Job summary
We are excited to offer a Senior Clinical Psychology post to join our newly funded Specialist Weight Management Service, which broadens our existing Bariatric Surgery Service offer. The post is full-time (37.5 hours), fixed term for 2 years from the successful candidate's start date. We are hopeful that extension of this will be funded, although this cannot be guaranteed.
This vacancy forms part of significant investment to expand our existing Tier 4 Bariatric Surgery Service to a broader Specialist Weight Management Service. This role is anticipated to work across all arms of the pathway covering specialist weight management, weight-loss injections and bariatric surgery routes. The Specialist Weight Management Service currently consists of Dietetic, Surgical, Nursing, Endocrinology, Co-ordinator and Secretarial roles along with Clinical Psychology.
You will be joining an existing Clinical Psychology service led by a Principal Clinical Psychologist and supported by a Clinical Psychologist. We regularly offer training placements to doctoral clinical psychology students and this will be a part of the successful candidate's role. The service sits within an expanding Department of Clinical Health Psychology, with a culture founded in compassion, respect and support.
Clinical supervision will be provided by the clinical lead for the Bariatric Surgery Psychology Service, with line management provided within the Clinical Health Psychology Department.
Main duties of the job
To provide a specialist Clinical Psychology service to adult patients with health conditions at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust.
To work as an integral member of both the Clinical Health Psychology Department and the multidisciplinary team to provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation, therapy and support patients. This requires taking full professional responsibility and exercising autonomous judgement, in matters of professional practice.
Offer advice and consultation on patients' psychological care and functioning to colleagues and other non-professional carers.
To initiate and take part in service development and use research skills for audit and policy development.
To work closely with specialist nurses and medical staff and provide supervision, teaching and training, and consultation to the team.
Work autonomously in the execution of these duties and within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Clinical Health Psychology Department and Trust policies and procedures.
About us
CHFT is an integrated Trust of 6,500+ colleagues providing hospital and community services to patients and communities across Calderdale and Kirklees. We are rated as 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission, are a top performing Trust for Elective Recovery, Emergency and Cancer Care and widely acknowledged as a national digital lead when it comes to caring for people across our local and regional systems.
Our people are at the core of everything we do, hence our commitment to One Culture of Care. Our focus is to care for and support each other in order to provide outstanding compassionate care to our patients. That is why we are looking for an inclusive collaborative, creative, innovative and compassionate leader to join us in this role.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will be expected to fulfil the following:-
Clinical Duties
- To provide a specialist Clinical Psychology service to patients as part of the multidisciplinary team(s)
- To undertake a range of evidenced-based psychological interventions, drawing on a range of psychological models and employing a range of modalities (individual and family) adapted and tailored to the needs of the individual and the context and the ongoing evaluation of the outcomes of the intervention.
- To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of the patients condition, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of their difficulties, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
- To establish rapport and build effective working relationships with patients and all those involved in their psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.
- To evaluate and make specialist decisions about psychological treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and/or family.
- To ensure accurate clinical and audit records are maintained.
- To respect diversity. To treat everyone with dignity and respect and act in ways that acknowledge and recognise peoples expressed beliefs, preferences and choices.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual patients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
- To communicate complex and potentially contentious information in a skilled and sensitive manner, in situations with patients who may be highly emotional, requiring the highest level of communication skills.
- To identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions / means of support for parents or carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours.
- To carry individual accountability for all clinical decisions and exercise responsibility and autonomy for the treatment and discharge of patients, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and treatment, communicating with the referral agent, members of the multidisciplinary team and others involved with the patients care.
- To provide highly specialist psychological guidance and consultation to patients, their carers and families and also with other Allied Health Professionals who are directly involved with the care of individuals.
- To follow appropriate local Safeguarding Adults and Children policies in all clinical work, including close liaison with all relevant agencies.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of national and local policies.
- Uphold the privacy and dignity of the patient and respect the equality of patients at all times.
Professional Duties
- To implement and work within the framework of departmental and Trust wide policies, procedures and guidelines.
- To maintain registration with the Health & Care Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist
- To work within the Code of Ethics and the relevant professional practice guidelines of the HCPC, the British Psychological Society and the professional guidance framework of the Trust.
- To seek and maintain regular formal supervision as a method of quality assurance on own casework and that of professional colleagues in the department.
- To seek high quality learning opportunities to meet continuing professional development requirements.
