Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health Child and Adolescent
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months
- Hours
- Part time - 15 hours per week
- Job ref
- 325-6209779-CYPS
- Employer
- Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Surrey County Hospital
- Town
- Guildford
- Salary
- £50,952 - £57,349 pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 13/05/2024 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Practitioner Psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Would you like to work in an organisation that sits in the top 10 best NHS Mental Health, Learning Disability and Community Services Trust to work for. This ranking is based on staff feedback in the 2023 NHS Staff Survey.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical, Counselling or Health Psychologist to become part of the paediatric chronic fatigue/long covid service at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. The post holder will provide assessments and evidence based psychological support for children and young people up to the age of 16 who have a diagnosis of chronic fatigue or Long COVID.
The post holder will be employed by Surrey and Borders Partnership (SABP) NHS Trust and seconded to the Royal Surrey County Hospital. Specialist supervision will be jointly provided by a SABP psychologist and by the paediatric long COVID lead at the Royal Surrey. In addition the post holder will be part of a nationwide network of psychologists working within this specific field. The team currently includes a dedicated paediatric consultant with a special interest in chronic fatigue and long COVID, and several physiotherapists. It is also supported by paediatric cardiology and audio vestibular medicine services at the Royal Surrey County Hospital. Patients with complicated presentations can be referred to the post COVID hub/TRAACS services at University College London Hospital for a tertiary opinion.
Main duties of the job
To assess the psychological needs of children and young people with the symptoms of chronic fatigue and long COVID.
To plan, implement and evaluate psychological interventions to help them manage the impact of these chronic symptoms on their lives.
To promote a psychological perspective both within the team and with other colleagues and agencies.
To work collaboratively with the team manager and clinical lead in the development of effective services.
Working for our organisation
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of health and social care services for people of all ages with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in Surrey and North East Hampshire. We also provide social care services for people with a learning disability in Croydon and ASD and ADHD assessment services in Hampshire.
The post-holder will be seconded to Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, which is a friendly, supportive, busy and welcoming acute and community Trust. The paediatric chronic fatigue/long COVID Service functions within the Paediatric Unit, sharing premises with paediatric outpatients.
We actively seek to engage people who use our services and our communities in improving the mental wellbeing of the local population. We work closely with other NHS and voluntary sector organisations who provide services and support people who use services and carers.
Surrey is a beautiful county lying just 30 minutes away from Central London and from the South Coast.
Our historic market towns and bustling districts are enveloped in wonderful countryside, and our excellent road and rail networks bring the rest of the country within easy reach.
For international travel, both Gatwick and Heathrow airports are nearby.
Please note that we reserve the right to close posts as soon as sufficient applications are received.
We look forward to receiving your application!
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of clinical work and care.
To maintain high standards of care in all areas of practice in accordance with the HCPC Code of Conduct, professional guidelines and Trust Policies and Procedures.
To act within the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act (2005). To be aware of and implement Safeguarding Adult and Child Protection Policies, Procedures and legislation.
The post holder will offer all patients with a diagnosis of chronic fatigue or Long COVID an initial comprehensive psychological assessment. (This session may be part of a joint MDT session with other professionals).
The post holder will provide psychological formulations of patients’ difficulties and plan, implement and evaluate short-term psychology interventions. These may include one or a combination of the below:
- Individual psychological therapy (cognitive behaviour therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, solution-focussed therapy)
- Family Work
- Liaising with local Mindworks Surrey services particularly in cases where there is deemed to be an acute mental health risk (such as self-harm/suicidal ideation)
- Liaising with the local paediatric safeguarding team if concerns arise in this regard
- Consultation with local or external professionals including paediatricians and paediatric specialists, physiotherapists , occupational therapists, child development specialists, private therapists, school teachers and special education needs co-ordinators
- Working with patient support groups including external charities
To actively involve patients in developing and agreeing to their own care plan, acting as an advocate and ensuring that there is proper regard for their dignity, choice, self-esteem, racial, cultural, sexual and religious needs and preferences.
To conduct and lead on clinical audit, quality assurance and research, maintaining current knowledge of research findings and development within this specific care group. To benchmark practice against national best practice guidelines.
To develop and provide a range of specialist teaching/training packages which can be delivered to a range of multi-disciplinary audiences.
To contribute to the development and implementation of appropriate policies, protocols and care pathways
To contribute to the wider strategic plans regarding the development of psychological services in relation to the paediatric chronic fatigue and long COVID services
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable post registration/clinical experience and competency working with children with medical needs and their families.
- Experience of working with people across the life span with a range of mental health issues and cognitive profiles.
- Experience across a range of psychological models including systemic, behavioural and individual therapeutic
- Experience of group work.
- Experience of contributing to service development work.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working within paediatric chronic fatigue/long COVID teams or working with patients with paediatric chronic healthcare problems
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist.
- Doctorate in Clinical, Counselling or Health Psychology or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- Additional post-qualification training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- Additional post-qualification training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Hani Zuhur-Adi
- Job title
- Paediatric Consultant
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Alternative contact
Caroline Dibnah, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, [email protected]
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