Consultant Practitioner Psychologist / Psychological Therapist
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
We are seeking a Consultant Psychological Practitioner to lead an innovative project in the roll-out of trauma-informed approaches (TIA) in our adult acute inpatient wards. Many people coming into our inpatient environments have a history of trauma, and the experience of being in hospital during a mental health crisis can itself be incredibly traumatic. We are committed to ensuring our wards take a trauma-informed approach to clinical care and staff support. The successful candidate will lead a small MDT supporting this inpatient work across all 4 South London & The Maudsley boroughs. This lead post will be responsible for developing the strategy for this work in co-production, design, and collaboration with stakeholders from the professional MDTs, service users, carers, and the local community. They will provide supervision and leadership to the wider team who will work with local staff in each borough to build on work already being done and introduce new approaches. The project will support our strategic priorities around anti-racism, building a culture of trust with the communities we serve, and providing outstanding mental health care. Our successful candidate will have extensive experience and skills in working with adults receiving care for severe mental health problems and an advanced understanding of the theory and application of trauma-informed approaches. They will have excellent leadership skills in engaging and working with large groups of diverse stakeholders.
Main Duties of the Job
This role will lead on strategy, stakeholder engagement, and implementation of the roll-out of trauma-informed approaches and the further development of a trauma-informed culture across our adult acute inpatient wards. The post-holder will lead, manage, and plan the delivery of a highly specialist consultation service providing expert clinical input and guidance around TIA. They will lead a small, centrally-based MDT which will in-reach to the teams in each borough's acute wards, augmenting the TIA work being done and supporting the further development of TIA and culture. This post-holder will develop and hold the strategy for this work alongside all stakeholders including peer workers, service-users, medical, nursing, therapies, social work, and psychological professions leads. The strategy will draw on and reflect guidance, research, and best practice around trauma-informed approaches across the UK. The post-holder will work closely with leads for the Patient and Carer Race Equity Framework (PCREF) across the boroughs to ensure the strategy encompasses our commitment to anti-racism. We are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role, you will be able to work your 15 hours flexibly Monday to Friday, giving you the very best of good work-life balance.
About Us
This post will sit within the Corporate Psychology & Psychotherapy team at South London & The Maudsley. This small, central team provides support, governance, and leadership for Psychological Professionals and staff support across the trust. It is a diverse and experienced team with a warm and supportive culture. The Trauma-Informed Approaches for Adult Inpatient Team is a new initiative and will reach out across the trust and work with multiple ward-based teams within each of the 4 boroughs covered by South London & The Maudsley - Lambeth, Lewisham, Croydon, and Southwark. The post will be able to access office-based space at the Maudsley Hospital but will need to travel to and spend time in all 4 borough's inpatient spaces based at the Maudsley, Bethlem Royal, and Lewisham Hospitals.
Job Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:
Clinical and Client Care:
1. To plan, organise and ensure the delivery of psychological services including consultation and supervision in acute inpatient wards, to plan and deliver strategy around the implementation of trauma-informed approaches in inpatient wards.
2. To provide appropriate highly specialist psychological therapy assessments, formulations, and interventions for clients with severe mental illness in an inpatient setting.
3. To provide culturally appropriate trauma-informed psychological therapy interventions with carers or families and with staff when required.
4. To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
5. To ensure that all services provided are acceptable and accessible to the diverse communities which make up the boroughs served by the inpatient wards.
Responsibilities for Team or Service Clinical Functioning:
1. To devise and communicate a trauma-informed strategy for work on the ward in conjunction with the ward MDT.
2. To coordinate, supervise and oversee the work of the trauma-informed approaches team.
3. To work closely with the leads for Acute and Crisis Psychology & Psychotherapy, leads for nursing, medical and AHPs, and the ward MDT to devise and communicate a strategy for the implementation of TIA across all adult acute wards.
4. To co-ordinate (and chair) team and service meetings to ensure effective functioning and review when appropriate.
5. To ensure the effective working of the team or service and a psychologically informed framework for the service.
Policy and Service Development:
1. To interpret policies and guidance for application in the service and be responsible for policy development and implementation.
2. To ensure the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
3. To participate in, or lead when appropriate, Trust and Directorate strategic development and implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines).
Person Specification
Qualifications
* To have undertaken a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions, e.g. psychiatric nursing, clinical psychology, medicine, social work, and occupational therapy OR to have equivalent relevant experience and demonstrable competence to work in the mental health field in the NHS.
* Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field.
* Specific training in trauma-informed approaches / trauma-informed care.
Experience
* Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in work with adults with severe mental health problems.
* Experience of undertaking leadership roles including managing projects involving relationships with numerous stakeholders.
* Evidence of having worked in adult acute inpatient settings.
Knowledge
* Advanced knowledge of the theory and practice of trauma-informed care.
* Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
Skills
* To communicate the ethos and culture of trauma-informed care to different professional and lay audiences.
* Advanced skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
£82,462 to £93,773 a year per annum Incl. of inner HCAs pro rata
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