Principal PsychologistNHS

Job summary

UNLOCK YOUR BEST WORK LIFE

+ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFE

We have an exciting opportunity for a Principle Psychologist to join our integrated Mental Healthcare team at Gatwick IRC, based in the heart of Gatwick, providing care to around 440 patients. Within this role you will be working closely with the multidisciplinary to provide high quality care for patients with complex mental health needs.

The applicant must be familiar with trauma informed practice and trained in at least one trauma specific intervention. The applicant will be part of the Integrated Mental Health Team and will be an integral part of the clinical leadership team supporting the development of the psychological therapies service.

Hours

2.5 days per week 8am-4pm, we can offer some flexibility with hours

Salary

You'll receive an annual salary from £72,000 to £79,000 per annum FTE - depending on experience.

How will we support you?

• Bespoke induction, including our Introducing Health in Justice training course
• Competency framework
• Regional and national career development opportunities
• Our bespoke Learning Management System to address your learning needs
• Support from the wider team

Candidates are required to have a Legal right to work in the UK and due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks.

Main duties of the job

As a qualified, HCPC registered Psychologist, your responsibilities will vary. You will

• Offer clinical support and oversight to the Integrated Mental Health Team (IMHT) in the form of training
• Undertake psychological assessments and support complex multi-disciplinary formulations
• Deliver and oversee the delivery of 1:1 psychological interventions and group intervention as part of the Trauma Informed 'Making Sense' Programme
• Deliver teaching and training to healthcare and prison staff where required
• Contribute to the development of audit, service evaluation and research profile as appropriate

It doesnt stop there we also offer:

• Discounts on shopping and leisure activities
• Support to grow in your role and continue your professional development
• 24/7 employee assistance helpline and financial assistance when you need it

Candidates are required to have a Legal right to work in the UK and due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks.

Job description

In this senior clinician role, the Principal Psychologist will provide clinical leadership to the mental health team, ensuring the delivery of effective psychological services that support the unique challenges faced by individuals in prison. The Principal Psychologist will work collaboratively with the prison's senior leadership team and external stakeholders, and will actively contribute to regional quality review processes and service development meetings, ensuring that mental health services are continuously improved and aligned with best practices and meeting agreed targets. This role will work closely with the wider national psychological therapies team and contribute to service model review and improvement against new research and in line with best practice and NICE guidelines. Additionally, the role involves contributing to regional quality review and service development meetings to ensure that mental health services are responsive to the needs of individuals in prison and actively work to minimize the cycle of intergenerational trauma. By leading initiatives that connect individuals with essential resources and support, the Principal Psychologist will play a vital role in promoting the mental well-being of both patients and staff within a remand prison setting.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical -

To provide highly specialist psychological assessment of high complex patients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members (when appropriate) and others involved in the patients care.

To make highly specialist clinical decisions and clinical judgements about patient care, processes and service developments;

To provide specialist trauma informed, psychological insight, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan;

To lead and evaluate the implementation of a range of psychological interventions for individuals and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models, and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses; engage in structured and dynamic risk assessments;

To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking in to account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors including historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group;

To contribute directly and indirectly to a trauma informed, psychologically-based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, promoting the psychological mindedness of staff;

To contribute a psychosocial, trauma informed perspective within the multidisciplinary team including for those patients not directly on the psychologists caseload and attend individual patient reviews and risk management meetings where appropriate;

To attend ACCT reviews and segregation reviews in the prison as appropriate and to offer psychological opinion about management and appropriate referrals in that context and, offer psychological understanding into CSIP plans to support management of patients within the wing by prison staff;

Foster good working relationships with Offender Management, Probation to Reconnect services to a psychologically informed understanding of patients needs during transition into open conditions or release into the community;

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, highly complex/sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans to the patient, appropriate professional colleagues and to family members, as appropriate, and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of multi-disciplinary discussions;

To be able to complete and interpret formal psychometric assessments;

To maintain accurate clinical records and keep the PTS dashboard up to date with outcomes data for patient/service and staff outcomes;

To contribute to the development of specialized individual treatment plans or packages of care for patients with complex psychological problems and who may present a risk of harm to themselves or others;

To be able to manage the emotional impact of working, often one-to-one, with people who can be in crisis, who can show high levels of arousal and can be actively self-harming or suicidal;

To work jointly with other psychologists/therapists, to plan and hand over the psychological assessment and treatments of patients that may continue after either transfer to other prisons or released in the community or other recovery-based settings.

