Head of Clinical Health Psychology

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

• To provide and undertake complex and speciality assessment and treatment of patients and be entirely responsible for the delivery of appropriate highly complex psychological treatment.
• To overcome significant barriers to acceptance of sometimes contentious information for social, religious, cultural and other reasons and will be required to utilise sensitive and well developed interpersonal and communication skills and tact.
• Assessment and intervention will be based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex information / data from a variety of sources including psychometric and psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, clinical interviews and direct observation.
• To formulate plans and consider clinical management options for the formal psychological treatment and longer-term management of patients complex psychological problems based on an appropriate conceptual evidence-based framework of presenting problems and psychosocial context.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• To undertake risk assessments and implement risk management procedures where deemed appropriate.
• To provide expert clinical and managerial consultation to other healthcare staff.
• To ensure the rights and welfare of clients are upheld.
• To ensure that accurate clinical records are maintained for all cases.

• To take lead responsibility for service strategy and long-term strategic planning for all Psychology.
• To take lead responsibility for identifying service priorities and advise on the level of provision within all Psychology specialties so that services will be provided on an equitable basis within resources across Care Groups and Specialties.
• To initiate, propose and implement new practices, policies and service developments within all Clinical Health Psychology subspecialties and influencing service developments throughout wider care pathways.
• Accountable for professional advice into the ongoing planning, development and delivery of a high quality, responsive and accessible psychological services across the ICO.
• To take lead responsibility for ensuring that budget and service provision is equitable and, if necessary, consider all the options and components of service and finance to achieve this aim.
• As CPPO, interpret health policy locally and nationally and propose and implement Trust responses to these within the areas of responsibility.
• To interpret and advise on the impact of future developments within the Trust and nationally, thus ensuring appropriate use of organisational development resources and future workforce planning for all services within the remit of the post.
• To take lead responsibility to advise on developments within the CPPO role across the professions as they apply to the Trust, so that services locally are kept up to date.
• To be responsible for responding to and reviewing relevant national guidance as these affect the provision of psychological services and recommending service changes / developments in response to the guidance.
• To take lead responsibility for the control of aftermath as outlined in the Trusts Major Incident Policy.
• To be responsible for developing and maintaining and, when necessary, updating the appropriate information systems for the purposes of activity monitoring, research, financial and personnel. This will involve both providing and receiving information from which to provide reports.

• Hols ultimate responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the Trust, including professional aspects of recruitment and retention, induction, CPD, performance management or complaints and the safe-keeping and safe use of test materials.
• As CPPO, ensure the organisation is consistent with national practice.
• To take lead responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice across all department specialties ensuring evidence-based Clinical Health Psychology practice, quality provision, maintenance of clinical records, annual development reviews, supervision protocols and adherence of staff to Professional codes of conduct.
• To be responsible for establishing and maintaining quality improvement for Psychologies within the Trust and lead on developing clinical audit within the department and undertake evaluation using qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
• To be responsible for implementing Clinical and Research Governance for the profession within the Trust, consistent with local and national initiatives.
• To monitor standards, quality, and service users reaction to the provision of services as a quality standard
• To keep abreast of current developments within Psychological theory, research and practice, developing areas of special expertise and interest

• To be responsible for all members of the department having access to psychologically-based frameworks for the understanding and care of patients, through the provision of specialist psychological advice, guidance, supervision, consultation and the dissemination of psychological knowledge, research and theory
• To provide clinical and case supervision and training to pre and post registration Clinical Psychologists and other healthcare staff ensuring that supervisees work within their levels of competence
• To make psychological knowledge and skills available to other healthcare professionals (including non-Clinical Psychology staff) as required and appropriate, thus ensuring appropriate application of this knowledge
• To maintain a strategic overview of continuing professional development (CPD) within psychological professions, services and therapies and ensure systems are in place to support appropriate development and funding. To plan, co-ordinate and lead internal CPD events.
• To establish appropriate links to workforce development forums to support the enhancement and maintenance of psychological skills in the workforce.

