Job summary
If you are passionate about working with people who are experiencing acute difficulties with their mental health and using your skills in working with Acute Adult Mental Health Inpatient, and Home Treatment, multidisciplinary teams we have a great opportunity for you!
We have two 8a Psychologist positions for Psychologists to work closely with the teams to contribute to the provision of psychological formulations and interventions for people admitted to the wards and home treatment teams, and to support the provision of Trauma Informed Care.
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is a friendly and innovative place to work which was recognised by us being awarded the HSJ Mental Health Trust of the Year in November 2021.
We are working with our Experts by Experience to coproduce and develop our clinical model and deliver Trauma Informed Care.
As part of Trauma Informed Care we are committed to your wellbeing and professional development.
We will support your development from a newly qualified role / band 7 into working as an 8a Psychologist.
If you have a particular interest in working with the wards or with Home Treatment Teams we can support this.
Main duties of the job
The focus of your clinical role will be working directly with clients with severe and enduring mental health needs who are experiencing a crisis with their mental health, and the people around them, to provide assessment, shared formulation, and psychological interventions.
You will be a key member of the multi-disciplinary teams and your clinical work will include consultation, and ensuring good liaison across services.
To support psychologically informed working and Trauma Informed Care, you will provide team formulations, training in psychological models and skills, clinical supervision and reflective practice, and staff support conversations.
The Assistant Psychologists provide groups on the wards, and online groups for people working with the Home Treatment Teams, and you will support and further develop these. You will provide clinical supervision for Assistant Psychologists and other colleagues. You will be encouraged and supported to provide training placements for Trainee Psychologists, and to link with the Exeter course.
There are good opportunities in these roles to develop your leadership skills, for example with taking a lead role on projects or for aspects of service development.
We are looking to build our research capacity and you would be welcome to be part of this.
We are a friendly and supportive team, and there are opportunities for joining forums across the Trust to support your specialist interests and development.
About us
As an organisation, the NHS offers a wide range of benefits including flexible working, pension contributions, market leading annual leave allowance, continuing professional development and regular informal conversations around career progression, annual recognition awards to celebrate and recognise our colleagues achievements throughout the year and not to mention our Blue Light Card and NHS exclusive discounts.
We work hard to make sure that inclusion is part of everything we do. We know that true inclusion means we're able to provide the best care for our patients and provide a fulfilling career for all our colleagues.
The benefits of working in Somerset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines. You will get to enjoy these perks whilst still only being a stone's throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London - there is truly something for everyone!
There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable.
We have six active and impactful colleague networks. These networks provide a safe space for colleagues to share their experiences and learn from one another, but also influence change across our trust:
1. Multicultural Network
2. Women's Network
3. Armed Forces' Network
4. LGBTQ+ Network
5. Lived Experience Network, for colleagues living with disabilities
6. Autistic Colleague Network
Job description
Job responsibilities
7. Key Working relationships include service users and their families, multidisciplinary and psychology colleagues, Acute Adult Mental Health Inpatient Team and Home Treatment Team Managers, wider team and service members.
8. To contribute to the strategic planning with the urgent care pathway teams to ensure / promote effective service delivery.
9. To interpret and report on complex data sets to do with service evaluation and clinical audit.
10. To interpret and implement local and national guidance where appropriate.
11. Responsible for providing highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment for people admitted to the Acute Adult Mental Health Wards.
12. To be formulate and implement plans of psychological therapy or management of peoples mental health problems, based on appropriate conceptual frameworks and current evidence-based practice, taking into account the current NICE guidelines.
13. To actively contribute to the development & implementation of therapeutic interventions for people with serious mental illness.
14. To contribute to the strategic planning with urgent care pathway teams to ensure / promote effective service delivery.
15. To provide placements for trainees in line with professional practice.
16. To support colleagues across secondary care mental health services as appropriate.
Please see attached JD for further details
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
Essential
17. Qualified Clinical Psychologist ( or equivalent) & eligible for Chartered Clinical Psychologist status in the British Psychological Society
18. Registered with HCPC
19. Previous experience of working in Inpatient and Urgent Care
20. Substantial further training and practice in specialist therapy CBT, EMDR, Systemic
Knowledge
Essential
21. Broad knowledge of specialist services and of services in the NHS where psychology is commonly applied, and of relevance to urgent care client group
22. Knowledge of the policy context of acute mental health care and of the provision of psychology in the NHS
Desirable
23. Knowledge of service development in a clinical setting and experience of carrying out a service evaluation once qualified
Experience
Essential
24. Experience of teaching / training / substantial
25. Experience of working with complex trauma, both clinically, and in providing training, supervision and / or staff support
26. Experience of delivering individual clinical supervision to trainees, assistant psychologists and other health professionals
Desirable
27. Experience of neuropsychological assessment and awareness of impact of neuropsychological symptoms on presentation
28. Experience of undertaking leadership roles within clinical psychology services in the NHS, for particular project or provision of a modality of therapy
29. Experience of delivering reflective practice or group supervision