Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
We are recruiting a part-time Assistant Psychologist (Band 4) to join our rapidly developing Children's Diabetes Team and Young Person's Diabetes Service.
The Children's Diabetes Team, based at Dorset County Hospital, cares for approximately 100 children and young people aged 0-18 years within the locality. The post holder will work alongside a qualified clinical psychologist to support the delivery of the psychology service to children and young people with diabetes, their families/carers, and members of the multi-disciplinary team. The role will include a combination of supervised direct clinical work, as well as supporting the delivery of groups, working with other professionals in the service, and supporting with audit and clinical databases.
This role is a part-time, permanent position, with flexible working options.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking a highly-motivated, compassionate, and organised individual:
* To contribute to psychological screening, assessment, formulation, and therapy for children and young people within the diabetes service at the direction of the clinical psychologist.
* To work as part of the multi-disciplinary diabetes team on quality improvement initiatives including relevant audits, collecting, analysing, and reporting on a range of statistics.
* To support the teaching and training of the multi-disciplinary diabetes team.
The role requires applicants to have completed a BPS accredited degree in Psychology conferring graduate basis for registration. We are seeking individuals who have a passion for working with children, young people, and families in a physical health setting. Experience working as an assistant psychologist, or other relevant experience, is required.
Job responsibilities
Responsibility for Patients
* To undertake psychological screening and assessment of children and young people with diabetes under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. This may include undertaking questionnaires, conducting neuropsychological assessments, making observations, and semi-structured interviews.
* To analyse and interpret assessment findings with the support and direction of the clinical psychologist.
* To provide evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions to children and young people with diabetes under the supervision of a clinical psychologist.
* To plan, organise, and teach psychosocial interventions in group or individual formats when required.
* To contribute to wider interventions provided by the MDT within the diabetes service.
* To liaise with clients, carers, and professionals regarding non-complex sensitive clinical information.
Responsibility for wider clinical network/service
* To work as part of a team with the clinical psychologist including planning and organisation of own workload or delegated tasks.
* To support the provision of highly specialist psychological advice and consultation to community and ward staff involved in the care of children and young people. This may involve exposure to highly distressing circumstances.
* To maintain a database of psychology referrals.
* To feedback findings from psychological assessments to the wider MDT, and to be able to communicate this information effectively to young people and their families or carers where appropriate.
* To work with frequent intense concentration during clinical sessions in which assessment and intervention are undertaken.
* Regular supervision should be accessed on a minimum of a fortnightly basis in accordance with good practice guidelines.
* To plan and prioritise own clinical workload and attend referral meetings, planning meetings, ward rounds, and case conferences as appropriate.
* To participate in the development and preparation of clinical materials such as brochures, handouts, relaxation tapes, scripts, etc., for use in the clinical services.
* To write letters and clinical reports as required.
* To note-take as needed at clinical psychology meetings such as case formulations, psycho-social meetings, high HbA1c meetings and disseminate to the wider MDT as required.
* To support the clinical psychologist to enhance the basic psychological skills of the diabetes MDT through training and support.
Responsibility for Policy and Service Development
* To support the clinical psychologist to design and implement a psychological strategy for the service.
* To work with colleagues to maintain and improve the quality of the diabetes service for children and young people.
* To work positively with colleagues to maintain effective relationships.
* To attend relevant team and inter-agency meetings and to disseminate and cascade information from these meetings effectively to relevant staff.
* To attend and contribute to High HbA1c/complex case meetings, enhancing the provision of basic psychological tools by the wider MDT.
* To have a personal duty of care for NHS equipment and facilities and to advise on the ordering and maintenance of psychological tests and other equipment as required.
* To maintain appropriate client records and make regular statistical returns as required.
* To provide up-to-date reports on the progress of patients as required.
* To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing, and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the Health and Care Professions Council and Trust policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Knowledge, Skills & Training
* BPS accredited degree in Psychology (2:1 or higher) conferring graduate basis for registration (GBR).
* Knowledge and skills for maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse, and the threat of physical abuse.
* Good communication and organisational skills.
Business Travel
* Subject to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act, able to travel using own vehicle on Trust business.
Experience
* Experience of working as an assistant psychologist or other equivalent recognised work experience.
* Experience of audit/data collection/statistical analysis for service improvement or research.
* Experience of working in a physical health setting or with clients with long term health conditions.
* Experience of working with children or young people.
* Experience of teaching and training others.
* Experience facilitating therapeutic groups or contributing to the delivery of psycho-educational interventions.
Personal
* Ability to work independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
* Ability to prioritise and organise workload.
Information Technology
* Basic IT skills, normally obtained through practice or practical training. Demonstrable experience of using word processing, spreadsheet, database, and or presentation software.
* Experience maintaining a database of psychology referrals, including inputting, organising & analysing direct patient information and outcomes.
Additional
* Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English, adequate to enable the post holder to carry out the role effectively.
Finance & Resources
* To demonstrate an understanding of personal responsibility for keeping Trust equipment safe.
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.
Employer name
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
£26,530 to £29,114 a year Pro Rata Per Annum
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