Principal Clinical Psychologist

Job summary

Barts Health People Directorate is pleased to be recruiting a motivated and experienced principal psychologist to join our small and dedicated #Team Barts Health Psychological Support Service, a designated support service for Barts Health employees. Working as an integrated part of the Trust Wellbeing offer, the post holder will help provide psychological support for colleagues across all five hospital sites: Royal London, St Barts, Mile End, Newham University and Whipps Cross Hospitals and Canary Wharf offices.

The role involves working in a team of five principal psychologists to develop and implement a sustainable and evaluated process for psychological support, under the leadership of a consultant clinical psychologist. Part of the role involves working with all levels of staff in teams to assess, formulate and intervene at the team level, resulting in changes which positively impact the staff experience. Additionally, the post involves providing direct one to one intervention in the form of evidence-based psychological therapy to individual members of staff in the event that existing pathways to specialist services are not available or deemed appropriate. As recommended by the British Psychological Society for 8B psychologists, the post holder's job plan will involve around 50% team and individual clinical opportunities and 50% other professional and leadership work.

Main duties of the job

To develop and implement a sustainable and evaluated process for psychological support for staff wellbeing across all sites, as per the Key Working Relationships table (below), under the leadership of a consultant clinical psychologist.

To do this as a member of a team of psychologists who are employed as part of the Trust-wide project focusing on developing wellbeing and support interventions for teams. To work systemically with all levels of staff within specific teams to assess, formulate and intervene at the team level, resulting in changes which positively impact the staff experience. To consider ways in which these changes might become internalised in these systems, as well as identifying opportunities to generalise them to other services.

To consider and address issues of inequality and discrimination in all areas of work related to, but not limited to, gender, ethnicity, age, class, education, profession etc. To collaborate with colleagues working on issues of exclusion and disadvantage including working closely with Barts Health diversity networks.

About us

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

Job description

Job responsibilities

What experience and skills do you need?

The suitable candidate must have these following skills, experience, qualifications, and knowledge:

Experience

- Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist including experience of working in staff consultation in a health care setting and ability to describe the extent of this in detail.

- Strong professional interest in employee wellbeing within healthcare.

- Experience of providing consultation to teams on complex matters, for example, safety, service design, staff wellbeing etc.

- Provision of specific team-based interventions such as reflective practice support to and appropriate evaluation of this.

- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment with medical populations within health care settings, including both hospital and community experience.

- Leadership of a service.

- Experience of working with multi-disciplinary teams in health care settings.

- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.

- Experience in the application of psychological approaches for different social and cultural groups; actively engaging with those who may not otherwise use services and auditing this.

- Experience of working with individuals and groups who may not otherwise engage, through listening and the creation of bespoke, culturally sensitive interventions to suit need, including but not limited to preference according to professions, BAME or gender.

- A special interest in and having led at least a small service related project relating to equality, diversity and inclusion in the NHS.

- Experience in group work.

- Experience in working with challenging client groups ( people with multiple physical, social and psychological problems).

- Experience of teaching, training and supervision of pre and post qualified psychologists.

- Experience in the application of psychological assessment, formulation, treatment and evaluation, using evidence-based talking therapy for those injuries which may be sustained in the workplace, such as post-trauma or mood related symptoms.

Qualifications

- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the British Psychological Society, or British Psychological Society Statement of Equivalence.

- Registration with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist

- Completion of further post-qualification specialist relevant training, including training in supervision of trainee clinical psychologists and an evidence based trauma model.

- Post graduate training in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).

- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice.

Knowledge

- Demonstrate highly developed specialist knowledge across a range of therapeutic modalities that reflect inclusive practice in psychology: , systemic models, third wave models such as compassion-focused and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and trauma-informed approaches.

Skills

- Well-developed knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, and their application in specialist settings.

- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.

- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.

- Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary setting.

- Ability to make an active contribution to service development within Barts Health NHS Trust provision for employee psychological wellbeing and so, in turn, the quality of service provision.

- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.

- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.

- Evidence of being able to use computers to a good or excellent level, including the use of Word, Excel & Power point presentations.

- Knowledge of legislation and social policies relevant to Employment, Mental and Physical Health, including Health and Safety Executive.

- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC and British Psychological Society.

Other

- Strong planning skills and an ability to work flexibly and efficiently across five hospital sites.

- Flexible adherence to a locally agreed Job Plan that reflects BPS and local guidance for 8B psychologists. This involves arranging a work and leadership/strategic balance that includes approximately 50% clinical work.

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist including experience of working in staff consultation in a health care setting and ability to describe the extent of this in detail. Strong professional interest in employee wellbeing within healthcare. Provision of specific team-based interventions such as reflective practice support to and appropriate evaluation of this. Experience of working with multi-disciplinary teams in health care settings. Experience in the application of psychological approaches for different social and cultural groups; actively engaging with those who may not otherwise use services and auditing this. Experience of working with individuals and groups who may not otherwise engage, through listening and the creation of bespoke, culturally sensitive interventions to suit need, including but not limited to preference according to professions, BAME or gender. Experience in group work.

Desirable

Experience in the field of staff wellbeing Experience of leading an MDT team. Experience of service development and related theoretical frameworks Experience of teaching, training and supervision of pre and post qualified psychologists. Experience of working in physical healthcare settings, as a psychologist, amongst doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Skills

Essential

Well-developed knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, and their application in specialist settings. Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC and British Psychological Society.

Desirable

Well-developed knowledge of engaging non-psychology physical health professionals with applications of psychological principles, for the benefit of the wellbeing of the service providers and therefore, in turn, the service-recipients. Well-developed knowledge of theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies, as relevant to the evidence-base for psychological injuries that may occur within a healthcare workplace setting.

Knowledge

Essential

Demonstrate highly developed specialist knowledge across a range of therapeutic modalities that reflect inclusive practice in psychology: , systemic models, third wave models such as compassion-focused and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and trauma-informed approaches.

Desirable

Demonstrates knowledge of psychological models that contribute to improvement in leadership and reflecting on the experience of leadership in healthcare. For example, experience of the application of Compassionate and Inclusive Leadership models.

Qualifications

Essential

Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the British Psychological Society, or British Psychological Society Statement of Equivalence. Registration with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist Registration with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist Completion of further post-qualification specialist relevant training, including training in supervision of trainee clinical psychologists and an evidence based trauma model. Post graduate training in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Desirable

Pre-qualification qualifications in research methodology and/or health psychology. Post-qualification training in one or more additional areas of psychological practice, as relevant to psychological wellbeing improvements at a system level.

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