Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country. Across the whole of the region we provide: Adult and older adult mental health services Specialist learning disability services Mental health services for children and young people Community healthcare services for children, young people and families in Dudley Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020, with the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Combining resources, strategies and talented workforce enables us to deliver a wider variety of outstanding services that are based on best practice and are continually improving. We currently employ over 4,000 people and just like the population we serve, we are made up of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Whatever your role, working in a NHS Foundation Trust, like ours, is a demanding and extremely rewarding experience. Knowing that every day you can help to make a positive difference to someone’s life is a very powerful feeling. We know that our Trust runs on this desire to help and support people, and our Trust vision expresses this. Our vision is to improve health and wellbeing for everyone, especially our colleagues to achieve the best possible work/life balance. We proudly offer supportive, inclusive and family friendly employment and flexible working policies. We have a wide range of professional services and employee networks to help our colleagues be at their best - and find support if they need it. To find more about our staff benefits, please visit our website: blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk. Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and ethnic minority candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Black Country Healthcare we recognise and value all forms of knowledge and expertise, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification or criteria in the job description/person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. For further supporting information to help you apply for this role please see documents attached under ‘Additional documents’. Job overview Situated within the Wolverhampton based Older Adult Enhanced Community Mental Health Team the post will also have very active links with ,and support from the OA Psychology team across our other older adult services. The post-holder will be a valued colleague in a community based team, committed to a multi-disciplinary approach with older people who manifest with highly complex mental health, clinical and social needs. You will have the opportunity to teach on the in-house CBT training course, to be involved with the supervision of Assistants in the newly redesigned Older Adult Therapeutic Service (OATS) and to help support the establishment of the In Reach to Care Home (IRTCH) service. Currently psychologists across the teams offer Systemic, EMDR, CAT, and CBT interventions and we are in the early stages of developing a complex emotional needs pathway for older people. For an informal discussion about these posts or to arrange a visit to the team, please contact Gemma Fisher (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) on 01902 446142 or email at [email protected]. Alternatively, please email Ann Detheridge, Consultant Divisional Lead Psychologist at [email protected]. Advert The post-holder will be a valued colleague in a community based team, committed to a multi-disciplinary approach with older people who manifest with highly complex mental health, clinical and social needs. You will have the opportunity to teach on the in-house CBT training course, to be involved with the supervision of Assistants in the newly redesigned Older Adult Therapeutic Service (OATS) and to help support the establishment of the In Reach to Care Home (IRTCH) service. The post-holder will be a key member of services which aim to deliver a pathway through care which is highly attentive to a Recovery ethos and to holistic care which upholds shared patient-centred pathways; and which clearly formulates and demonstrates recovery orientated outcomes. The post offers great opportunities for oversight and development of psychological practitioners and trainees working within these services at different times. They will be key partners in progressing service quality and service development initiatives. There will also be active working on the dementia pathway. We look forward to receiving applications from HCPC registered clinical and counselling psychologists who can demonstrate a commitment to developing a career working with older adults, and experience to grow in this challenging and exciting role. We can also offer preceptorship band 7 to 8a and welcome newly qualified applications. Working for our organisation We are a closely linked team of psychologists that work across all services within the Division including Community, In-Patient and Memory Assessment services within the four Black Country areas of Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Walsall and Dudley A core part of multi-disciplinary teams who work closely with colleagues to improve access to psychological interventions across a variety of services and localities Involved in a number of exciting transformational projects including the recent launch of the Older Adult Therapeutic Service (OATS) – a holistic, recovery-focussed, multi-professional, community based service for older people of the Black Country who may have dementia and/or mental health needs A creative and innovative team that provide supervision, training, reflective practice, and service development to multi-disciplinary teams in addition to individual and group work with clients A friendly, talented and diverse team of psychologists who are committed to the values of person centred multi-disciplinary and compassionate care across all teams and areas of service provision Each committed to improving the quality of care via our involvement in Quality Improvement Projects led by a Divisional Lead Psychologist who is committed to raising the profile of our team and the influence of psychology across the organisation, enabling other professionals and leaders to think psychologically and systemically to support and enhance the organisation, client care, and staff well-being. Detailed job description and main responsibilities Job Purpose Accountable for own professional practice in the delivery of highly specialist psychological care to clients with highly complex mental health or learning disabilities which may include challenging behaviours. To be compassionate in meeting the needs of clients, their carers and families. To promote at all times a positive image of people with mental health or learning disabilities. To promote at all times a positive image of the service and the wider Trust. In line with the banding of the post and its service context to: Exercise supervisory/professional responsibility for other psychological therapists Provide leadership in multi-disciplinary training and development Provide leadership in service audit and development provide leadership in service evaluation and research Ensure that a psychological perspective is brought to service redesign and cultural change Main Duties/Responsibilities Clinical Responsibilities, Patient Contact Provides highly specialist psychological assessment of clients with highly complex conditions based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources, which may include neuropsychological testing. Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of client harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice, reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the client. Responsible for identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk. Undertakes risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and provides specialist advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management. Formulates plans for highly specialist psychological therapy and/or management of clients’ mental health conditions based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and evidence-based practice. Negotiates the implementation of such plans with clients and/or their carers. Implements a range of highly specialist psychological therapies for individual clients, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations as required. Undertakes highly skilled evaluations and makes decisions about treatment options. Provides highly specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other staff contributing directly to client’s diagnosis, formulation and intervention plan. Facilitates decision-making by planning and mapping processes/interventions with members of the team to determine the most appropriate treatment modality or service for clients. To liaise with other professionals working within NHS, Social Inclusion and Health and the voluntary sector on matters relating to client care that have implications for the service. 2.0 Supervisory/Professional Responsibility 2.1. Clinical supervision of Trainee Applied Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists. 2.2. Clinical supervision of Band 7 Applied Psychologists working within immediate area, under the guidance of Consultant Applied Psychologist 2.3. Will hold responsibility and accountability for their own actions, ensuring appropriate support and supervision is sought when required. 2.4. To keep abreast of current developments in this field through reading, attendance at appropriate training courses, and a range of other CPD activities, and to ensure that a log is kept of this in line with HCPC requirements. 2.5. To contribute, as appropriate, to the teaching offered on the local Applied Psychology training courses. 3.0 Multi-Disciplinary Training and Development 3.1. Provides highly specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other direct care staff in MDT 3.2. Provides clinical supervision to other direct care staff in MDT 3.3. Devises and delivers training to other staff in MDT 4.0 Service and Organisational Development 4.1. Planning and mapping interventions with members of the MDT to determine best treatments for groups of clients 4.2. Takes an active role in MDT delivery of CQUIN and QIP projects, NICE benchmarking and compliance requirements as required within MDT 5.0 Service Redesign and Cultural Change 5.1. Bring an understanding of psychological change processes to own role within MDT 5.2. Bring an understanding of psychological change processes to help MDT to cope with changes, in consultation with Consultant Applied Psychologist 6.0 Service Evaluation and Research 6.1. Take an active role in clinical audits as required within MDT 6.2. Undertake service evaluation and research in MDT 6.3. Develop proposals for research and service evaluation within MDT 6.4. Engaging multiple stakeholders in project work including service users and/or carers 6.5. Developing and implementing outcome monitoring within MDT 6.6. Supervise Applied Psychology trainee service evaluation and/or research To undertake any other duties of a similar nature consistent with the responsibilities of this post in order to provide a quality OA service. Please Note that Internal at Risk Employees will be given preference for this position We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward for this vacancy at any time should we receive an overwhelming response of applications. We therefore encourage applicants to apply early if you wish to be considered for this post. If you do not hear from the recruitment 4 weeks within the advertised closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage. Please ensure that you check your emails on a regular basis for any recruitment updates regarding this vacancy. If you are not successful at the shortlisting stage and would like feedback, please contact the Recruitment Team directly for feedback. The salary range quoted is as per NHS Agenda for Change pay structures. This is based on the number of years’ working directly within the NHS at the advertised pay band. Experience gained with other NHS Trusts will apply, but candidates without prior experience working direct for the NHS would normally be appointed at the lowest point unless they can demonstrate the equivalent experience and then be eligible for incremental increases in future years. Successful applicants for clinical posts up to and including Band 4 are expected to hold the national Care Certificate qualification and will be supported to attain this once in post. The Trust is committed to equal opportunities, providing opportunities for flexible working and is a non-smoking organisation. As a Trust we are passionate about Anti-Racism, Disability Inclusion, and LGBTQ Equality, and are committed to diversifying our staff team in all areas and at all levels of seniority to better reflect the diverse communities we serve. Therefore, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from people who belong to a minority or marginalised community, including from Black and Asian, Disabled (including hidden disabilities such as Neurodiversity, Mental Health, etc), or Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans or Queer (LGBTQ) people. Furthermore, Disabled applicants have the option of requesting that their application is considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS). Please indicate your intention to apply under the GIS in the relevant section of your application. Regardless of whether you participate in the scheme or have shared a disability, you will be provided the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the interview process at each stage of the recruitment process. Due to the nature of the work some posts may be subject to a Standard Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, through the Disclosure and Barring Service as stipulated under part V of the Police Act 1997. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us; this will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances of your offences.