Job Description

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust is seeking to recruit an experienced part time (22.5 hours per week) Consultant Clinical Psychologist to lead the Physical Health Psychology service.



The post holder will be responsible for leading community and in-patient based services. The community services are: Long-Term Health conditions (LTC), Cancer, Pain and Bariatric Psychology. The in-patient services are: Paediatric Psychology, Cystic Fibrosis and Spinal Injuries.



They will work closely with senior service managers and other lead psychologists across the specialist directorate. The service has good links with the ICS, psychological professionals across the mental health trust and the acute hospital. The service has worked to develop effective stepped care pathways for LTC. Therefore, working effectively with stakeholders will be key part of the role.



North Staffordshire Combined is a forward thinking and progressive trust. You will feel supported by the senior leadership team both within and outside of psychology. Physical Health Psychology is a valued specialism within the region, with interest from local trusts and services to increase psychology within physical healthcare settings.



The physical health psychology service is a specialist service delivered by North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare trust, this includes cancer, long term health conditions and pain. The Consultant Psychologist is responsible for leading psychological staff in the delivery of specialist psychological services across the age span. The client group present with complex physical health conditions, which are resulting in significant psychological and mental health distress.



To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carers and families.



To provide clinical supervision, leadership and training to less experienced colleagues within the designated psychology service and to staff external to the team. This includes psychological staff working in specialist physical health settings, such as bariatric psychology, paediatric psychology, spinal injuries, paediatric psychology, critical care and cystic fibrosis.



To undertake formal research as a major part of the job and act as field supervisor to doctorate trainees.



To provide consultation on service design for psychological services within Physical Health Settings



To lead continual service improvement within own area.



To always promote a positive image of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities.



To promote at all times a positive image of the service and the wider Trust



As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.



We pride ourselves on ensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.



We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first 'carbon net zero' national health system by 2045 ( Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk) . As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike. For 2024/2025, we have launched our "Proud to be Green" engagement campaign which is aligned to the targets set out in our Green Plan. As a Trust, you can be assured that we will commit to supporting you in working towards our net zero ambitions, set out in our Green Plan, through our sustainability programme".



The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.

Clinical:

To provide clinical leadership to psychologists and psychological therapists working across the Physical Health Psychology and Paediatric Psychology teams to ensure the provision of a high-quality therapy service to people with complex co-morbid physical and mental health conditions.



To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for governance of psychological and therapeutic practice across Physical Health Psychology teams and Paediatric Psychology.



To provide professional appraisal and the identification of CPD needs across the Physical Health Psychology teams.



To ensure systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of psychologists and therapists working with long-term conditions, including those within IAPT teams.



To take lead for workforce planning in and related recruitment and staff professional development activities within but not limited to Physical Health Psychology teams and Paediatric Psychology.



To contribute significantly to expansion of Physical Health Psychology and Paediatric Psychology through the development of new SLAs within acute trusts and pathways across teams within the Trust and to lead on service innovation and evaluation.



Responsible for the highly specialist psychological assessment and care-planning of clients with highly complex and contentious comorbid physical and mental health conditions based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources.



Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk.



Undertakes complex risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and provides highly specialist advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management and the high physical risks inherent in the client group.



Formulates plans for highly specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients' mental health conditions based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of care plans with clients and/or their carers,



Implements a range of highly specialist psychological therapies for individual clients with complex comorbid physical and mental health difficulties, adjusting and refining psychological formulations as required.