Job responsibilities
The Principal Applied Psychologist will lead on the development and integration of a highly specialist applied psychology service for Children's epilepsy across Herefordshire and Worcestershire as part of a national pilot project and will:
Work closely with the Epilepsy multidisciplinary teams focusing on identifying and treating psychological issues associated with these health challenges and working to promote psychological adaptation and adjustment.
Be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for patients and, where appropriate, carers and families. To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes.
Work closely with CAMHS, VCSE partners, schools and other agencies to ensure psychological needs of the young person and/or their family is tailored to their specific needs.
Use their initiative and take responsibility for themselves and the quality of their work and the service they provide to patients.
Contribute to the teaching, clinical governance and administrative activities relevant to the needs of the CYP epilepsy services.
Provide clinical supervision and line management to the Assistant Psychologist employed as part of the pilot.
The Applied Psychologist will provide a strategic view on the development, implementation and evaluation of the psychology service for children and their families with complex needs, working within the multi-disciplinary environment.
Duties and Responsibilities
The following are the core responsibilities for any clinical psychologist post, as listed in AL (SP) 4/92, working within the Code of Conduct of the British Psychological Society and Guidelines for the Professional Practice of Clinical Psychology of the BPS Division of Clinical Psychology:
Adhere to national and local standards and guidelines relating to professional practice
Beware of and adhere to current legislation and employer procedures relating to the post
Demonstrate commitment to personal development and acquisition of further skills and knowledge
Responsible for collecting own work statistics
Responsible for managing own time appropriately
Responsible for managing a defined caseload
Work with volunteers and assistants
Responsible for student observations
Responsible for assessment, treatment, reports, interventions, evaluation for each patient
Review and discharge individual patients
Seek second opinions, where necessary
Make onward referrals, where appropriate
Offer advice to carers.
Clinical
To provide highly specialised clinical psychology services, as appropriate to children and young people and their families and carers, as part of Paediatric Epilepsy Services across Herefordshire & Worcestershire ICB including:-
The psychological assessment, clinical formulation and management of children and young people with diabetes and their families with complex presenting problems.
The selection, administration and interpretation psychometric, cognitive, developmental and neuropsychological assessments where appropriate.
The selection and delivery of evidenced based psychological treatments and therapies, monitoring outcomes, modifying and adapting interventions and drawing on a range of theoretical options. Specifically, working to promote psychological adaptation and adjustment.
To work as an independent and autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions.
To contribute to the effective working of the multi-disciplinary health team in order to deliver comprehensive clinical care to families, children and young people, ensuring that psychological well-being is central to the planning and delivery of health care.
To communicate skilfully and sensitively highly complex and sensitive information with children, families, carers and colleagues, taking account of sensory and cultural barriers to communication.
To formulate and communicate sensitively highly complex psychological assessment findings and implement psychological treatment plans, individual, family or group interventions as appropriate.
To provide highly specialist psychological consultation and advice to colleagues and others in the wider health and education settings and to contribute to a psychologically informed framework within the service.
To conduct assessments flexibly, attending multi-disciplinary and medic-led clinics, as required.
To assess and monitor risk and safeguarding issues and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
To provide advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
To raise awareness within the multi-disciplinary healthcare team of a psychological and systemic framework for thinking about illness and physical health.
To provide psychological support to children, young people and their families who are emotionally distressed by the childs condition or treatment.
To maintain excellent working relationships with colleagues, local CAMHS teams and other local agencies.
Teaching, training and supervision
To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to BPS and Trust guidelines.
To provide professional and clinical supervision to other qualified clinical psychologists and assistant and trainee psychologists as required.
To participate in the identification of the training needs of professional staff.
To provide specialist clinical teaching, training and consultation to psychologists and other professions as appropriate.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
To lead the provision, organisation, development and evaluation of clinical psychology within the Paediatric Epilepsy services in Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB.
To identify aspects of the service which could be improved and to contribute to the service development though identifying, undertaking and coordinating appropriate projects.
To monitor and manage the workload of other qualified psychologists and assistant psychologists as required and contribute to their appraisal/development review.
To participate in the recruitment process of psychologists as appropriate.
To lead the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and developing services.
To exercise delegated responsibility for managing the psychological resources available to the team, whether in the form of additional qualified or unqualified graduate psychology staff, or in the form of psychological materials employed in the assessment and treatment of patients.
Under the leadership of the Lead Consultant Psychologist, take responsibility for strategic planning, service development and policy issues relating to specialist psychological care within the paediatric epilepsy service.
To contribute as part of the MDT, to relevant policies, procedures and reports as appropriate.
Research, audit and service evaluation
To coordinate and lead on the development of specialist psychology in the CYP epilepsy services through undertaking service evaluation and audit.
To carry out appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff within the service.
To contribute to the development of outcome measurement and assessment, and assist other staff in the implementation of the same.
To disseminate research and service evaluation findings though presentations and published articles as relevant.
To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
Communication and liaison
Liaise with patients and their families and professionals/agencies in relation to the clinical care of individual clients.
Liaise with other professionals in relation to the service delivery to children, young people and families with epilepsy.
Represent clinical psychology in childrens epilepsy at an operational level to ensure good communication and working relationships are established with a wide range of professions and agencies.
Contribute to regional and national paediatric epilepsy network activities as appropriate.
Clinical Governance
Initiate, develop, implement and evaluate clinical governance for specialist psychology within the childrens epilepsy services.
Professional Responsibility
To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS/HCPC requirements and Trust appraisal and personal development plan requirements.
To maintain an up to date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
To comply with the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and ensure professional development in line with HCPC Standards for Continuing Professional Development and standards for Proficiency.
To adhere to the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct and Professional Practice Guidelines, and Trust policies and procedures.
To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, in line with professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
To participate fully and implement standards devised from Trusts clinical and research governance activity.
To ensure that all services provided are acceptable and accessible to the diverse communities which make up the population of service users.
The post-holder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the line manager.
