Job Description

Job Purpose The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with eating disorders, their families and carers. This will be achieved in this post through undertaking the following areas of responsibility: To ensure the systematic provision of a high-quality psychological service in Eating Disorders Services across Devon Providing clinical leadership and supervision for less experienced staff, trainees and volunteers employed by or attached to the psychology service and the Eating Disorders Community Service Carrying a specialist caseload of clients and providing advice and consultancy to patients and professionals. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within professional and Trust guidelines. The post holder with receive regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society or appropriate designated Professional Body.



Observe, and abide by all relevant Professional Codes of Conduct and Practice including the British Psychological Society. The post holder will be fully registered with the Health Care Professions Council as a condition of employment Duties and Responsibilities Communication and Working Relationships Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understand and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed. Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional integrated mental health and wellbeing service on a day to day basis. Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under the services care.



To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice. Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers across the Trust. to foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation. Planning and Organisation The psychology service: To plan and organise own work within the service setting and to contribute to the development and improvement of provision of psychological services within Community Eating Disorders Team to best meet the organisations strategy and priorities.

The multidisciplinary service:

To provide psychology/therapy supervision to the multi-professional planning, development and marketing of the eating disorders service Responsibility for Judgement and Analysis To provide specialist clinical psychology/therapy expertise and advice. To provide psychological therapies, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. Proficiency in in both family, individual and group therapy approaches is desirable. To support the Professional Lead, General Manager for CEDS, Practice and Strategic Development Leads by undertaking service development and redesign projects and coordinating the resulting work within the team.



To provide complex assessment of specialist conditions Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy Assessment & intervention: To provide expert psychological therapies in eating disorders, developing specialist psychological formulations and assessments of clients, formulating plans for their psychological treatment and implementing specialist psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues. Consultation & guidance: To provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families. Policy, Service, Research, Innovation and Improvement The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines. Policy & service: To implement policies and procedures for the provision of psychology and therapy services within own service and other services within the Trust.

R & D:

To support the R&D activities of the psychology and psychological therapy service. Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources To be responsible for the safe keeping of equipment under own use. Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership and Management Leadership & supervision: To lead and professionally supervise less experienced psychology/therapy staff, trainees and volunteers. To provide placement responsibilities for trainee staff.



To contribute to the provision of therapy supervision for non psychology/therapy staff providing psychological therapies To support placements for trainee staff in line with professional guidelines Information Resources and Administrative Duties To maintain accurate records, compliant with Trust Practice Standards. To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication. Responsibility for Research and Development To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work within the community eating disorders services. To conduct project work including specific areas of audit, research or service evaluation As a clinician to be responsible for collecting clinical practice and outcome data that contributes to building practice based evidence and service evaluation.



To participate in service audits and relevant research projects. Freedom to Act The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines To work autonomously within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the locality/specialty. Interpretation of professional and Trust guidelines, and implementing policies in conjunction with peers, Head of Profession and General Manager. To provide expert and specialist clinical psychology/therapy expertise and advice guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.



Any Other Specific Tasks Required To ensure all clinical care and treatment provided by psychologists/psychotherapists/therapists working in the Community Eating Disorder Team is carried out under appropriate supervision and leadership. To ensure that all relevant staff groups continuously update the skills and techniques relevant to their clinical work. Review of this This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing service needs. This job description is to be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on an annual basis.