- To have completed recognised professional training in clinical supervision
- To be responsible for relevant data collection on work activities, as required, and to maintain a high standard of clinical record keeping, providing regular and timely information on work undertaken and on service activity to allow accurate reporting of the overall service to their manager.
- To participate fully in supporting the activities of long-term conditions services within the geographical remit, including attending relevant meetings.
- To participate fully in supporting the activities of the Clinical Psychology profession within the Trust, including attending relevant meetings
- To continue to develop psychological expertise through Continuing Professional Development, including service specific professional development.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the specific patient group, mental health, clinical psychology and health psychology in general.
- To undertake other duties as required for the effective delivery of the service. To carry out such other duties as the Clinical Lead for the Clinical Health Psychology Department may reasonably request.
- To assist in determining priorities and developing service provision within existing and across potential clinical areas.
- To use theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To participate in the evaluation of the service by initiating, designing and implementing service-related audit, research and evaluation projects ensuring the incorporation of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high-quality care.
- To participate in the routine collection of patient data for purposes of outcome evaluation
- To remain informed of and critically evaluate current research to support evidence-based practice in own professional work and to contribute this perspective in the multi-disciplinary team.
- To undertake appropriate research and audit and provide research advice to other staff as requested.
- Identify aspects of the service which need to be improved and implement appropriate changes in conjunction with the MDT/CHFT clinical leads and Clinical Health Psychology Department Lead.
Managerial duties
- To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistants, trainees and less experienced qualified clinical psychologists.
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team, specialty and department operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
- To advise both the service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
- To carry out duties in relation to local, regional and national initiatives in developing services in the specialist area as opportunities arise.
Evaluation/Research/Development/Teaching
- To play a lead role in reviewing and developing clinical health psychology services, identifying service priorities and initiating developments in service provision within existing and across potential clinical areas.
- To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a Principal Clinical Psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
- To provide specialist clinical placements for Doctoral level trainee Clinical Psychologists, contributing to the assessment and evaluation of competencies as required by the training course.
- To supervise other non-psychology colleagues.
- To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology, and the specialist area of this psychology post.
- 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 provide teaching on the Doctoral Clinical Psychology course, as agreed with clinical lead.
- To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with patients in the childrens service across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
- To disseminate knowledge and skills on good practice in the psychological aspects of patient care by setting up teaching opportunities for nursing, medical and other health care staff and also parents/carers. Collaboration with local and national professional psychology organisations and speciality specific groups and networks.
- Duty of care towards careful and efficient use of equipment and resources.
This job description is an outline only and is not definitive or restrictive in any way. It will be regularly reviewed and may be amended in the light of changing circumstances following consultation with the post holder.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will be expected to fulfil the following:-
Clinical Duties
- To provide a specialist Clinical Psychology service to patients as part of the multidisciplinary team(s)
- To undertake a range of evidenced-based psychological interventions, drawing on a range of psychological models and employing a range of modalities (individual and family) adapted and tailored to the needs of the individual and the context and the ongoing evaluation of the outcomes of the intervention.
- To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of the patients condition, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of their difficulties, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
- To establish rapport and build effective working relationships with patients and all those involved in their psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.
- To evaluate and make specialist decisions about psychological treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and/or family.
- To ensure accurate clinical and audit records are maintained.
- To respect diversity. To treat everyone with dignity and respect and act in ways that acknowledge and recognise peoples expressed beliefs, preferences and choices.
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual patients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
- To communicate complex and potentially contentious information in a skilled and sensitive manner, in situations with patients who may be highly emotional, requiring the highest level of communication skills.
- To identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions / means of support for parents or carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours.
- To carry individual accountability for all clinical decisions and exercise responsibility and autonomy for the treatment and discharge of patients, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and treatment, communicating with the referral agent, members of the multidisciplinary team and others involved with the patients care.
- To provide highly specialist psychological guidance and consultation to patients, their carers and families and also with other Allied Health Professionals who are directly involved with the care of individuals.
- To follow appropriate local Safeguarding Adults and Children policies in all clinical work, including close liaison with all relevant agencies.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of national and local policies.
- Uphold the privacy and dignity of the patient and respect the equality of patients at all times.
Professional Duties
- To implement and work within the framework of departmental and Trust wide policies, procedures and guidelines.
- To maintain registration with the Health & Care Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist
- To work within the Code of Ethics and the relevant professional practice guidelines of the HCPC, the British Psychological Society and the professional guidance framework of the Trust.
- To seek and maintain regular formal supervision as a method of quality assurance on own casework and that of professional colleagues in the department.
