Job Description

Permanent 0.8 WTE

Older People Inpatient Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist at Harplands Hospital



The Trust supports agile working & the ability to work from home part of the time can be facilitated alongside flexible start & finish times



Do you have an interest in working with older people experiencing complex trauma, anxiety, depression, psychosis & bi-polar & cognitive difficulties? Are you excited to make a difference to the lives of older people & their families who are experiencing mental health, physical health &/or cognitive difficulties?



Are you enthusiastic about working on inpatient wards in a friendly, passionate & effective MDT? Do you want to join an experienced older person's psychology team consisting of a Consultant & Senior Psychologist, Trainees & Assistants? Do you also want to be an integral member of a team of Acute & Urgent Care (A&UC) Psychologists?



If so, then this may be the ideal job for you...



The Harplands Hospital would welcome applicants for a Principal Psychologist to complement the MDT on two co-located older people's wards. We are looking for someone with the clinical skills and experience to enable them to work with older people living with a full range of mental health difficulties and dementia. The successful applicant will be responsible for providing highly specialist psychological assessment, as well as individual & group interventions. You will also be actively involved in teaching & training for ward staff, providing reflective practice & consultation & offering team-based formulations around behaviour that challenges. There will also be opportunities to complete neuropsychological assessments & gain skills in this area.



To support you in your new post, you will work alongside a truly approachable older person's psychology team. You will also be an integral part of the A&UC Psychology team & will have direct support & consultation from a Consultant Psychologist. This post will be supported through clinical supervision offered by the Consultant Psychologist & managerial supervision with the Ward Manager. You will also have access to specialist neuropsychology supervision.



Aside from direct clinical work, you will be supported to contribute to service development, quality improvement & research projects. Professional development & your own training are also actively encouraged & supported.



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.



To read more information about the advertised role, & the full details of the main job duties/responsibilities please open the & Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading.



You can also read more information about working at the North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust in the document below or by visiting our website: https://www.combined.nhs.uk/working-together/join-our-team/



We would be delighted to discuss this opportunity with any interested candidates & informal visits are very welcomed. Please contact Dr Ann Kilanska (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) for further information on Ann.Kilanska@combined.nhs.uk or 07977364339.



Person specification

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA



Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical / counselling psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics & neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies & lifespan developmental psychology. HCPC registration as a practitioner psychologist Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice Trained in clinical supervision and the supervision of doctoral trainees

Experience

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA



Working as a qualified applied psychologist within the designated service including a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course & a range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings. Liaison and joint working with statutory, voluntary and private sector agencies

Desirable CRITERIA



Direct work within a physical health or hospital setting Leadership experience

Key Duties/Responsibilities:

Provides highly specialist psychological assessment of clients with highly complex conditions based on the appropriate use, interpretation & 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 & taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for identifying & reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk. Undertakes risk assessment & risk management for individual clients & provides specialist advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment & risk management. Formulates plans for highly specialist psychological work &/or management of clients' mental health conditions based upon an appropriate conceptual framework & evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients &/or their carers. Implements the use of highly skilled psychological formulations for individual clients, carers, staff, families & groups, adjusting & refining psychological formulations as required. * Provides highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other staff contributing directly to client's diagnosis, formulation and intervention plan.