Skip to main content
Please wait, loading

Job summary

Main area
Mental Health
Grade
Band 8A
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 18.75 hours per week
Job ref
222-LS-CAMHS-624
Employer
West London NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
1 Armstrong Way
Town
Southall
Salary
£59,490 - £66,239 pa inclusive of 15% HCAS
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
Today at 23:59

Employer heading

West London NHS Trust logo

Clinical Psychologist / Team Lead

Band 8A

West London NHS Trust  provides a full range of mental health, community  and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 8a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist (0.5WTE) to lead on the development and management of the enhanced pathway of Ealing Mental Health Support Team (MHST+). The role sits within our Mental Health Support Team (MHST) offer, providing early intervention mental health input directly into mainstream Primary and Secondary schools.

 

The MHST+ team was established in 2021, to provide evidence-based early intervention support in mainstream schools, for children diagnosed with a Learning Disability (LD) or Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC), or awaiting assessment for an ASC diagnosis. Recently, the MHST+ pathway has expanded to develop a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) pathway, and is constantly developing and evolving in response to feedback and evidence. The team has been praised for its innovative ASCLD offer, and are often invited and contacted to present or share learning for MHSTs nationally. We strive to continue to develop an offer that is meaningful for the people we work with.

 

Please note that we will also consider a Band 7 with leadership experience, on a preceptorship route working towards the essential criteria needed as an 8a. Therefore, this post is also being advertised as a Band 7 to 8a preceptorship Clinical Psychology role.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide senior leadership for the clinical functioning of the MHST+ team. You will contribute to providing early intervention mental health support for children/young people with Autism and/or LD, or who are on the waiting list for an Autism diagnosis, in mainstream schools, as well as the CBT pathway within the team. This may expand to include other enhanced offers.

 

You will contribute to identifying gaps and generating potential ideas for developing the service. You will develop strong working relationships with key stakeholders to enable joint working to best meet the needs of children and young people, including those with ASC/LD and the systems around them.

 

You will contribute to developing and implementing a range of interventions and projects within schools and may be invited to contribute to developing borough-wide strategies for young people, including those specifically with ASC/LD.

 

You will hold a small caseload, offering high quality evidence-based interventions to support children and young people, as well as provide clinical supervision for trainee and other psychological therapies staff within the team.

 

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and   Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m. 

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by the British Psychological Society, or equivalent if trained overseas.
  • Eligible to work as a Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical / Counselling) as approved by the Health Care Professions Council.
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
Desirable criteria
  • Training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and their families across a range of care settings, (e.g. outpatient, community, primary care, in patient settings).
  • Experience of working with children, adolescents and their families which will have involved maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
  • Experience working as a specialist clinical psychologist in CAMHS.
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
  • Experience of working with evidence-based approaches to low mood, anxiety and behaviour problems
Desirable criteria
  • Experience working with children, adolescents (and their families) with learning disability and/or neurodevelopmental conditions (eg. ASD, ADHD, etc) in a CAMH setting.
  • Experience of working with other agencies and providing consultation.
  • Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
  • Experience of working with children/young people with special educational needs and challenging behaviour or mental health difficulties and their families.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential criteria
  • Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
  • 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.
  • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
  • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HCPC.
Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge and skills in specialist psychological assessment and treatment of specific groups (e.g. looked after children, learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental disorders, adolescent mental health, trauma, anxiety and mood disorders).
  • High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
  • Knowledge of application of therapeutic models to children who have special educational needs and neurodevelopmental conditions.

Other Requirements

Essential criteria
  • 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 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.
  • Commitment to provide support to children, their families/carers and linked professionals and maintain high levels of aspiration for the population referred to the service.
  • Commitment to working flexibly and collaboratively with team colleagues and to support innovative ways of working.
  • To approach clients with empathy and adaptability and to be open to development of new approaches to work with clients.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Fair Train work experience quality standard - gold standardNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleJob share policyInvestors in PeopleDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeArmed Forces Covenant

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Dr Roya Afsharzadegan
Job title
Principal Clinical Psychologist & MHST Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

Please get in touch with Dr Roya Afsharzadegan, Principal Clinical Psychologist & MHST Manager via [email protected] with any enquires or for further information about the role.

 

 

If you have problems applying, contact

Address
West London NHS Trust
Trust HQ, 1 Armstrong Way
Southall, UB2 4SD
Telephone
07732824250
Apply online nowAlert me to similar vacancies