Guy's and St Thomas' is among the UK's busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.
Guy's is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas' has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children's Hospital.
Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions.
Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.
In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.
We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King's Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King's College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.
Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of 'good'. Our adult community services achieved a rating of 'outstanding'.
The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.
We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.
Job overview
A newly created and exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced/advanced social work practitioner to work alongside a dedicated team of 1.7 WTE psychologists delivering the Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS) based within the Guys and St Thomas's (GSTT) Haemophilia Centre.
The GSTT IBPS is one of several newly funded 5-year services commissioned by the National Health Service England (NHSE) following the recent Infected Blood Inquiry with the aim to support patients and their families infected/affected by contaminated blood products.
We are looking for an energetic, dynamic social worker with a high degree of commitment to promoting the safe and effective relationships with people impacted by infected blood.
We aim to attract a committed, diverse, and talented workforce who are passionate about delivering care within an acute hospital setting and adapting approaches to meet the needs of our services and service users. In return, we offer a supportive, dynamic work setting where you can link with colleagues and develop your career.
We welcome applications from social workers who are registered with Social Work England.
Main duties of the job
The GSTT IBPS provides multidisciplinary care for those infected and affected by contaminated blood products by:
1. Conducting outreach and psychosocial assessments led by the social worker (post holder).
2. Providing psychological therapies by the psychologists.
It collaborates closely with its Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), while maintaining a distinct identity.
The successful candidate will deliver a specialist and outreach social work role in navigating through the complex health and social care systems, and voluntary community services, while addressing the psycho-social, emotional and practical challenges faced by people and their families impacted by infected blood.
An advanced knowledge and skill in the application of a range of social work interventions to promote independence, choice, control, and wellbeing is a prerequisite. Also embedded in the forefront of the role is the use of rights and strength-based approaches to care and support delivered to this service user group.
No previous experience of working with this service user group is necessary although some knowledge of the infected blood scandal, inquiry and experiences of those impacted would be an advantage.
Working for our organisation
GSTT is an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the communities it serves. As a flexible working organisation, we are open to discuss flexible working on appointment.
You will work in a team which values your unique experience, ideas and interests. You will work as part of the GSTT IBPS and the GSTT Haemophilia Centre MDTs and will also be supported by social work colleagues within other IBPS's, GSTT and South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. CPD is encouraged so you will be able to enhance your own practice via professional development and contact with other social workers.
The GSTT IBPS will have close links with the Haematology Psychology Service (HPS) which has been providing psychological support to patients with blood disorders and their families at GSTT for over 20 years. The HPS is comprised of Practitioner Psychologists at various stages in their career. The team has a strong ethos of supporting each other, with access to reflective practice, learning spaces and Trust wellbeing initiatives.
We are committed to equity and ensuring that the contributions of all members are respected and valued. Our HPS is recognised for being accessible to patients and staff and strives to be as representative of the local population as much as possible. We would particularly welcome applicants who can add to the diversity of the existing team and who value working with diverse communities.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.
Person specification
Qualifications/Education
Essential criteria
* Recognised degree-level qualification in Social Work.
* MSc in relevant subject or equivalent level of postgraduate training (e.g. short courses, specific training).
* Registration with Social Work England.
Desirable criteria
* Training/education in supporting long-term health conditions.
Experience
Essential criteria
* Substantial post-qualification experience in social work including social care of people with complex problems and chronic physical health conditions.
* Risk assessment including mental health.
* Experience in community health teams or acute hospital Trust settings.
* Taking a keyworker role and managing own caseload.
* Experience of team working.
* Working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
* Working with hard to engage communities.
* Working with external agencies to address social care needs.
Desirable criteria
* MDT working in a health setting.
* Planning and delivering community engagement events.
* Teaching to lay and professional groups.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* An understanding of, and adherence to, legislation, procedures, policies and good practice guidelines relevant to the role.
* Knowledge of key issues relating to developments in Infected Blood Inquiry and implication for service provision.
* Sound knowledge of current issues in the profession.
* Understanding of social issues that impact adversely on service-users.
* Aware of diversity and inequality issues affecting access to services.
* Knowledge of external agencies (both statutory and voluntary) that can be used as part of a care plan to help address social care needs.
Desirable criteria
* Understanding how social context can interact with and impact on service-users' mental and physical health and vice versa.
Skills
Essential criteria
* Excellent skills in communicating complex information in different ways to audiences with different levels of understanding.
* Excellent listening skills and able to manage difficult and emotionally-charged conversations.
* Well-developed IT skills.
* Skills in liaising with a wide range of external agencies and referring service-users to such agencies in a timely and effective way.
Desirable criteria
* Competence in consultancy to other staff groups.
* Evidence of having contributed to service development / audit.
Guy's and St Thomas' celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitably according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or studies at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.
Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy.
As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.
Flexible working
We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking into account the individual's personal circumstances as well as the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the onboarding process.
Your e-mail address is important to us - We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis.
Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now."
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
* JD B7 Specialist Social Worker GSTT IBPS 2025 (PDF, 344.4KB)
* PS B7 Specialist Social Worker GSTT IBPS 2025 (PDF, 128.4KB)
* FRF B7 Specialist Social Worker GSTT IBPS 2025 (PDF, 376.6KB)
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