• To take lead responsibility for all People, Resource and Health and Safety matters as they apply to Psychological professions.
• Provides direct professional management to the senior psychologists / therapists holding lead roles in Care Groups or specialist service areas.
• To be responsible for the purchasing and maintenance of Departmental equipment and resources as the authorised signatory.
• To be responsible for the recruitment of appropriately qualified and experienced Psychologists to all specialties, ensuring appropriate grade and skill mix.
• To take lead responsibility for the deployment of clinical resources, ensuring they are equitable and consistent with the demands of contract agreements.
• To ensure that the terms and conditions of employment for all staff for whom the post holder is responsible are appropriate and that all staff adhere to these.
• To allocate overall workload within an overall departmental career / experience structure, thus matching grading to demand.
• To be responsible for ensuring appropriate mechanisms are established for personal development plans and annual development reviews consistent with Trust procedures and undertake achievement reviews of senior staff within departments for which the post holder is responsible.
• To ensure the professional development of the post holder and staff, maximising expertise and minimising turnover.
• To be responsible for investigating all complaints / grievances and be responsible with the People Directorate for all departmental disciplinary and sickness / absence matters.

• The post holder will be managerially accountable to the System Care Group Director and professionally accountable to the Chief Nurse.
• The post holder will be required to provide on call clinical and managerial support as requested.
• The post holder will be accountable for all matters relating to the managerial, professional and clinical employment of Trust Psychological Therapists.
• The post holder will liaise with Trust, Care Group, Specialty and external managers on matters relating to all CPPO activity.
• The post requires liaison with a range of statutory, non-statutory, local and national bodies.

CPD and professional standards

• Accountable for own professional actions guided by the professions standards, including the British Psychological Society (BPS) Code of Conduct, Ethics Guidelines for Chartered Psychologists and the HCPC.
• Exercises own expert clinical judgement in all aspects of work including where there is insufficient or conflicting data.
• Exercises appropriate judgement on the sharing of confidential information with other professional colleagues and agencies under Vulnerable Adult / Child Protection policies.
• To carry out CPD activity to maintain knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and wider psychological practice. To maintain a CPD log suitable for submission to the HCPC. To maintain standards which will be required for professional registration and to maintain registration.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral Degree or Equivalent in Clinical Psychology from a British Psychological Society/ HCPC accredited Post Graduate training course
• Eligible for Chartered Status with the British Psychological Society
• Management training appropriate to the demands of the post
• To have undertaken appropriate CPD and / or appropriate post qualification training relevant to the varying responsibilities of the post
• HCPC registration

Desirable

• Previous experience as a Head of Specialty within a Clinical Psychology Department
• Leadership experience and qualification
• Worked as CPPO

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• oLeadership across whole service or department
• oDoctoral level knowledge and experience of research design, methodology, data interpretation and analysis
• oKnowledge of a range of psychological theories and therapies as applied to patients presenting with complex and challenging medical and psychological problems
• oExperience of working with a wide variety of client groups; across the life span, the range of clinical severity, and in a range of settings including inpatient, community, primary care and residential
• oMinimum of Specialist clinical experience in at least one Adult clinical area
• oManagement experience to include service development, change management, budget management, resource management and allocation, staff appraisal and development, recruitment/ retention, strategic / operational planning
• oExperience of strategic planning and service development, and the commissioning of psychological services within and across organisations

Desirable

• oContinuing research & development experience with publications in peer reviewed scientific journals
• oClinical experience of working in an Intensive care environment in a hospital

Clinical Skills

Essential

• Demonstrable skills in the treatment and assessment of patients presenting with psychological / mental health problems associated with medical conditions
• Demonstrable skills in the process of analysis, understanding and decision making as applied to the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, planning and delivery of psychological treatments
• Knowledge, skills and experience of clinical audit and clinical research / governance
• IT skills and the ability to use the literature and scientific databases to augment knowledge in the treatment of complex medical conditions
• Consultation skills as applied to own and other healthcare professions in the clinical management of patients

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Torbay Hospital

Cadewell Lane

Torquay

TQ2 7AA

Employer's website

https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)