Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To lead and deliver a high quality and largely autonomous and systematic clinical psychology service to the MINT in line with best practice and National guidelines.

• To undertake highly specialist assessments, including neuropsychological assessment, risk assessment and assessment for suitability for specialist psychological therapies with clients and their carers (as appropriate to the role).
• To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of clients’ mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
• To be responsible for providing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
• To provide at least one specialist evidence based psychological intervention as dictated by the needs of the service.
• To provide highly specialist consultation to members of the various teams in the MINT and beyond regarding formulation and psychological management of clients of the MINT
• To be involved in the development and delivery of training to multidisciplinary staff in the MINT
• To use highly specialist psychological knowledge and skills to contribute to the more effective management of patients by teams.
• To participate in clinical and caseload supervision arrangements provided by the Service.
• To maintain accurate records and to monitor clinical workload using agreed systems.
• To enter data as requested by the Trust in a timely manner.

MANAGEMENT 

• Delegated caseload supervision
• Represent the service at specialist meetings as requested
• The co-ordination of small scale projects as requested

      PROFESSIONAL

• To fully adhere to the Policies and Procedures of the HCP. To fully observe the BPS (1996) Code of Conduct and the DCP Guidelines for the Professional Practice of Clinical Psychology (1995).
• To be aware of, adhere to, and where appropriate, contribute to the formulation and review of Trust, Area, Clinical Psychology policies and procedures.                                            
• To participate in local psychological therapy and psychology meetings and trust wide meetings as appropriate.
• To maintain and develop high standards of clinical psychology practice by engaging in continuing professional development and co-operative working/networking with other clinical psychologists.
• To participate in an annual performance appraisal.
• To participate in clinical supervision.

       SERVICE GOVERNANCE

• To participate in service governance processes in the profession and in the LDU to maintain a safe, effective service which responds to Service User feedback.
• To support and participate in multidisciplinary clinical audit.
• To liaise with other disciplines and agencies to ensure that best practice is shared.
• To promote the use of effective interventions in the service.

• To provide supervision for clinical psychology trainees from regional training courses and Clinical Associate Psychologists (CAPs) and elsewhere as appropriate.
• To provide training, supervision and consultation in psychological approaches to other staff in multidisciplinary teams. This is to include joint assessment, formulation of psychological problems and planning of interventions to be implemented by other team members with service users.
• To contribute to the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care across service settings through providing teaching, training, consultation and supervision.
• To provide training and supervision to assistant psychologists.
• To participate in peer supervision arrangements for psychologists in the area.
• To collaborate with colleagues to develop and offer training courses, workshops and supervision groups to develop psychological skills for staff in the area.
• To contribute to the teaching of students and trainees in psychology, medicine, nursing and other health care disciplines.

• To agree a plan of personal development with the line manager and professional lead for the service.
• Provide inclusive, compassionate and effective leadership for your team by setting clear vision and direction.
• Encourage your team to feel able to raise concerns openly and safely.
• Promote equality of opportunity in service delivery and employment, ensuring that no person receives less favourable treatment than another on the grounds of gender, marital status, race, religion, creed, colour nationality ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
• Support prompt recruitment by identifying vacancies to the AWP Recruitment Team as soon as they arise, and participate in the selection and effective induction and onboarding of new joiners to the team.
• Ensure that all team members have a very positive introduction to the team and a well-supported first year.
• Take responsibility for encouraging people to stay with AWP, ensuring that you are aware whenever a member of your team is considering leaving, seeking to understand their reasons and encouraging them to stay.
• Ensure that key messages are cascaded in your team and that your team are encouraged to put forward suggestions.
• Show appreciation to your team when they do good work and support them when they are struggling.
• Consider the individual needs of team members for a healthy work-life balance and think about how their needs can be supported by providing flexible ways of working.
  • Support all team members to keep their mandatory and statutory training up-to-date and identify the learning and development needs of all team members of the team ensuring that everyone has an up-to-date personal development plan (PDP).
  • Ensure that every team member as at least an hour of supervision (one-to-one meeting) each month, this may include both managerial and clinical supervision.
  • Ensure all team members receive a constructive assessment of their performance each year and set SMART objectives for the coming year.
  • Seek support from the HR Team to tackle any worries regarding matters of discipline, including both conduct and capability concerns, supporting a ‘just and restorative culture’. Take prompt action regarding serious concerns and ensure clear plans are in place for problems which are less serious in nature but prove difficult to resolve.
  • Act as a positive role model at all times, encouraging people to feel equal members of the team whilst working within clear frameworks and policies.
    • To collaborate with specialist staff and other agencies in the LDU to extend the range of specialist psychological individual, family and group interventions available across the area.
    • To propose changes to policies and procedures in multidisciplinary teams as appropriate.
    • To advise managers of service developments
      • Support the development of policies relevant to the MINT, including your team in this work.Promote effective use of bank and agency nursing staff, providing a safe and effective service, complying with regulatory standards.
        • Ensure that you and your team understand all of the agreed key performance indicators for the MINT service, particularly relating to outcomes and essential standards to be met.
        • Ensure that you and your team understand data quality standards and that all the necessary records for your service are maintained and reported.
        • Ensure that you and your team understand all of the clinical and business action plans relevant to your services.
        • Ensure that you and your team understand all of the monitoring, auditing and reporting systems relevant to your services.
    • To engage in research relevant to service priorities as appropriate.
    • To participate in audit and service evaluation activities examining the effectiveness of current service delivery and informing the development of services relevant to client needs.
    • To provide advice, support and consultation to colleagues from other disciplines undertaking research in the area.