- To seek high quality learning opportunities to meet continuing professional development requirements.
- To have completed recognised professional training in clinical supervision
- To be responsible for relevant data collection on work activities, as required, and to maintain a high standard of clinical record keeping, providing regular and timely information on work undertaken and on service activity to allow accurate reporting of the overall service to their manager.
- To participate fully in supporting the activities of long-term conditions services within the geographical remit, including attending relevant meetings.
- To participate fully in supporting the activities of the Clinical Psychology profession within the Trust, including attending relevant meetings
- To continue to develop psychological expertise through Continuing Professional Development, including service specific professional development.
- To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the specific patient group, mental health, clinical psychology and health psychology in general.
- To undertake other duties as required for the effective delivery of the service. To carry out such other duties as the Clinical Lead for the Clinical Health Psychology Department may reasonably request.
- To assist in determining priorities and developing service provision within existing and across potential clinical areas.
- To use theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
- To participate in the evaluation of the service by initiating, designing and implementing service-related audit, research and evaluation projects ensuring the incorporation of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high-quality care.
- To participate in the routine collection of patient data for purposes of outcome evaluation
- To remain informed of and critically evaluate current research to support evidence-based practice in own professional work and to contribute this perspective in the multi-disciplinary team.
- To undertake appropriate research and audit and provide research advice to other staff as requested.
- Identify aspects of the service which need to be improved and implement appropriate changes in conjunction with the MDT/CHFT clinical leads and Clinical Health Psychology Department Lead.
Managerial duties
- To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistants, trainees and less experienced qualified clinical psychologists.
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team, specialty and department operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
- To advise both the service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
- To carry out duties in relation to local, regional and national initiatives in developing services in the specialist area as opportunities arise.
Evaluation/Research/Development/Teaching
- To play a lead role in reviewing and developing clinical health psychology services, identifying service priorities and initiating developments in service provision within existing and across potential clinical areas.
- To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a Principal Clinical Psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
- To provide specialist clinical placements for Doctoral level trainee Clinical Psychologists, contributing to the assessment and evaluation of competencies as required by the training course.
- To supervise other non-psychology colleagues.
- To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology, and the specialist area of this psychology post.
- 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 provide teaching on the Doctoral Clinical Psychology course, as agreed with clinical lead.
- To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with patients in the childrens service across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
- To disseminate knowledge and skills on good practice in the psychological aspects of patient care by setting up teaching opportunities for nursing, medical and other health care staff and also parents/carers. Collaboration with local and national professional psychology organisations and speciality specific groups and networks.
- Duty of care towards careful and efficient use of equipment and resources.
This job description is an outline only and is not definitive or restrictive in any way. It will be regularly reviewed and may be amended in the light of changing circumstances following consultation with the post holder.
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING
Essential
- Post graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies, as accredited by the British Psychological Society.
- Doctoral level qualification in clinical psychology (or equivalent prior to 1995) by course accredited by the BPS and registration as a practitioner psychologist with HCPC.
- Completion of formal clinical supervisor training sufficient to be able to supervise doctoral trainees.
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Essential
- Experience of working with clinical presentations equivalent to or relevant to this role
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings and with difficult to treat groups.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams and offering systemic interpretations to have impact on the team functioning in patient care.
- Relevant experience of developing and setting up new services
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health
COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)
Essential
- Ability to exercise the full clinical responsibility for patient's psychological care and treatment within the clinical specialty and to co-ordinate the psychological care provided by others.
- 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
- Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
Desirable
- Ability to provide emotional support, consultation and professional mentorship to multidisciplinary team members
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING
Essential
- Post graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies, as accredited by the British Psychological Society.
- Doctoral level qualification in clinical psychology (or equivalent prior to 1995) by course accredited by the BPS and registration as a practitioner psychologist with HCPC.
- Completion of formal clinical supervisor training sufficient to be able to supervise doctoral trainees.
Desirable
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Essential
- Experience of working with clinical presentations equivalent to or relevant to this role
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and inpatient settings and with difficult to treat groups.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams and offering systemic interpretations to have impact on the team functioning in patient care.
- Relevant experience of developing and setting up new services
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health
COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)
Essential
- Ability to exercise the full clinical responsibility for patient's psychological care and treatment within the clinical specialty and to co-ordinate the psychological care provided by others.
- 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
- Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
Desirable
- Ability to provide emotional support, consultation and professional mentorship to multidisciplinary team members
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).
