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Principal Clinical Psychologist

Employer
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Location
Kennington, London (Greater)
Salary
£66,718 - £76,271 per annum incl. of HCAs
Closing date
22 Aug 2024
View more categoriesView less categories
Discipline
Clinical
Level
Specialist
Contract Type
Part Time, Permanent

Job Details

This is an exciting opportunity for a suitably qualified and experienced Principal Clinical Psychologist to take on the Neurodevelopmental Pathway  Lead role within Lambeth CAMHS. 

To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.

To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a psychology service to children and young people with neurodiversity and/or learning disability.

To support colleagues with case work in this area in the form of co-working, training and consultation. Provide highly specialist clinical input.

To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.

To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist in neurodevelopmental differences and learning disability alongside specialist knowledge in co-morbid mental health difficulties.

To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychologists within Lambeth CAMHS who are working with neurodevelopmental referrals.

Main duties of the job

  • To undertake service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
  • To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
  • To liaise with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Service Lead in relation to staff recruitment and retention.
  • To liaise with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Service lead in relation to the systematic provision of psychology service within the neurodevelopmental pathway.
  • To work as part of a wide professional network to ensure that the provisions for children and young people with additional needs are being met within the Local Authority, Health and Social Care services.
  • To liaise closely and regularly with partners across the wider network (e.g. the Children with Disabilities Team; SEN; Educational Psychology).
  • To lead on Educational and Health Care Plan contributions from the team, and to provide training, advice and consultation to clinicians asked to contribute to these plans.
  • To provide high-quality Line Management, Performance Management and Clinical Supervision to staff, including Trainee Clinical Psychologists, and qualified staff from a range of disciplines.
  • To identify any gaps in service provision and plan for how they will be met.
  • To be part of Senior Management Teams, where joint decisions are made about strategic and operational aspects of the team.

Working for our organisation

The London Borough of Lambeth has a population of 317,800 (GLA 2020). Lambeth’s population is highly diverse, a characteristic visible in the breadth of ethnic and cultural traditions seen throughout the borough. It is estimated that 63% of the population describe their ethnicity as other than White British; 23% describe their ethnicity as Black (11% Black African, 7% Black Caribbean and 5% Other Black), 22% White Other and 6% as Asian. 

The Annual population survey, estimates that a third of Lambeth’s residents are non-UK born. Of these non-UK born, 40% are of wider European origin, 20% are of African origin; and 20% of Central or South American origin. Nearly 150 languages are spoken as the first language in the homes of Lambeth school children. Portuguese, Spanish and Somali, are the most commonly spoken other languages in Lambeth.

Lambeth has a child and youth population aged 0-20 of almost 70,000. Over 50% of this number are 0 to 9 years old. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning

  • To co-ordinate (and chair) meetings for the neurodevelopmental pathway and generic areas of the service where needed e.g. psychology meetings, referrals and allocations meetings etc to ensure effective functioning and review of the neurodevelopmental pathway when appropriate
  • To take a lead in ensuring a psychologically informed framework for the neurodevelopmental pathway. To work closely with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist to ensure the neurodevelopmental pathway fits with the hub and spoke model of psychology delivery within Lambeth CAMHS.
  • To take a lead in developing the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
  • To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
  • To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
  • To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
  • To take a Lead role in SEND co-ordination for children and young people referred to Lambeth CAMHS.
  • To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

Policy and service development

  • To implement policies and procedures in own area of work.
  • To identify any aspects of the neurodevelopmental pathway which could be improved and propose changes to practices or procedures that affect this pathway and may also affect other services.
  • To initiate and implement service development projects, as agreed with clinical/professional lead.
  • To participate in the ongoing implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines) across relevant services.
  • To lead the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

Care or management of resources

  • To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
  • To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.

Management and supervision

  • To provide clinical leadership to more junior psychologists, psychotherapists and other professionals, as appropriate.
  • To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychologists.
  • To supervise trainee applied psychologists within own area of specialism.
  • To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.
  • To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.

Teaching and Training

  • To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.
  • To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Lambeth CAMHS service and neurodevelopmental pathway by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and the broader service by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
  • To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

Record-keeping and Information Governance

  • To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
  • To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry, in those parts of the service for which the post-holder has leadership responsibility.

Research and development

  • To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits.
  • To initiate and carry out appropriate research.
  • To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.

Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development 

  • To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
  • To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC ‘Standards for Continuing Professional Development’.
  • 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 ‘Standards of Proficiency’, and ensure professional development in line with these.
  • To adhere to the BPS’s Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
  • To ensure that all psychology and psychotherapy staff for whom the post-holder has leadership responsibility, maintain professional standards and continuing professional development.

General

  • To travel to home visits, community placements, psychology meetings as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
  • To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
  • To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (put in appropriate for service, such as challenging behaviour, abuse etc) and to support others involved in such situations.
  • To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics or Saturday working, within the overall Job Plan. 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration. Clinical psychologist: Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent; Counselling psychologist: MSc and PG Diploma in Counselling Psychology;
  • Additional training in a specialised area of psychological (e.g. neurodisability) practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice–based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma
  • Completed training course in clinical supervision.
  • Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in neurodevelopment.
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in neurodevelopment.
  • Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
  • Experience of providing teaching and training to psychologists or other professional groups.
  • Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for neurodevelopmental client group
  • Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment (specify for the post if necessary).
  • Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics (specify for the post if necessary).
  • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
  • Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.

Skills

Essential criteria
  • To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
  • To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources, on which expert opinion may differ.
  • To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information
  • To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers, and to organise meetings such as CPAs and case reviews, and joint activities with staff of partner agencies.
  • To plan projects and work schedules for groups of psychologists.

Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
  • Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate
  • Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
  • Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
  • Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.

Company

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives  in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology  to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust. 

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

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