Job summary
We are looking for a suitably qualified and experience Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to act as the overall clinical lead for the Psychology team within Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's (NHFT) Learning Disability Service. NHFT provides services for people with a learning disability across the full lifespan and in a range of settings. Practitioner psychologists play a key role at all levels of service provision. Applications are invited for this key clinical leadership post which will become vacant in January 2025.
The post-holder would be joining a stable, happy, well-organised team with well established systems and processes, that is very well embedded within the multi-disciplinary team. There is a great multi-disciplinary culture that really values psychology. The emotional safety of the Learning Disability psychology team is part of its long-term positive reputation, and hence it retains its staff.
This role will oversee psychology provision within the 2 adult community teams, 1 children's community team, and the intensive support team. Within the wider service there is also a respite unit for adults with learning disabilities, a transforming care team and a community swift response team. There are lots of opportunities for innovation, research and support for the training community; typically this service has around 8 trainees on placement at any one time.
Main duties of the job
- Clinical leadership for the Learning Disabilities Psychology service and wider Learning Disabilities service
- Day to day management of the psychologists working in community services for people with learning disabilities, and professional leadership for all Learning Disabilities psychologists in the Trust
- Highly developed clinical skills including the provision of direct work, supervision, consultation and training to support multi-disciplinary working with highly complex cases across the county.
- Initiating and leading on a range of service developments, change projects and service improvement opportunities in Learning Disability services
- The successful candidate will demonstrate an exceptionally strong value base regarding the needs of people with a Learning Disability in health care settings and beyond
- Strong leadership skills including understanding of strategy, written and verbal communication skills, personal presence and ability to win the confidence and respect of service users, carer and colleagues within the Trust and beyond.
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About us
NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be 'outstanding' by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.
The post-holder would be joining a network of Consultant Psychologists, be well supported, have access to a range of CPD opportunities, and excellent links with doctoral courses.
In addition to the benefits offered under the NHS terms and conditions of service, this post additionally attracts an incentive of £5000 pro rata for the successful applicant/s paid over the first 18 months of employment. Please note incentive payments are not applicable to existing NHFT substantive staff. Terms and conditions apply. In addition, a relocation package is available up to £8,000, if the successful post-holder relocates to Northamptonshire and meets other eligibility criteria. This is subject to approval.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the About You Section of the document.
Person Specification
Knowledge
Essential
1. Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology
2. Evidence of clear values on the importance of improving the quality of life of people with learning disabilities & supporting their families
3. Enthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery, and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services
Desirable
4. Post-doctoral qualification in specialist assessments
5. Post-doctoral qualification in specialist interventions
Experience
Essential
6. Extensive experience of working as a qualified practitioner psychologist for a significant period of time, including extensive post qualification experience within the designated specialism
7. Experience of supervision and/or management of qualified psychologists
8. Experience and skills in co-production with experts-by-experience
Desirable
9. Post-qualification training in leadership and management