PIPE AP Clinical Lead

This post is an exciting opportunity for a senior psychological therapist to act as Clinical Lead for a Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) Approved Premises (AP). The post holder will play a key role in creating and maintaining a healthy psychosocial environment in the Approved Premises, ensuring that the unit adheres to the theoretical principles of the PIPE model. This will include design, delivery and oversight of the core components of the PIPE model, including group work, supervision, and the management of group dynamics.

To manage a wide range of complex dynamics within the PIPE AP environment and host organisation. This will require the post holder to take on a leadership role within the service, working effectively alongside operational and strategic leads.

To contribute to staff development by offering training, supporting, and providing clinical supervision. As part of the National PIPE specification, they will also participate in individual and group (peer) supervision, provided by a group analytic consultant each month.

The PIPE clinical lead will ensure that the application of the PIPE service supports and adheres to its agreed pathway function, e.g. Progression or Community.

To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the services' policies and procedures.

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

We're Kind

We're Fair

We Listen

We Care

Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs) are specifically designed, contained environments where staff members have additional training to develop an increased psychological understanding of their work. This understanding enables them to create an enhanced safe and supportive environment, which can facilitate the development of those who live and work there. They are designed to have a particular focus on the environment in which they operate; actively recognising the importance and quality of relationships and interactions. They aim to maximise ordinary situations and to approach these in a psychologically informed way, paying attention to interpersonal difficulties, for example those issues that might be linked to personality disorder.

PIPEs are not treatment interventions - the PIPE model has been developed as an environmental approach to enhance the delivery of core work within Prison and Probation (i.e., community) settings, where additional psychological or psychosocial considerations are required.

The post holder will hold a strategic position as Clinical Lead for the PIPE service. They will have a key role in creating and maintaining a healthy psychosocial environment; ensuring that the unit adheres to the theoretical principles of the PIPE model. This will include design, delivery and oversight of the core components of the PIPE model, including group work and the management of group dynamics (0.8wte).

The post holder will manage the development of a positive and enabling milieu, ensuring that the delivery of psychosocial aspects of the PIPE service is compliant with policy and delivery arrangements. This will include ensuring the PIPE service works towards meeting and maintaining the standards set out for the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Enabling Environments award.