In liaison with Mental Leads and/or Heads of Healthcare and the National Head of Psychological Therapies, identify opportunities for and conduct service development projects in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team;

Participate in and contribute to CPD and peer supervision within the wider healthcare team;

Active engagement in appropriate practice supervision.

Teaching, training and supervision

To receive regular clinical supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor, in accordance with the BPS and the HCPC guidelines and, where appropriate, from other senior professional colleagues and, to supervise junior psychology colleagues and other therapists and MDT colleagues as appropriate;

To provide training and supervision for members of the service (healthcare and prison) in the delivery of psychologically, trauma informed care and treatment;

To provide specialist advice and consultation and training to members of other disciplines within the teams and to non-psychology manager of the teams on psychological understanding, interventions and evaluations;

To develop and deliver teaching as appropriate for members of staff from other disciplines;

Responsible for planning, delivery and clinical supervision of a specialist psychology training placement for trainees on the postgraduate doctoral courses in clinical/counselling and/ or forensic psychology;

To develop further post-qualification experience in psychology over and above that provided through training by engaging in a clearly planned CPD programme in accordance with British Psychological Society guidance and in line with service model and needs;

To contribute to peer psychology supervision sessions.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

To plan and supervise the work of undergraduate psychology students, and trainee psychologists and be responsible for their support in their placements;

To contribute to proposals and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies;

To advise the Mental Health lead and/or Heads of Healthcare on those aspects of the service where psychological matters need addressing in line with best practice and service objectives;

Responsible for contributing to the planning, organizing, auditing and developing of policy strategies for the delivery of the psychological therapies service;

To contribute to proposals for and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies within the service;

To take responsibility for representation of the profession at appropriate service development and governance meetings as agreed with their Line Manager and in line with Personal and Professional Development Plans (PDPs);

To contribute to recruitment shortlisting and interviewing as appropriate across the service;

Research, service evaluation & audit

To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual/ group work and work with other team members;

To undertake project management, including complex audit, research and service evaluation projects, with colleagues within the service, to help develop service provision;

To prepare and present information from audits, evaluations and research to professional audiences within and outside the Organisation

To prepare papers for publication based on audit, evaluation, research and development work

To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

Professional -

To attend regional and national Psychological Therapies meetings, service development and other relevant meetings regularly;

To adhere to professional/accrediting body codes of conduct, policies and procedures (e.g. HCPC, BABCP, BPS);

To be aware of, adhere to, and where appropriate, contribute to the formulation and review of Practice Plus Group policies and procedures;

To maintain and develop high standards of psychology/psychological therapy practice by engaging in continuing professional development and co-operative working/networking with therapists, clinical, counselling and forensic psychologist colleagues;

To receive regular line management supervision by the Head of Healthcare

To participate in the organisations annual performance review and personal development planning process with the clinical supervisor and line manager;

To keep up to date with legislation, national directives, policies and NICE guidelines in relation to the work delivered.

Other

This Job Description is not exhaustive and may change as the post develops, but such change will not take place without consultation between the post holder and their manager. Job descriptions should be reviewed at least annually at the appraisal meeting.

About us

The Health in Justice team at Practice Plus Group makes a real difference across over 53 prisons, young offenders and immigration removal centres. Were the UKs leading independent provider of NHS services to over 40,000 patients in secure environments, always putting their needs first, regardless of their background. Practice Plus Groups purpose is to Unlock your best work life and we stand by our core values: we treat patients and each other as we would like to be treated, we act with integrity, we embrace diversity we strive to do things better together.

We are looking for caring, compassionate but also driven professionals who can help us drive our vision for a fair and inclusive healthcare access to all.

Qualifications required

• Full HCPC registration
• Clinical, Forensic or Counselling Psychologist
• Proven post-qualification professional experience in Clinical/ Forensic Psychology
• Experience working with Forensic Mental Health patients
• Experience working with psychological Trauma
• Excellent communication skills
• Team Player

Although not essential applicant who have a PHD would be advantageous

Secure environments are one of the most challenging, yet rewarding places for healthcare professionals to work. If youre looking for a role where you can develop your existing healthcare skills and learn something new every day in an environment that never stands still, then this could be the right opportunity for you.