Job overview
The post holder will be supervised by the Consultant Psychology lead, and will work as part of a supportive team of psychologists within Burns & Plastic Surgery. There are strong links with the psychology physical health service within the health board. including colleagues in other physical health settings.
They will be expected to provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and evidence based interventions. They will also have opportunities to utilise their research and evaluation skills in supporting service development initiatives within the service.
Main duties of the job
To support the Lead Psychologist for Burns & Plastic Surgery to deliver a psychological service for patients of the Burns Service, including the provision of comprehensive assessments (utilising clinical interview, psychometric tests, behavioural observation and consultation with significant others) formulation and the delivery of appropriate therapeutic interventions. The role involves inpatient and outpatient work across the lifespan.
To provide consultation and psychological advice to members of the multidisciplinary team, as well as to other services and agencies as appropriate.
To provide training in the use of psychological approaches to members of the multi-disciplinary team, and to other professional staff and agencies, undergraduates in psychology and Psychology Assistants and Doctoral Trainees. To supervise the psychological work of staff from other disciplines as appropriate or ensure that appropriate supervision is available.
To support the lead psychologist with service development and research projects.
Working for our organisation
We believe staff are our best asset and we want you to be happy and confident about starting your career here in Swansea Bay University Health Board.
As one of the biggest healthcare groups in the UK we can offer a wealth of professional training and development opportunities in an innovative, forward-thinking organisation.
You might be a nurse or doctor, maybe you specialise in a health science/therapy or can offer skills in one of our support services - we have a job for you.
There are also apprenticeships, work placements and volunteering roles available.
We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from everyone whatever their sex; religion or belief; race; age; sexual orientation; gender identity or, whether they are pregnant or have recently been on maternity leave, married or are in a civil partnership; or, whether they are disabled.
Our values - Caring For Each Other, Working Together and Always Improving, show that our commitment to equality is at the heart of everything we do.
If you want excellent career and training opportunities while living on the doorstep of some of Europe's most spectacular scenery, with all the benefits of a thriving and cosmopolitan city - look no further.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To provide highly specialist psychological assessments of referred inpatients and outpatients, involving appropriate interpretation and integration of highly complex, sensitive, or contentious information from a variety of sources, including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and others who may be involved in the patient’s care.
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a patient’s psychological issues relating to trauma, physical and mental health problems, grounded in an appropriate conceptual framework of the patient’s issues, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, both individually, within the family unit, and within group settings.
To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families 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.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both a range of theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning medical, historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
To flexibly adjust and refine formulations in the light of relevant information, drawing upon applicable explanatory models, and the consideration of best course of action from a range of hypotheses in each situation.
To exercise entirely autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of highly complex individual cases, whilst consulting appropriately with peers or in clinical supervision and adhering to professional ethics and Health Board policies.
To provide highly specialist clinical psychology advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients’ formulations, diagnoses and treatments.
To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care, to the benefit of all patients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the patient group.
To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, highly complex information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of patients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care.
To ensure that all members of the multidisciplinary team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of patients of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation, and the dissemination of psychological research and theory.
To work with distressed patients and their families, in an emotionally demanding environment including Intensive Care and rehabilitation wards, for prolonged periods, communicating highly complex, sensitive, and/or emotive information to patients and relatives who may be antagonistic, hostile, or emotional. This requires frequent and extended periods of intense concentration, and containment of distressed patients, both individually and within group settings. Potential for unpredictability of patient behaviour, with risk of verbal and physical aggression. Frequent working in inconsistent environmental conditions, some of which are less than clinically ideal.
To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual patients and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.
To keep updated in regard to the latest evidence-based interventions and assessments.
Teaching, training, and supervision:
Although acting autonomously within the policies and procedures of the Health Board, Burns Service and Burns Psychology Service and entirely professionally accountable in practice, in common with all applied and clinical psychologists, to receive regular clinical supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues in accordance with professional good practice guidelines.
To continue to gain wider post-qualification highly specialist experience of applied/clinical health psychology over and above that provided within the principal service areas where the post holder is employed (as agreed with the professional psychology manager).
To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision for psychological work to other members of the multi-disciplinary team, as appropriate.
To provide professional and clinical supervision to Assistant/graduate Psychologists and, as appropriate, to contribute to the supervision of Trainee Clinical Psychologists.
To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of applied/clinical health psychology, as appropriate.
To provide specialist advice, consultation and training to staff working with the patient group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development:
To contribute to the evaluation and monitoring of operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
To contribute to management of the workloads of Trainee, Assistant, and graduate Psychologists, within the framework of the team/service’s policies and procedures.
To be involved, as appropriate, in the short-listing and interviewing of Assistant/graduate Psychologists and other members of the working team.
Research and service evaluation:
To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
To undertake appropriate research/evaluation and provide research/evaluation supervision, consultation, and advice to other staff (both psychologists and multidisciplinary staff) undertaking research or audit-based activity.
To initiate and/or undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation incorporating both qualitative and quantitative research methods and analyses, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.
To participate in the evaluation, monitoring and development of operational policies, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit, ensuring the incorporation of the psychological care stream in the provision of quality care.
To ensure that appropriate dissemination of research findings is carried out including, where appropriate, publication in peer review journals and through presentations at conferences, to national and regional special interest groups, as well as to local services.
Effective communication skill, emotional robustness and capacity for concentration to cope and work effectively with stress (in self and others) of frequent, intense work with people who are in highly distressing situation (e.g. in burns ITU, coping post traumatic event, engaging in rehabilitation, adjusting to prognosis, decision making and undergoing reconstructive surgery).
Advocating a psychological perspective with the dominant physical healthcare system, which may challenge the prevailing patterns of care.
To be highly skilled in, and able to demonstrate, effective clinical judgement in managing distressing and uncertain circumstances (e.g. managing the risk of suicide).
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 post-holder’s professional and service manager.
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/clinical health psychology and related disciplines.
To maintain and promulgate 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 British Psychological Society and Health Board policies and procedures.
To participate in continuing professional development and to maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific patient group and physical and mental health generally.
To adopt personal duty of care for Health Board and other agencies’ equipment and facilities, especially when working in community or other hospital settings.
To use keyboard and computer literacy skills for community and other hospital based working on a frequent basis.
To provide own means of transport for community and other hospital based working.
To be able to maintain sitting in a restricted physical position, providing appropriate and supportive posture for prolonged periods of time during clinical interviews, assessments, treatment and the provision of supervision etc.
This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the post holder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Eligible for Chartered Clinical Psychologist status (Doctoral qualification in Clinical Psychology or its equivalent for those who commenced training prior to September 2001) or other equivalent Practitioner Psychologist qualification as accredited by the (British Psychological Society) BPS
Desirable criteria
2. Pre- or post qualification training and qualifications in clinical health psychology, research methodology, staff training, and/or other fields of applied psychology
Experience
Essential criteria
3. Experience of highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment of patients with physical and or mental health conditions across a range of care settings
Desirable criteria
4. Previous experience of working in a physical health/surgical setting
Swansea Bay University Health Board is committed to supporting its staff and processes to fully embrace the need for bilingualism thereby enhancing service users experience. In our commitment to increase the number of staff able to communicate in Welsh with patients and professionals, we would particularly welcome applications from Welsh speakers.
Equality remains at the centre of the Health Boards policy-making, service delivery and employment practices. We value the diversity of our staff and welcome applications from people from protected groups under the Equality Act 2010, this specifically includes age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, race, religion, disability, pregnancy and maternity and marriage and civil partnership.
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.
Welsh language skills are desirable