Principal Practitioner Psychologist

Job summary

We are really excited to advertise a permanent, WTE (4 days), Principal Practitioner (Clinical, Counselling, Forensic) Psychologist post (grade 8b) to work in Oldham Home Treatment Team. This marks increased investment in our acute and crisis pathway in Oldham as we are recruiting psychology colleagues both in HTT and Oldham's Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT).

The Home Treatment Team is based at Forest House at Royal Oldham Hospital and works with adults aged between 18 to 65 years, offering short-term mental health support to individuals when they need it most.

This friendly team is expanding and are keen to have a full MDT to support their important work and provide the best possible patient care we can. We are committed to the delivery of trauma informed care and ensuring care delivery is psychologically informed.

There will be opportunities to be part of Trust initiatives, for example, by joining the 'Alternatives to Admissions' Steering group and support the leadership and development of the psychological provision in Oldham's acute pathway.

The successful post holder will have a network of psychology and non-psychology colleagues around them. Working closely with acute inpatient services, MHLT team, secondary care psychology service, the complex, emotional, relational needs (CERN) team, Early Intervention Team (EIT).

Main duties of the job

A psychological approach will be welcomed by your colleagues in the Home Treatment Team.

As outlined in the job description, the main duties of the job include:

To provide consultation and formulation to staff within the Home Treatment Team (HTT). To provide a qualified specialist psychology service for people referred to the HTT care pathway. The post holder will provide specialist assessment, formulation and interventions for a clinical caseload. To provide psychological leadership to the HTT care pathway and work systemically across services (, acute services and secondary care) to develop a psychological understanding and context for other professionals, service users and carers. To lead the psychological HTT provision within borough and support the Trust wide acute pathway when needed, to help ensure equity in provision and service. The post holder will propose and implement evidence-based practice, utilising research skills for audit and service developments. The post holder will enhance psychological understanding and skill set through the delivery of training, supervision and reflective practice. This will include within the current HTT team but also making links with local universities and providing placements for trainee Psychologists. To be an integral part of local and national initiatives to improve care quality. Forexample (but not limited to) inpatient transformation, community transformation carein the community and reducing admissions.

About us

We are keen to ensure there is adequate support for the appointed candidate in this role and have recently recruited an 8c Consultant Psychologist to lead the acute pathway and provide specialist supervision for this post. They will be in post April 2024. The trust also support an Acute Psychology Special Interest Group (SIG) and there are clear links with other Psychological practitioners working within the borough.

We are passionate about staff well-being and compassionate leadership in the acute care pathway. Our staff survey results support this. In the latest National Survey (2023) Pennine Care was ranked as the best mental health and learning disability trust in the North West.

We support staff to work flexibly and recognise and respect the roles our colleagues hold outside of their working hours. This focus helps us to retain staff and ensure people are happy in their place of work.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the top of our agenda. We believe that a diverse, inclusive and engaged culture is vital; that everyone's value should be recognised and respected.

There are also opportunities to link with local higher education providers and the research & innovation (R&I) team to engage with related research projects.

We are committed to staff development and have an extensive psychological therapies training programme. Our Psychology colleagues have feedback that this is a particular strength within the trust.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for further detail and to support your application for this post.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential

Doctoral level training in clinical psychology (including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychological assessments, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan development psychology as accredited by the BPS or postgraduate training in Forensic Psychology or Counselling Psychology) Current registration as a Clinical, Forensic or Counselling Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Desirable

Completion of further post qualification training within psychological therapies (, DBT, CBT, CAT, CFT, MBT etc) Completion of further post qualification training in supervision

Experience

Essential

Demonstrable post-qualification experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of adult clients experiencing psychological difficulties. Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse. Demonstratable post-qualification experience of working withcomplex mental health problems, including distressing psychosis, problems associated with complex relational and emotional needs and severe depression, anxiety and trauma. Demonstratable experience of working with people experiencing a suicidal crisis Demonstratable experience of working with an MDT Experience of clinical leadership within a previous role Demonstratable experience of providing clinical supervision to psychologists, psychological practitioners or other core health professions Demonstratable experience of providing teaching/ training upon clinical interventions. Demonstratable experience of managing demand for psychological services within a form of stepped-care framework (, an approach based upon the provision of direct care, and supporting other professionals in their provision of psychosocial work) Experience of delivering brief interventions to meet need

Desirable

Experience of clinical leadership Experience of working within an acute service setting Ability to demonstrate further specialist clinical experience and training Experience of audit and service evaluation within psychological therapy services Research experience within an area relevant to work within an adult service Demonstratable experience of the application of psychological therapy in diverse cultural and ethnic contexts

Knowledge

Essential

Understanding of the national and regional legislation, guidance and policy directives in relation to the development and delivery of psychological therapies within acute services Evidence of post-qualification CPD as recommended by the HCPC and, or BPS, or other professional body. Up to date knowledge of the needs of people with complex mental health problems, and of psychological approaches to recovery. Awareness of the principles of a trauma informed care approach. Familiarity with computing technology, including keyboard skills and use of word-processing, e-mail and internet software.

Desirable

Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies and approaches for adults with complex mental health problems. Publication of training, service evaluation, clinical audit and research material

Skills and abilities

Essential

Ability to work with service users, carers and families to engage with their needs and provide them with appropriate psychological support and intervention Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non professional groups Skills in working within an MDT to bring and share a psychological understanding of distress Well developed, effective communication skills, both oral and in writing, enabling complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to be shared with service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues within the NMHS and other agencies Ability to prioritise work, operate a waiting list, meet short deadlines and an unpredictable work pattern that requires regular revision of plans Ability to sit in a constrained position for service user assessment, formulation and individual and group therapy sessions and for computer work Ability to work at a high level of professional autonomy and responsibility, in a collaborative multi-disciplinary environment and also as a lone worker in circumstances where there may be exposure to verbal and sometimes physical aggression. Able to sustain the intense concentration necessary for service user assessment and formulation, individual and group therapy sessions Ability to work and communicate highly sensitive, contentious information effectively in a highly emotive or hostile atmosphere, and to overcome barriers to acceptance/ psychological resistance to potentially threatening information Ability to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to staff and carers exposed to highly distressing situations Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.

Desirable

Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials, suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings Ability to demonstrate an area of special interest/ skill in therapeutic intervention Ability to move equipment (including case files, neuropsychological tests, self-help materials, audiovisual equipment) between office base and other work settings.

Work related circumstances

Essential

Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.

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