Job overview

We are excited to announce a fantastic opportunity has arisen for an 8a Clinical/ Forensic/ Counselling Psychologist to work across the Forensic Outreach Service (FOS) and the Forensic Community Mental Health Team (FCMT). Both of these teams form part of the Community Business Unit at Guild Park. The Forensic Outreach service provides a consultancy service to local services who manage cases where there are significant risk concerns. The FCMHT is a multi-disciplinary team whose task is to ensure safe and lasting transitions for service users moving on from secure inpatient care into the community. The post holder would be joining experienced and friendly multi-disciplinary teams as well as a supportive group of psychology colleagues. 

The role requires the post holder to have the ability to work with clients who present with the full range of clinical needs and risk behaviours, and the ability to engage with, and respond to, highly complex clinical, professional and ethical challenges, and demands on clinicians and services. There will also be opportunities to use audit and evaluation to inform and develop practice and service provision. 

Main duties of the job

Other aspects of the psychology role would include to:

• Provide risk formulation based psychological advice to the team, 
  Implement direct psychological intervention to some service users managed by the team
• Provide formal consultation and reflective space to MDT practitioner
• Undertake joint working with other key stakeholders including the Community Mental Health Teams and inpatient services within LSCFT’s Adult Mental Health Network in managing high risk and complexity of need.
• Consult with the referrer in order to work towards building comprehensive risk formulations with which to guide recommendations to the referring team;
• Provide psychologically informed guidance to other FOS team practitioners that are from Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Social Work disciplines;
• Where feasible, model alternative approaches and solutions through direct working with service users that have been referred. 

As part of the wider Psychological Services Team, the post holder will be supported to and expected to develop expertise in all aspects of forensic/clinical practice across the different services within Guild Park. 

We would welcome applications for individuals considering taking up this post as the preceptorship/development post at band 7-8a. The post holder will be expected to reach the set of competencies expected of a Clinical/Forensic/ Counselling Psychologist working at 8a within an agreed time frame in order to make the transition to the higher grade. 

Working for our organisation

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area. 

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.