Job summary
Macmillan Consultant Clinical / Counselling Psychologist in Cancer and Palliative Care- 8C post
An opportunity has arisen to join our award-winning Macmillan team as the Lead Psychologist, where your expertise will guide a highly specialist service for cancer and palliative care patients.
The Macmillan Psycho-oncology Service operates within a model of integrated psychological care and is therefore embedded into the wider staff team of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals.
The post is a Macmillan professional position and thus benefits from Macmillan Cancer Support professionals' programmes, including grants for CPD and access to the Macmillan Education Hub. For further information about being a Macmillan professional see Macmillan Professionals | Macmillan Cancer Support.
As a Trust, we are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities.Applications from these groups are welcomed.
Informal enquiries / visits are very welcome. Please contact: Mark Barrington, Head of Psychological Services on 07946 621 218 or email:
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
Provide team leadership for a highly specialist psychology service to cancer and palliative care patients including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
Hold budgetary responsibility for the service.
Enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe and informed environment.
Initiate and lead on service evaluation, audit and research
Provide clinical supervision, consultation and training for MDT staff and other psychological practitioners with thePsycho-oncology stepped care, four level model
Work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by the policies, standards and procedures of the service, Psychological Services Network and Trust, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
o To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
Beyond Cancer Services, the Macmillan Psycho-oncology service is part of the wider Psychological Services Network (PSN) that brings together psychological specialists from across the Trust. The role includes participation in the teaching, support and service development activities of PSN.
About us
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.
Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.
We run major acute services at:
1. Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country's top-rated hyper-acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper-acute rehabilitation units in the UK
2. St Mark's Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease
3. Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice
4. Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.
We are a university teaching NHS trust, in recognition of the important role we play in training clinicians of the future and bringing the benefits of research to the public.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Macmillan Consultant Clinical / Counselling Psychologist in Cancer and Palliative Care 8C post : Detailed job description and main responsibilities. Please see attached for the details.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualifications
Essential
5. Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology. Eligible for BPS Chartered Clinical Psychology Status
6. Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice ( BABCP accredited)
7. Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
Desirable
8. Post-doctoral training in models specifically relevant to cancer & palliative care, ACT, CFT, MBSR.
9. Formal training in quality improvement methodologies
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
10. Substantial experience of working as a psychologist in a Cancer service
11. Comprehensive knowledge of Cancer pathways and those aspects of disease and treatment that are likely to require psychological intervention
12. Experience of applying clinical psychology in culturally diverse contexts.
13. Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
14. Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and also within the context of a multi-disciplinary care plan.
15. Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
16. Doctoral level knowledge of clinical psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies
17. Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology.
18. Knowledge of legislation / healthcare guidelines and their implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health
19. Experience of contributing to or leading service development / quality improvement projects oExperience of involving and working with patients/service users Experience with projects focused on hospital staff skill development or wellbeing
Desirable
20. Experience working in palliative care services
21. Experience of working in/with third-sector cancer support and information providers
22. Peer-reviewed publications and/or grant awards, in topics relevant to psycho-oncology
23. Knowledge of Macmillan Cancer Support
24. Experience of leading and managing a team
Skills, Abilities and Attributes
Essential
25. Ability to articulate and interpret the role of clinical health psychology based upon a good understanding of government and professional guidelines/policy.
26. Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, including neuropsychological assessment and interpretation, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
27. Highly developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
28. Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills.
29. Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
30. Skills in the application of cognitive-behavioural and systemic approaches to mental health. Able to demonstrate a thorough understanding, and experience of practice.
Desirable
31. Ability to be responsive, flexible and committed in response to rapidly changing patient needs and circumstances
32. Familiar with information technology and able to develop and use multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic settings.