Job summary
Band 8A, WTE & Band 8A
While this is a Band 8a post, we welcome applications from candidates at a Band 7 level who would progress on a development/preceptorship scheme to 8a, typically over a 12 - 24-month period.
f you are keen to use and develop your clinical neuropsychology skills in the dynamic, interdisciplinary fields of stroke survivors and their families across a range of clinical settings, including the Hyperacute- and Acute-Stroke Unit and in the community, you might also be keen on joining a Trust making significant investments in developing its psychology services. An opportunity has arisen in a thriving neuropsychology team offering excellent support and professional development within our Psychological Services Network at the trust. This opportunity sits within the stroke team at Northwick Park Hospital. As a centre of excellence, it provides hyper-acute and rehabilitation care to stroke survivors in North-West London on a 50 bedded unit and in home-based settings. The role will include opportunities to further develop teaching, service development and supervision skills and benefit from internal and external CPD. As a Trust, we aspire to ensure our workforce represents the diverse communities we serve and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME and LGBT+ communities. Applications from these groups are welcomed.
Main duties of the job
1. Provide a highly specialist psychology service to stroke patients including specialist assessment, treatment planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
2. Contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe and informed environment.
3. Initiate and collaborate in service evaluation, audit, and research.
4. Provide clinical supervision, consultation, and training, functioning as a lead specialist in the neuropsychological assessment of stroke patients.
5. Work as an autonomous professional within the guidelines and policies of the BPS, HCPC and LNWH, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
6. Agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
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:
7. 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
8. St Mark's Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease
9. 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
10. 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
To view the main responsibilities, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.
For Informal enquiries / visits, contact: Vidya Rajbhoj Lead Principal Practitioner Psychologist for Stroke Services on 07970307598 or
Person Specification
Education/qualifications
Essential
11. 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.
12. Registered as an Applied Psychology Practitioner member of the HCPC.
13. 3.Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice such as ACT, CFT, CAT, narrative or systemic therapy through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma.
Desirable
14. Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice, PGDip / MSc in Applied / Clinical Neuropsychology
15. Post-qualification training in supervision.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
16. Doctoral level knowledge of lifespan developmental models of adjustment and psychopathology, neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
17. Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics.
18. Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
19. Doctoral level knowledge of the theory, evidence base and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions to this client group and service setting.
20. Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects.
21. Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group, mental health issues, safeguarding, and discrimination.
22. Post-qualification knowledge and experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. Including a knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of psychological care in a physical health setting.
23. Experience of working within a stroke services MDT context, providing specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
24. Experience of supervising assistant psychologists and/or other members of the psychological workforce.
Desirable
25. Experience of delivering staff support.
26. Experience of conducting neuropsychological assessments for developing comprehensive neuropsychological formulations and interventions.
27. Record of publications in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books
Skills, abilities, attributes
Essential
28. Select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
29. Skilfully communicate complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues, adapting communication to ensure inclusivity, taking account of sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural/individual differences and hostility to, or rejection of, information.
30. Plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers, and for meetings such as case reviews.
31. Plan allocation of tasks to assistant psychologists.
32. Be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
33. Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings.
34. Demonstrate self-reflection and the ability to incorporate this understanding when formulating and intervening at the individual, group and system level.
35. Able to recognise, analyse and weigh complex competing agendas.
36. Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to good team functioning and holding team roles.
37. Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
38. Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
39. Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as witnessing traumatic events, working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour, including when aggression is directed towards the staff member.
Desirable
40. Membership of relevant professional bodies and specialist interest groups (, BPS, DCP, DCoP, DoN & ACP).
41. Contributing to the activities of relevant professional bodies and specialist interest groups ( BPS, DCP, DCoP, DoN & ACP).
42. Experience in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.