and ensure that the psychologists and psychotherapists within the service areas are using the appropriate information recording systems in accordance with Trust and other relevant professional policies.
To ensure compliance with Trust policies and procedures in a variety of areas and where required to assist in the reporting of key performance indicators to relevant commissioners and monitoring bodies e.g., CQC, GP Commissioning Bodies etc.
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic clinical governance of psychological practice within the psychological therapies service.
A key requirement of the job is to carry out necessary audit, policy and service development and research activities within the service to ensure the delivery of a high quality service with a sound basis in in best clinical practice.
To assist the Lead Psychologist with the full range of planning and implementation of policy and service development changes within the area served by the services.
Where required, to act as a deputy for the Psychological therapies service in Westminster including attendance at key meetings and policy forums. The post-holder may also be asked to represent the psychological therapies service in Trust-wide forums and meetings.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
- Extensive assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/counselling psychologist in a CMHT or similar complex care service working with patients with personality disorder and the associated complexity and co-morbidity
- Experience of using evidence-based models such as CBT, DBT, MBT, SCM etc
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision of other qualified and trainee staff
- Experience of implementing governance processes, providing quality assurance and ensuring patient safety.
- Experience of managing highly complex situations concerning safeguarding, risk management, clinical governance, complaints and investigations.
- Experience of services that operate the Care Programme Approach successfully within teams with difficult caseloads requiring the application of complex methods, psychological assessments, formulation and intervention
Desirable
- Experience of professional management of other staff including appraisals, clinical governance and performance management
- Leadership experience and a successful track record in leading and influencing service delivery and contributing to service transformation
- Experience of service evaluation and implementing change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical/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
- Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Qualifications in DBT or MBT by a recognised training course or another accredited and evidence-based treatment for Personality Disorder
- Proven ability in teaching and formal training in professional/clinical supervision
Desirable
- Post qualifying training in clinical leadership or management
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of evidence based assessments and therapeutic interventions in adult personality disorders
- Post-Qualification practice of CBT, DBT, MBT, SCM or other evidence-based psychological therapies for personality disorders
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Ability to empathise, be supportive and sensitive to the needs of others, as well as being able to cope with highly distressing circumstances and complex consultations
- Ability to comfortably and confidently cope under pressure, with excellent time management skills and an ability to respond constructively to challenge or resistance.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- Knowledge of legislation and policy in relation to the client group and mental health
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by relevant professional bodies (e.g. BPS, BABCP, UKCP, BPC)
Desirable
- Experience in managing culture change
- Ability to implement change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
- Extensive assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/counselling psychologist in a CMHT or similar complex care service working with patients with personality disorder and the associated complexity and co-morbidity
- Experience of using evidence-based models such as CBT, DBT, MBT, SCM etc
- Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision of other qualified and trainee staff
- Experience of implementing governance processes, providing quality assurance and ensuring patient safety.
- Experience of managing highly complex situations concerning safeguarding, risk management, clinical governance, complaints and investigations.
- Experience of services that operate the Care Programme Approach successfully within teams with difficult caseloads requiring the application of complex methods, psychological assessments, formulation and intervention
Desirable
- Experience of professional management of other staff including appraisals, clinical governance and performance management
- Leadership experience and a successful track record in leading and influencing service delivery and contributing to service transformation
- Experience of service evaluation and implementing change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical/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
- Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Qualifications in DBT or MBT by a recognised training course or another accredited and evidence-based treatment for Personality Disorder
- Proven ability in teaching and formal training in professional/clinical supervision
Desirable
- Post qualifying training in clinical leadership or management
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of evidence based assessments and therapeutic interventions in adult personality disorders
- Post-Qualification practice of CBT, DBT, MBT, SCM or other evidence-based psychological therapies for personality disorders
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Ability to empathise, be supportive and sensitive to the needs of others, as well as being able to cope with highly distressing circumstances and complex consultations
- Ability to comfortably and confidently cope under pressure, with excellent time management skills and an ability to respond constructively to challenge or resistance.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- Knowledge of legislation and policy in relation to the client group and mental health
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by relevant professional bodies (e.g. BPS, BABCP, UKCP, BPC)
Desirable
- Experience in managing culture change
- Ability to implement change from a national and local health or social care change agenda that impacts across services and professions
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).
