Job overview
The successful candidate will work within a multi-disciplinary team on a low secure ward and an open rehab unit to provide high quality care and treatment for service users with a forensic history and mental health difficulties.
To provide a comprehensive, specialist psychological therapy service to service users of the service.
1. To provide specialist psychological assessment and therapy.
2. To provide training, advice and consultation to other staff about the psychological needs of the service users.
·To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the Health and Justice Services Directorate.
·To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Trust’s policies and procedures.
·To support the team and Service Line.
Main duties of the job
The duties of the role include:
3. undertaking psychology admission assessments essential for treatment planning.
4. undertaking risk assessments that are essential for clinical pathway planning and are subject to KPI.
5. provide 1:1 interventions and group work within the psychological therapies model.
6. undertaking welfare checks for service users and promote active involvement in their treatment.
7. support team functioning by attending clinical discussions (e.g. ward rounds, CPAs) to provide psychological perspectives and formulations using a trauma informed approach.
8. provide consultation to MDT to inform risk management.
9. involvement in clinical audit and service evaluation.
10. provide clinical supervision to trainee psychologists and assistant psychologists as required.
Working for our organisation
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is a Top Employer Award Winner and works in partnership to provide responsive and dependable primary care, mental health, intellectual disability and substance misuse services to the diverse and culturally rich communities we serve.
CNWL’s Health and Justice Services are led by a highly motivated team with vast experience in healthcare within secure environments. We employ a range of psychologists and psychological therapists with clinical, counselling and forensic trainings. Psychologists work within the mental health services in numerous sites, across prisons, YOIs and secure hospitals, with children and adults, men and women and across the range of security categories. Psychologists also lead four specialist Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) commissioned services and Sexual Behaviour Services in the youth estate.
Joining a large, forward-thinking Trust will bring successful candidates excellent development opportunities, an exciting career structure, and job satisfaction. Psychologists from across Health and Justice come together for professional and clinical development. High quality supervision and continuing professional development are integral to our approach and to our intent to support and retain an excellent team. Focused training which contributes to your own development and to our service development will be supported.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical
1.To provide specialist psychological assessments of clients, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
2.To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
3.To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
4.To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
5.To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
6.To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulations, diagnoses and treatment plans.
7.To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
8.To act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating, planning and review of care plans under enhanced CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.
9.To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.
10.To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping, including electronic data entry and recording, and report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance, in accordance with professional codes of practice of required professional accrediting body, and Trust policies and procedures.
11.To work innovatively and in conjunction with colleagues to develop appropriate, evidence based and effective services.
Teaching, training, and supervision
1.To receive regular clinical supervision from a suitably qualified and experienced psychological therapist and, where appropriate, other professional colleagues.
2.To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staff’s psychological work, as appropriate.
3.To provide professional and clinical supervision of Band 6 psychological therapists, assistant/graduate psychologists and, as appropriate, to contribute to the supervision of individual cases for trainee psychologists and psychological therapists.
4.To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of applied psychology and psychological therapy, as appropriate.
5.To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
1.To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
2.To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
3.To manage the workloads of Band 6 psychological therapists, assistant and graduate psychologists, within the framework of the service’s policies and procedures.
4.To develop, with colleagues from health and third-sector organisations peer led/service-user facilitated support, education and treatment programmes.
Research and service evaluation
1.To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
2.To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.
3.To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues to help develop service provision.
4.To familiarise themselves with, and to comply with, the Trust’s requirements on research governance.
IT responsibilities (other than those used for research)
1.The post holder will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data and provide this to the Service Manager/Head of Speciality when necessary.
2.The postholder will engage in relevant computer and IT training as required.
3.The postholder will be responsible for ensuring that the psychology service staff they are responsible for/supervise engage in relevant computer and IT training as required and will input and maintain, appropriate computer and manual clinical records and statistical data.
General
1.To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the postholder’s professional and service manager.
2.To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of applied psychology and related disciplines.
3.To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.
To be noted:
11. This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the postholder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.
12. This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing service requirements and any such changes will be discussed with the post holder.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI can be used as a support tool, not a replacement for the applicant’s own work. Applications must remain personal, accurate, and reflective of the candidate’s real experience. AI-generated content must not misrepresent skills, qualifications, or experience. Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct. Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.
Vaccination
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
13. Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
14. Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the
15. Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.