Job summary
To provide a highly specialist clinical psychology service to people affected by neurological conditions, with some opportunities for working with those affected by other health conditions.
To manage and hold clinical responsibility for a specialist caseload and provide highly specialist assessment and interventions focusing on identifying and treating psychological issues associated with these health challenges.
To provide highly specialist advice, consultation and training as appropriate to service-users, their significant others and colleagues within the organisation, and to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
To contribute to service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
While this role is being advertised at Band 8a, our team would also consider offering a preceptorship (from Band 7 to 8a) for a more newly qualified clinician who wants to develop their knowledge and skills within the field of neuropsychology - and the competencies outlined in this job description reflect this. This would be a developmental role, with support in place from the wider Health Psychology and associated multi-disciplinary teams, to work towards the higher-level competencies expected from the 8a role.
Main duties of the job
1. Develop and deliver timely evidenced-based psychological interventions to service-users recently diagnosed with a stroke, and their families, as part of the Early Supported Discharge (ESD) stroke service. This will involve developing effective working relationships and close liaison with the acute stroke unit and community stroke service.
2. Work as part of an established multidisciplinary team within the Health Psychology Service to contribute to the delivery of a county-wide psychology service for patients with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and stroke. There will also be some opportunities to also offer input into other physical health conditions pathways.
3. Play a key role in ensuring the systematic and equitable provision of high quality psychological assessment and interventions. This will involve providing specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessment, formulation, treatment and rehabilitation.
4. Offer advice, training and consultation on service-users' psychological care to colleagues and other professionals, working under clinical supervision within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures.
5. Work autonomously across a variety of settings, such as: inpatient stroke unit, community stroke service, social services, primary and secondary mental health services.
About us
Wye Valley NHS Trust is a member of an NHS Foundation Group with South Warwickshire NHS FT, the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
Located on the border with Wales in the shadow of the Black Mountains, we provide acute and community services across Herefordshire and into parts of Powys and run Hereford County Hospital and the community hospitals in Bromyard, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye.
We are a progressive and forward looking trust with ambitious plans to improve quality and integrate patient pathways through close collaborative working with our partners to deliver the quality of care we'd want for our family and friends.
More than 3,500 people work for the Trust - they tell us it's a great place to work, blending the busyness of a DGH with the benefits of working in a beautiful rural and unspoilt county like Herefordshire.
We can offer a great work-life balance and have a fine tradition of working with staff to help them achieve their full potential.
Russell Hardy, Trust Chairman: "The strength of the Trust is its amazing staff; a great place to work, a great place to develop your career and a great place to reach your potential."
Our values -Care, Accountability, Respect and Excellence - are at the heart of all we do. We believe in providing the right care in the right place at the right the time.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To view role requirements and role responsibilities in full, please view supporting documents linked to this vacancy.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
6. Holds a Bsc/BA Honours degree in Psychology
7. Holds a Doctoral Degree in Clinical or Counselling Psychology n(or equivalent for those trained prior to 1996)
8. Holds HCPC registration as Clinical Psychologist or Counselling Psychologist
9. Eligible for registration as a Chartered Psychologist (Clinical or Counselling) by the BPS
10. Evidence of relevant post-qualification training in specific, evidence-based techniques
Desirable
11. Further post-graduate qualifications in neuropsychology
12. Evidence of further training/study days/conferences relating to psychology, neuropsychology and physical health conditions
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
Essential
13. Knowledge required specific to this role and clinical area
14. Advanced theoretical and applied knowledge of psychological approaches for people with psychological and neuropsychological difficulties
15. Ability to work independently as an autonomous practitioner
16. Well-developed psychometric assessment skills
17. Adapt creatively evidence-based interventions relevant to the client group
18. Ability to develop, maintain, and end therapeutic relationships
19. Ability to represent a psychological perspective in multi-disciplinary team
20. Sufficient training and experience to offer clinical supervision to Trainee Clinical Psychologists
21. Highly developed and effective communication skills
22. Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers/significant others and staff
23. Doctoral-level knowledge of research design and methodology
24. Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
Desirable
25. Ability to think strategically, considering the broader NHS and public health context
26. Publications in either peer-reviewed academic, or professional journals and/or books
Experience
Essential
27. Experience of working with clients with a diagnosis of acquired brain injury/stroke/neuropsychological difficulties
28. Experience of neuropsychological assessment
29. Specialist experience of working with people with physical health problems, and/or health co-morbidities
30. Substantial experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams and multiagency multicultural environments
31. Experience of using psychological approaches for people with psychological difficulties
32. Experience of providing supervision and training to a variety of health and care professionals
33. Experience of working with clients and staff from a range of ethnic communities
34. Experience in report writing
35. Experience of having conducted clinically-relevant research and audit
Desirable
36. Experience of working with disadvantaged populations
37. Experience of working with families, carers, significant others
Personal Attributes
Essential
38. Commitment to promote service-users' rights, independence and choice
39. Ability to work autonomously within role remit and levels of competence
40. An engaged attitude, motivated towards continuous personal and team development
41. Ability to communicate bad news diplomatically and tactfully
42. Commitment to supporting service needs and development beyond own caseload/priorities
Other Factors
Essential
43. Ability to fulfil the travel requirements of the post